I need your help! I’m doing research on good pet care partnerships. I know it’s different for everyone, but I should be able to distill some key characteristics from your comments and stories. To prime the idea pump, consider these questions:
How important is a philosophical match (vaccination protocols, behavior/training methods, keeping up with new ideas beyond the basics, etc.)?
How much time do you expect to have with your veterinarian during an appointment?
How much follow-up and in what form (phone, email, text message, etc.) is ideal?
What qualities are you looking for?
Do you like a personalized experience in a smaller practice, or do you like the hustle and bustle of a big one?
Tell me about the communication strategies that work best for you, especially at times when you’re super upset or potentially disagree on a course of action.
What makes you feel “wanted” or appreciated as a client?
And, how do you convey all this without coming across like a total pain?
What kinds of things would make you switch doctors or practices?
To keep things simple, lets assume that we’re talking about a relatively level playing field when it comes to clinical skill and knowledge.
I’d love your input by Friday, Feb. 13, if you have the time.
Thanks!
Hi Roxanne,
Here are my thoughts about some of the questions you asked.
How much time do you expect to have with your veterinarian during an appointment? I expect to have as much time with my vet as is needed so that everything gets covered and there’s sufficient time for Qs and As without feeling overly rushed.
How much follow-up and in what form (phone, email, text message, etc.) is ideal? A follow-up phone call is appreciated.
What qualities are you looking for? I like a vet to be friendly, gentle, and genuine.
Tell me about the communication strategies that work best for you, especially at times when you’re super upset or potentially disagree on a course of action. Regarding communication strategies, here’s a little story. My german shepherd mix came down lame when he was two years old. The vet was showing me the x-rays and explaining that my dog had panosteitis. Keep in mind, I had no idea what that was, had never heard of it before. The vet seemed to be very serious about the whole thing and when I anxiously asked what the prognosis was, he replied, and I quote, “It’s a matter of time.” Well, you can imagine I started bawling my eyes out. My poor 2 year old dog, dying of panosteitis! After a few more minutes of tearful discussion I realized he had meant “All it needs is time and it will go away on its own.” He felt terrible when he realized the miscommunication and we both got a good laugh out of it.
What makes you feel “wanted” or appreciated as a client? I like it when a vet takes the time to explain everything in as much detail as I would like, not giving rushed, cursory answers.
What kinds of things would make you switch doctors or practices? I recently switched vet clinics. It had changed ownership and the new owner was terribly rude. His rudeness, combined with their sharp rise in prices and fees and the recent retirement of the older vets who I liked, made it an easy decision.
Since I don’t have a dog I’m not sure if it’s fair to weigh in but I think you have to have a good relationship with anyone providing health care to a loved one and that includes openness and respect and an agreement that you will agree to disagree sometimes. I could not go to a vet who did not listen to my concerns and allow me, ultimately, to make the final decision. I think a personalized practice is definitely important. Vets have to be willing to take time to communicate.
I have cats, not dogs, but a lot of this applies.
Philosophical match is crucial.
Time expected varies with the reason for bringing in the pet. Major issue, more time. Routine check, less time.
Follow up? Phone call, so I can ask questions. Email is not good enough for this kind of thing.
Personalized experience of small practices is essential. No big clinics for my pets.
I want the vet to talk to me, give me options, discuss side effects of treatments and let me ask questions.
What makes me feel wanted as a client is a vet who will take the time to examine my pet and talk to me about the situation. However, it’s more important to me that the vet want my PET as a client.
I would switch doctors if I felt my pet were neglected in their care.
I think that a philosophical match is generally important but I also expect that my vet will adapt her approach when our philosophies clash. For example, my vet and I both believe in the need for scientific support for a given treatment. She’ll even photocopy scientific articles for me if I ask. She does modify her approach for me on some things – like end of life issues. I think that she might euthanize sooner than I would but she shows respect for my decisions.
I expect a pretty long time (30-40 min) with my vet for an initial appointment for a given problem or for a yearly check-up. I come prepared with written questions – and I warn her ahead of time of how many questions I have so that we can plan our time correctly. For a follow-up appointment (re-check), 15 min is plenty.
I expect a follow-up phone call for serious issues but not for mundane things. I think that phone is the best communication form because so many clients (including me, I’m sure) can’t describe things well and the vet needs to ask clarifying questions.
I’m looking for someone with knowledge and technical skills but also an understanding of how much I care about my dogs. I expect that my vet will *never* make me feel like I’m being a pain when I’m acting out of concern for my dogs. I expect my vet will really listen to me and believe me. If I tell her that something intangible is wrong with my dog, I expect her to believe me. Part of why I like my vet so much is that she overtly acknowledges that I know my dogs better than anyone so she needs nothing more than my concern to take investigative action.
When I disagree with my vet, I begin by telling her how much appreciate her and respect her. We have had a longterm relationship so I think I probably no longer need to say this. But, then I explain why I disagree and ask her what she thinks of my reasoning. That opens a discussion rather than an argument.
I also try to remember to tell her how much I appreciate her at more mundane times – when there’s no tension.
I like seeing the same vet almost all the time. I hate vet hospitals where you have no say as to which vet you see. However, I don’t like single-vet practices because the inevitable ‘relief vet’ during a sickness or vacation by the regular vet doesn’t know me or my dogs at all. So, I like an intermediate sized practice where I almost always see the same vet but I actually know other vets there who can cover for my vet if needed.
I have switched practices in the past when I felt that a serious mistake was made due to lack of attention to my case. I also would switch if I felt that I couldn’t have a real discussion of treatment options with my vet where she truly listened to me and responded to my questions or concerns. A subset of that situation would be if the vet seemed to feel threatened by my questions.
The general warmth of my vet toward me and my dogs makes me feel appreciated and wanted by her practice
Do you live where you have a large choice of veterinarians? Here we don’t have a wide number within a reasonable traveling distance, so I have to settle for “satisfactory” in some areas that I wish could be better. My main gripe is suggesting unnecessary procedures that run up the bill. I do feel comfortable (and have done this many times) in turning down immunizations and treatments that–based on research, questioning, and my best understanding–are not necessary. But it would be nice to have a vet present us with the prudent minimum we could do and the chance to reevaluate if improvement is not made, rather than a list of every possible xray, blood test, medication and procedure, leaving me worried if I refuse and broke if I accept. A recent visit for a non-infected bite on the paw cost more than $150! Sorry if this is not much help but I hope you find the right match for you and Lilly.