Having a relationship with a vet...

I know at least a few people on here don't have a relationship with a veterinarian, or even a vet clinic.

What is your reasoning for that?

I seriously don't know what I'd do without the vets my dogs see routinely!

It's not that my dogs and cats were problematic and had to go into the vet all the time, and it's not like I enjoy spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, but I LOVE knowing that there is a relationship built on mutual trust that I can rely on.

When my cat was bitten in the head, there was no way I could pay the bill immediately. I was very up front about that and they had no qualms about letting me make payments every 2 weeks when I got paid, because they knew I would pay them off no matter what I had to do. If I hadn't had a relationship with a vet, I probably would have had to euthanize my cat.

Are there just no vets you trust or...?

A distant uncle of mine was a vet for many years....We never brought Mina (our old Shiba) to him for some reason - just never really got that close, more to do so on a personal level than professional I suppose.

My relationship with my current vet is...alright. We have a good rapport, Katalin seems comfortable with him and she isn't wary of him (yet), and he's been generous with knowledge and kind - if not a little rushed during exams.

She is not a problematic dog health wise and I hope it stays that way. Touch wood. But I'm happy I do have a rapport and am building a relationship with our current vet =)

I haven't found one that I really like as of yet.

I've seen two traditional vets. I hated the first, and was so-so about the second.

I'm currently seeing a holistic vet, but she isn't a full service practice, and I really would like a holistic vet that I can see for everything! I'm going to try out Lake Harriet next, since I've heard good things about them from many people.

I had a vet back home, but since we moved I have not had a chance yet to get a new vet, its in the plan this week actually to stop by and see who the vets are and what the clinic offers.

The only thing I don't love about Lake Harriet is the price tag. If I didn't have ways to save money, they would be my primary clinic without a doubt.

They are seriously THE best about animal handling, I love, love, love it so hard. They're also really good about communication and understanding my need TO take some services elsewhere in order to continue to see them at all.

I didn't for a long time. The first vet which is about 5 min for me I didn't like. I'll trust him to do things like vaccines for Yoshi. But he was mean to Yoshi one time when I was there so she will NEVER go there and stay where I can't see her.

The 2nd is about an hour and a half away. They are SUPER expensive. Probably triple what the one near me is. But they know what they are doing and they are the ones that saved Yoshi when she bloated.

I like them but even just a check up was $100 which is crazy around here.

I have found a new vet that is super nice and actually dotes on Yoshi even though she's not a smaller dog and they are SUPER reasonably priced. So that is going to be our regular vet.

I've always known having a relationship with a vet is the best idea but up until now I just hadn't found one that we clicked with enough to want to constantly use them.

That's good to hear. I really need to have a two-way communication and discussion with my vet, not just be told "You need to do X, Y, and Z." I also need someone that's willing to take the time to feed Jack lots of treats so that they become his friend lol.

The vet that's a block away is extremely well-priced. Rocket's (the cocker spaniel foster) incident only cost me about $150, which I thought was extremely reasonable for everything that they did. I strongly dislike the head veterinarian/owner though, and will only use him for emergencies. I did hear, however, that he's turning over the day-to-day appointments to a younger vet, so that might be an option.

All the vets around here I haven't been super impressed with and the office visits are too expensive to make a habit of going in just so they know me and the dogs. I do better saving the money for when something really happens rather than on office visit to say hi.

I would love love LOVE to have a relationship with a vet, but as it is after my dogs aren't puppies they go into the vet maybe once a year if that. Traveler hasn't been in there since he was 9 months old. And once I get him his three year rabies I doubt I'll be back before that unless something happens.

Maybe if I had found one I really like and I would be in there with all the dogs throughout the years it would be different. Btu as it is I've been to three or four vets with with two dogs.

I have that relationship with my horse's vet. My horse sees the vet a LOT more than the dogs do!

My dogs go in so seldom that it isn't the same.

My vet does take payment plans. My animals are healthy so I don't take them to the vet. Just like when I'm doing well I do not go for check ups. I don't do well checks. However, I set myself up with a vet I know will take payments just incase.

My vet, who let me shadow him for years and taught me nearly everything I know about vet medicine, passed away. I haven't yet found a new vet that can even come close to the relationship I (and my dogs) developed with my vet.

My mom and I literally started crying in the vet clinic last week when we took Siren in for her rabies (we made an appointment with an other vet who works there) I brought Eve in, too, and she started crying and dancing around because she thought she was going to see Dr. Hapak... Eve was always one of his very favorite dogs, and he was one of her very favorite people.

I've never really had a "good" relationship with a vet per say.

He went to this one vet as a pup for all of his puppy vaccines, but never was very pleased with them or their service.

He got neutered and got his rabies vaccs at a nice clinic around here.

Then one time when he got sick on a Sunday we went to one out of two places that is open on a Sunday. He had to stay over-night and we went in there multiple times throughout that week and I'm so mad at myself now for how much money I spent and how I let them rake me over. Everything was all about money for them, they kept pushing their Purina RX food on me, etc, etc.

Now we have what I consider our "regular" vet and we haven't been in there much but it's by far my favorite, and had it been open on a Sunday, it's where we would've been during our emergency. The vet is very nice, and it's one of the only vets offices where Jackson isn't *completely* spazzing out and scared, and I feel like they treat us/him good, prices are kind of high but for the service, to me, it's worth it. I interact with them on Facebook and stuff, so in that sense, I guess I have somewhat of a relationship.

