Questions to ask a new vet

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carolyn & jesse (GA) & spock

carolyn & jesse (GA) & spock

Member Since 2009
I've searched and searched and can't find the post where someone suggested questions to ask when "interviewing" a new vet. Does anyone have the link to that post or can you suggest the questions? I remember a couple: how many of your patients have diabetes; what insulin do you normally prescribe.

I mainly need questions to delicately ask whether they would trust me to treat Jesse & Spock's diabetes without the vet trying to control their treatment.

After moving to a new city I need to find a vet in Salem so I don't have to drive all the way to Albany.

Thanks for any help!
 
In addition to the provided attachment, jot down 10 most important points to YOU about YOUR cat.
There are issues that matter most to you, and issues that relate to your cat's health, and you want to know how the vet would treat your cat's issues and also how much they know about the issues.

I ask vets what they know about acromegaly and also IAA because my cats have these conditions. Just like health issues to do with asthma, liver, kidney, heart, If your cat is affected, you already know a bit about the treatment, so ask a few 'telling' questions.
For diabetes, the best question I ask is what insulins does the vet prescribe for diabetics. If I hear caninsulin or N or glip, I would likely cust the interview short and leave, never to return.

About issues where you are handling that portion, like home testing, you can ask what they think about it, and after getting the answer, state clearly that you will be doing home testing and there will be no need for curves at the vet office.... watch closely for the reaction and make a note of the reply to your statement... both will be very telling.

Good luck in your search for a vet.
 
When I was interviewing new vets I wasn't delicate about it at all I flat out told them I expected to be fully involved in Vyktor's treatment and wanted a vet that would work with me not one that just expected to tell me what to do. Everyone knew where they stood from day one that way :smile: I ended up going with a vet that doesn't routinely prescribe lantus but that doesn't really matter because we are all happy that I get my dosing advice here rather than from them. I don't think they've ever had a client quite like me but I think they are quite relaxed with this approach because they can see that I have done the research from the conversations we have, also I think they are happy to be learning more about lantus from me. The few times they had prescribed lantus they were going about it all wrong and were getting many hypos so hopefully my working with them is helping their future diabetic cat clients as well.
 
I would also find out about routine procedures -- given the age of your cats, how often do they recommend they be seen? What constitutes a routine exam?

There are 2 areas that I'd want to know about. If your cat is suspected of having a UTI, what is the vet's usual procedure?
I wouldn't be happy if they give you an antibiotic and that's it. A cytocentesis (sterile urine draw via a needle into the bladder) and culture & sensitivity (C & S) would be preferred.

I'd also want to know how they do dentals. This is a link to a brochure from my vet on comparing dental services.
 
I interviewed 3 vets before settling on our wonderful vet!!! And I actually found him because of Gary my feral civvie at the time. :o After how they treated a near wild and terrified sick cat with so much cat behavior savvy ...well I had to have them meet Atlas.

We scheduled an initial vet consultation. I printed off all Attie's spreadsheets and a copy of the Lantus Protocol by Queensland University. I also prepared to ask them to get a baseline set of blood tests as the prior two vets did not think it was needed :shock: . As I explained to them there were no baseline tests available from the shelter and I thought it was vital information to know where we are at "today" on a healthy day. While I wasn't crazy about having them take a fructosimine test too, we did it. Long term, it was a good thing as we were using the Free Style Lite meter and strips, which we now know are notoriously off.

I also provided them the link to Attie's SS, so they can check on his status anytime they want. They were so totally blown away by the level of detail and Atlas purring away for all his bloodwork that the head of the clinic called me at home the next Monday to review Attie's file. And wanted to know if he could "plagerize" information from our file.

About their office? LOL. They don't believe in anything done behind closed doors. I can be present during any procedures any of my cats are having done, including dentals and surgery. In fact, after a tour of their entire hospital I knew we were actually home and I wouldn't mind spending the extra $$ for the level of professional and personal care we look forward to receiving.
 
I interviewed Maverick's last vet without Maverick there. She treated my dog in the emergency department and I liked what I saw. I wanted a vet I could be honest with and not hide information from if they weren't open minded. It was important to me that the new vet be on board and trusted me to do what was best for Maverick. I had been through three vets at this time. His first vet was so horrible I have anxiety to this day about vets and I'm convinced most have personality disorders.

So I went in and explained a bit about Maverick and his history (almost dying from FHL) and that we were following a tight regulation protocol for Maverick's diabetes and briefly explained the protocol and how we monitor him. She said "I will look at the info you provided, but I don't think I will be able to see Maverick as a patient". When she said that I started to cry! It felt so hopeless and I felt like I was failing Maverick.

So she promised to read the Rand protocol/University of Queensland info I printed out for her, and had a copy of Maverick's spreadsheet. She called me a week later and said that she would be happy to bring Maverick on as a patient. She didn't know about the protocol and reading it made her know it was a vet recommended protocol and not one I found on a forum ;)

Unfortunately Maverick didn't get a chance to be her patient as he passed away suddenly. So I can't share about how things would have worked out. But I'm confident interviewing her without Maverick there was the best approach. I got to say that I wanted an open minded vet that I was comfortable having a dialogue with. I knew I could work with that and deal with anything that came up.

Good for you looking for a vet that will be on board and a partner in your cat's care.
 
Thanks all for the good info. The questions I was looking for was posted by an FDMB member, but I think you covered it all.

I was so lucky with my previous vet. Not only is she a board certified dentist, but she pretty much left me alone when it came to Jesse's FD. She originally started him on 2u of Lantus, told me to roll the bottle and after a couple of weeks she raised his dose to 3u and that's when I stopped lurking and asked for help here! After I told her what I was doing and the protocol that I was following she let me guide the treatment. She was totally flabbergasted when he went OTJ. :-D When I had her write his most recent script, I had to explain why the SoloStar pens and not the vial.

She told me that she had told her vet partner (the owner) that I was the type of client that when I had an appointment I told her what was wrong and what I needed. Well, not ALL the time, just sometimes. :lol:

The vet I'm considering (that is only a few blocks away) is my friend's vet. Her vet seems to be very open minded because when vaccines were prescribed, my friend explained that she had titer tests run instead. The vet agreed to do that. (I don't do vaccinations nor titers).

One thing about getting old(er) is that I don't take anything for face value without an explanation. Having worked at a sanctuary for 5 years I educated myself a lot about cats and their diseases and treatments. That's where I realized they were treating their diabetic cats all wrong. But I digress...

My cats are all pretty healthy (anti-jinx!!) and the two with issues are FIV+, so I just continue to support their immune systems. Most all of them have already had major dental problems, so I don't foresee anymore of that (but I am prepared to ask questions about it and whether this new vet does pre and post-op X-Rays.

Thanks again for the advice. I just stumbled onto my vet in Albany (thankfully I got lucky!), so it's been 5 years without having to think about this.
 
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