An excellent place to start is talking to your veterinarian. Your vet will likely have strong opinions about the animal hospitals near you and may have a working relationship with some and not with others.

You can also talk to your vet about what procedures or situations can be dealt with at their practice versus what will need to be taken care of at a pet hospital.

Once you have a few options to check out, the American Kennel Club (AKC) suggests visiting the veterinary hospitals without your pet.

Here are some of the other things the AKC suggests you do and think about:

• Take a tour. Pay attention to cleanliness and organization.
• Make a note of the hours they are open and the services they provide.
• Ask about coverage for emergencies outside of their regular hours.
• Find out what practices (such as x-rays, ultrasounds, and radiology) are available in-house and which need to be referred to specialists.
• Ask about wait times for appointments and if you can request specific vets.
• Ask about the hospital’s beliefs about spaying/neutering, treating cancer, supporting older dogs, and euthanasia.
• Find out if your children can come with you for routine office visits.
• Trust your gut – do the people you talk to see patient, caring and responsible?

 

For more information

See BBB.org/pets for more tips on owning a pet.

Learn more about paying for pets and pet care without getting scammed by visiting BBB's pet scam page.

Find a veterinarian, pet sitter or groomer near you.

Learn more about pet insurance.