I love our vet office. All the doctors know us, though there is one in particular we see because she knows how to handle our jerkface cat. LOL! And Morgan adores her. We joke that she is his other mom. He would literally follow her to the ends of the earth.

We first went to this office because my parents took our family pets there while I was a kid, and as it so happened it is only a five minute drive from my house now. It was familiar, and that was about the only reason we went, but it has worked out great. Even if we are only there once a year, they know us and treat us like family, and have always been really in-tune with our zoo.

Sometimes I balk at the cost (and would say our vet is middle-of-the-road price-wise for our area), but the service we get is worth it.

Basically this.

I think it would be neat to have a vet that thought about things like I did and whom I trusted but it isn't necessary.

Roman's 5 and has been to the vet about 5 times including puppy visits and has seen a few different vets. This is for basic stuff that I could do myself if I had access to the diagnostics (e.g. a microscope) and meds/vaccines that they do.

To be honest, I'm a bit resentful that I pay $120+ for a checkup and and vaccines when (with one minor exception) no vet has ever told me something about Roman in a checkup that I didn't already know myself (one told me a bunch of crap about intact males), and people in the US get to do at least some of their own vaccines. I don't think I deserve their time or clinic for less money. I just enjoy doing that sort of thing and wish I could do so and myself the money in the process, double win for me lol. (I was tempted to sneak Roman's business into the lab at school and search for parasites!)

There is a vet about an hour away who saved a couple of my rabbits and did all of my rabbit spays successfully (and who enlightened me on a very valid reason to keep some fat on your dog during Roman's 1st exam) who I would take Roman to if I was seriously concerned for his well-being because I have faith in the guy's competency. But I wouldn't say I have a relationship with him.

Honestly I'm not so good at building relationships of any variety.:lol-sign:

(Wow am I ever a windbag.) Basically I just want vets to perform services for me, I have no particular desire to have a personal relationship with them, but certainly wouldn't opposed if I found I vet I really liked.

I guess I should feel lucky!

We didn't find an awesome "regular" vet on the first try, but we did with our rehab vet. And I let all my friends scope out Lake Harriet for me first...

We did not have a relationship with a vet when we lived in Colorado, since moving here we do, i love our vet, he's awesome

Ummm, I have a Wonderful relationship with several vets. My situation is a little different though because I work in the field. I worked for over 8 years at a practice that I Adored both vets!!! Riley was my problem health boy, and was sick with one thing or another all the time. I would trust them and follow them anywhere! I work at a different place now with a different vet. I Adore her as well, and trust her just as much! I even have a good relationship with several of the emergency clinic vets. I honestly dont know what I would do without a vet I trusted! It makes me sad and sick to even think about. They all would do anything for me and my pets. When I had to put Riley down, they all offered to come to my house on a weekend. The doctor I had put him down (at the clinic, I couldnt do it at home) was the one he saw for 8 years of his life. He loved the clinic and them! She waved the euthanasia fee and private cremation fee (about <350$ worth). I cant say how much they all mean to me and my pets!

We used to have a relationship with a vet. Er, really, it was the techs we had the relationship with. He was kind of not personable at all and I don't know if he really knew who we were, but the techs sure did. It wasn't something we intended on doing, we really don't bring our pets in often... but I guess when you see the same people for 15 years, it happens.

Right now we're not really established anywhere. We have a clinic we started going to a year ago, that we've been to a couple times for random things, but the veterinarian that we always saw doesn't work there anymore. And I liked her.

I work at a clinic but I've only used them once. To figure out what was wrong with my cat, and I really only brought him to work because I knew all the bloodwork and such would be expensive otherwise. They haven't seen Juno or Lucy.

I think it's more difficult to form a relationship in a larger clinic. The one we went to for 15 years... it was a one doctor practice, with 2 or 3 techs. So you always saw the same people. Very easy to get familiar with one another. I think it's really beneficial for people to have a relationship with a vet, oftentimes that means they're comfortable cutting you breaks or accepting payments, or squeezing you in on a busy saturday. I don't really worry about that at the moment though since I'm employed at one.

I adore my vet. We actually have 2 in that office that I will see, but the main one I see is by far my favourite (mostly because I haven't seen the other one much.. I think once or twice).

I have an emergency vet that I am very comfortable in his services, as well.

ETA: My vet is also 100% willing to squeeze me in, and that's so important to me. She actually gave up her lunch time for us when I had to rush Rogue in to be euthanized.

I can also call in, tell her what's wrong, and she'll prescribe me meds so I don't have to take them in for an appointment.

Completely agree...there are some things that stump me, but usually when I go into the vet's office I have a strong clue about what's going on. If I was able to run lab work here I could probably do all my own vet work . There is nothing that a vet would be able to tell me upon a physical exam that I didn't know already. I was actually impressed when a vet noticed Zoie's luxating patella..most don't. But that vet went somewhere else.

I use vaccine clinics for routine stuff. I've bounced from vet to vet for ongoing issues/emergencies and haven't fallen in love with any of them. I dislike being harassed for limited vaccine protocol and move on to the next. I dislike franchised vets, and the one I was going to was bought out by VCA. Everything changed. The last I went to was a teaching clinic, it was OK but once again I was asked 10 different ways about why I don't have proof of DHLPP (I do every three years, myself). I do heartworm prevention myself (dose ivermec). Yeah, I haven't found vets that like me very much.