Since 2018, the veterinary services industry has been growing by about 3.6% every year. In 2023, the United States veterinary services market alone is predicted to generate about $62 billion worth of revenue. There are more than 455,000 people in the United States that help people look after the health of their animals.
As the veterinary services market is enormous, there are also a lot of options for vets out there for pet owners to choose from. Some people just end up choosing whichever vet comes up first when they search for “a vet near me” in a search engine.
However, there are some powerful principles you can use to help consider a wide variety of those options. The principles in this article will also help you narrow down your options to find the best choice for your pet’s needs.
Read on to learn all about the top steps to take when you need to find the best vet for your pet!
Create a Pet Owner Checklist
Some people start looking for a vet by spending an hour or more reading through various vet websites. However, there is a more efficient strategy you can use.
It starts with making a list of what you hope to get out of your ideal vet. At the very least, that will include finding a vet who can provide your cat or dog with the kind of care that they need. If your pet has a specific health issue that not all vets are equipped to take care of, you don’t need to waste time considering options that can’t handle your pet’s health needs.
You can also think about things like location and cost. However, it is also a good idea to set a 5-minute timer and brainstorm as many factors that matter for your ultimate vet choice as you can.
Once you have the list of factors that matter to you, put them in order of importance. This can be helpful if you have a few things that are deal-breaker preferences. If there is something you absolutely need from your vet, then you can save more time by checking which of the vet options near you provides it.
Then, you can focus only on whichever vet options meet all of your deal-breaker preferences.
Talk With Other Pet Parents
It is often a good idea to consider many different options for your vet. After all, if you don’t look at many options, you might never realize that there is an amazing vet near you that you didn’t even consider.
However, you might not want to just look at every option you can find on a search engine. You will often get more out of speaking with other pet parents.
After all, many of them will have spent time trying to find a great vet for their own pets. They may be able to recommend their own veterinarian for your situation.
However, make sure to share your preferences with them if you ask them for advice. That way, they will be able to tailor their advice to the needs of your pet.
Talking with other pet parents can also help you find out about vets that you might want to avoid. If you hear that a few people have had negative experiences with a particular vet, you might want to go with another candidate.
Find a Vet With Great Reviews
In general, great vets earn great reviews. Looking at these reviews can help you decide which vet option would be the right choice for your pet.
If you have a lot of candidates to consider, it can also help to look at only overall ratings. If some of the vets on your list of candidates have atrocious ratings, it might be worth removing them from further consideration.
However, you might not want to get rid of too many options. Sometimes, even great vets have only medium reviews. Reading through the reviews will give you more context to assess which of your remaining options should be your top choice.
Find the Best Vets at the Best Price
What happens if you find multiple veterinary offices that seem like they can provide great care for your pet? In that case, you might want to go with whichever of those options can provide great care at the lowest price.
Of course, it is often worth paying more for better care. However, if you can get great care while paying less at the same time, it is a no-brainer!
Focus On Responsiveness When Choosing a Veterinarian
Make a point of reaching out to your top vet options. Then, write down your observations about their customer service. If a vet office is hard to get a hold of or does not provide friendly customer service, it might not be the right choice for you.
You might also want to try reaching out to your vet options on social media as well as by phone. That can give you more detailed information about how responsive each of your vet options is.
Know How to Find the Best Vet Near Me
When it comes to the health of your pets, you want to make sure to find the best vet you can. The good news is that there is a lot more you can do to find a great vet than just search for “vet near me” on a search engine. Following these principles will increase the chance that you find a vet that will take fantastic care of your pet.
To learn more about how you can find the best veterinary care for your pet’s situation, reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!
