I always look for cleanliness #1, walking into a dirty place will not put your mind at ease, even if being spotlessly clean and new is not the biggest factor. I also switched vets a couple years ago, because our vet for 7 years had become extremely absorbed in fads, betrayed his older customers, and jacked up prices to unbelievable heights (thanks to 847,627,292 $1 million homes and a massive golf course turning the entire city into *mostly* dumb rich people.)... he charged $50 just for the visit, not including check-ups, tests, anything like that, and the last 5 times we went to him he was atleast 1 hour late and unapologetic. He also turned completely away from any holistic methods and went straight to what he could charge more for... I'll stop rambling about that now, but I know how you feel about being uncomfortable with a certain Vet. You really do deserve to be comfortable!!

1) Genuine friendliness and eagerness to listen to you - also, how your dog feels about them is important! Often dogs are better judges of character than we are

2) Legitimacy, good testimonials from friends/family/trainers, credentials, etc.

3) Practices I'm comfortable with, an open mind to holistic medicines, a really solid knowledge of everything out there and a love for animals. I'm also sickened by any Vets office with Eukanuba/Science Diet posters all over the place and shelves full of sponsored foods by these companies. MUST know a repetoire of quality dog foods, what to look for in dog foods, all about RAW and BARF, etc.

4) A fairly nice office is important. Clean supplies/rooms, ample waiting space, and up-to-date facilities.

5) Enough vets to serve the clients!! It really irks me to have to sit in a waiting are for 1+ hour after scheduling an appointment, I'd much rather wait a few days for a non-emergency check-up than sit around for hours making my pup more anxious about the experience.


I'm probably forgetting something. Oh well >:[. So sorry about the job, it sounds like a mess... you can definitely find a better employer/job out there!