How to Choose a Vet for Your Poodle

Although poodles are basically healthy and long-lived dogs, they do face some serious health issues as a result of inbreeding. It is important that your vet understand the needs of you and your pet poodle.

Choosing the right vet for your poodle is one of the most important decisions you will make about your poodle’s care. You can’t just pick the first name or the biggest ad you see in the phone book. Instead, proceed carefully.

Ask Your Breeder or Your Poodle Owning Friends for Recommendations

Your breeder may be able to give you a list of vets who are knowledgeable in poodle care. As importantly, he or she may be able to steer you away from vets with whom they have had bad experiences. Your friends who own poodles may also be able to tell you whom they have found trustworthy.

Once you get the names of two or three vets, it’s time to visit their clinics and interview them. Pay close attention to the following issues.

How Comfortable Do You Feel with the Vet?

You may be working with this person to maintain your poodle’s health for the next twelve years, so it’s important that you feel comfortable with him or her. Imagine how you would feel talking to this vet if your poodle developed a serious health problem. Would the vet be supportive?

Also watch how the vet interacts with your poodle. Is he or she gentle and patient or cold and abrupt?

How Much Experience Does the Vet Have with Poodles?

Armed with the knowledge you have, you might ask your vet to describe a few poodle health concerns. If the vet answers your question confidently and correctly, you’ll know you’ve found a potential winner.

What is the Clinic Like?

Ideally, clinics should be clean, cheerful places with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Animals should always be treated with kindness no matter what their temperament. Stay away from filthy facilities, places where the staff look harried and overworked, or places where you see the animals being treated or spoken to roughly.

Is the Clinic Convenient to Your Home?

This question may not sound important for a well puppy checkup, but if your dog has Addison’s disease and goes into a crisis, ten or fifteen extra miles could be the difference between life and death. It’s also a pretty miserable experience to have to drive half an hour with a dog that is vomiting or has diarrhea. Although distance isn’t the most important consideration, it’s certainly something to think about.

Also ask if the vet is willing to make house calls. Some do, and this can make your life much easier.

How Are Emergencies Handled?

Suppose your dog goes into an Addison’s crisis at three in the morning, or is struck by a vehicle on a Sunday afternoon. What provisions does your vet have to handle these types of emergencies? Some veterinary clinics are open twenty-four hours. Some clinics have a vet on call to deal with crises. Still other clinics keep typical office hours and will refer you to an emergency clinic for crisis poodle care. Any of these answers is acceptable, as long as your vet has some sort of crisis contingency.

Realistically, when it comes to emergencies, veterinary care is probably at least half an hour away. Very often, the only thing standing between your poodle and disaster is you. The next section discusses emergency care for your poodle and how a few simple steps on your part could very well save your dog’s life.