How Can You Know

[Guest SusanP]

How can you know how skilled a vet is as a surgeon?

 

I look at a lot of things in vets, but this is important and isn't something I know how to find out.

[greysmom]

I would start by asking the vet about his training and qualifications. If you are looking around for a new vet or are in a new area to live, call and ask if you can schedule an appointment. Then interview the vet - preface your talk with an explaination of your pets and circumstances then ask all the questions you have. I would think most vets would be happy to talk to a potential new client. If the vet gets annoyed or backed up that would be a good signal to me that I should keep looking.

 

You can call your state's veterinary board and/or Better Business Bureau and see if there are any complaints filed. You should also be able to view somewhere posted in their office all of their diplomas and certifications. These can also be verified.

 

I would also ask around your adoption group to see who different greyhound parents use and their opinions of their vets.

 

That's what I would do.

 

greysmom

[RobinM]

More importantly than anything is how familar is he/she with greyhounds? I left my vet of 20 years for a vet who has a high greyhound clientele. I needed to know that when my dogs had surgery (And Lord knows, My dogs have had their share) they would be with a group of vets who were grey savvy.

[ahicks51]

In terms of surgery, it is also good to look at specialty training and certification, particularly board certification in whatever discipline the veterinarian is practicing in- oncology, dentistry, etc. If they bother with board certs, their dedication is up a notch from that of the typical vet- most of whom are already pretty hard-core when it comes down to it.

 

With human doctors- this may or may not translate well into veterinarians- I always look for the relatively newly minted doctors for weird stuff- people with an MD within the past 4-5 years or so. For routine, run-of-the-mill work where experience counts- look for up to 15-20 years of experience on top of those board certifications.

 

Somewhere around 20 years or so, a lot of doctors get burned out, or their wisdom is dated- they've stopped reading the journals, going to conferences, etc. It becomes an assembly line, and between insurance (which vets don't deal with directly, fortunately) and costs, they start looking at their nest eggs and looking at a nice place somewhere warm. They may practice older techniques that- while effective- may not be the best choices overall for whatever reason.

 

All of that info you can usually get over the phone or off the web. But nothing makes up for recommendations, and even those don't match the opinion one gets of the doctor face-to-face.

[Guest LynnM]

You can also ask them what sort of procedures they do and what they refer out. For most pet owners, it's not a big deal that their vet refers out orthopedic work... chances are high that they'll never need it. If you're into lure coursing, you want to know that your vet can get that leg set, or at least stabilized enough to hold until Monday morning surgery, right away. If you have a large volume of dogs, you're going to have some elderly members of your pack. Find out if the vet has any further education or training in the needs of geriatric animals. If you have a menagerie, find out their level of experience with various species, or who in the practice is best with dogs, cats, exotics, pocket pets, large animals or whatever you have. Just think of what your needs are and ask the questions.

 

Lynn