Pets are our best friends, coworkers, and family members. Whether your fur buddy works in livestock, emergency services, or is simply in charge of putting a smile on your face, seeing them hurt or sick can be distressing.
It’s only natural to seek out the best vet care near you so you can trust the animals in your life get the best medical care available. Some of the best ways to do that are through exploring your social networks.
Finding a good vet can be difficult, though, even for seasoned pet owners. Adult issues like relocating for school attendance or career advancement require finding new doctors for the entire family.
However, getting fur-patients to tell you about their experience is nigh impossible—unless you have a particularly talkative parrot or the surname Doolittle. That leaves many of us staring into the internet abyss armed with nothing save the search terms ‘best vet near me‘.
That said, humans can do their best to speak on animal behalves, so soliciting recommendations in your area to ensure gold-standard care for the critters can be done in one of several ways:
Talk to fellow pet-owners
Pet owners ages 35 and under may already be groaning at the thought of face-to-face interaction, but stick with it for just a second. For folks new to an area, chatting with fellow pet owners in your apartment complex, neighborhood, dog park, or workplace can gather some glowing recommendations and sometimes a red flag or two.
If your new town is not incredibly far away from your previous vet, they may be able to recommend someone in your new area as well. Think of it like getting a referral from a people doctor.
Use Facebook
Sometimes the best thing you can do is openly ask specific questions online and wait for the results to roll in on your timeline or in a Facebook Group.
Sometimes it’s still surprising how small the world is. Even if you have yet to meet anyone in your new city or if you’re traveling with pets, chances are that someone on your friend list can tag someone who knows someone who can provide a solid recommendation. Let your social network do its job and work for you!
Online Reviews
For those who would still rather gnaw off their own arm rather than make eye contact with anyone outside of their home, there are always the old tried and true online reviews. Checking search engines and popular review sites can provide you with some great starting points and narrow down options if a few in town come highly recommended.
Best of all, the internet is kind of a one-stop-shop. Make Shadow an annual shots appointment and order a pizza, all in one go.
Apps
From GasBuddy to star charting, In this day and age, there is truly an app for everything. The same is true for your pet care needs.
If you need to order specialty pet food, find a dog sitter, or find a vet near you, just open your app store and give it a search! Apps generally come with reviews, too, so before you have to put your fur friend’s life in someone else’s hands, you can, well, vet your vet.
Additionally, some apps for vets now offer similar medical services available to humans over the internet. Granted, the human-in-charge will still need to mediate the medical service call, but you get the gist.
The advent of online medical services has been a boon to veterinarians, doctors, and mental health counselors alike. Instead of requiring an after-hours visit to a far-flung emergency vet clinic, many areas allow app or other online interactions to prevent up-charges for home or emergency visits that can otherwise lead to hefty bills.
Check out your local app offerings, friends, and vet offices to see if online visits may be helpful for you, too!
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