Just as many friends and colleagues will share their experiences with their doctors amongst each other, pet owners share their veterinary experiences in much the same way. The only difference here being that there is even more abandon. Coffee, dinner, and especially walks through the dog park can all lead to friendly tit for tat comparisons of veterinary services. Just like physician comparisons have found a home online, so too have veterinarian reviews.
While veterinarians have mixed feelings about the online review system, the benefit to larger – pet owning – community is undeniable.
Online veterinarian reviews are some of the best places to get the scoop on a vet near you, which by the way may or may not be why veterinarians have differing opinions of these online review systems. While the wide world of veterinarian review sites may seem like a free-for-all in which all opinions are valid, it is not. No two sites are identical and not all opinions have the same merit.
The following are just a few criteria you should consider when scoping out a
Taking the time to honestly review veterinarians can be a great service to the community. On the other hand, maybe it is not. Due to this caveat, the best veterinarian review websites will list their criteria for ranking vets and will have credentials. For instance, the website could be linked to a medical board or humane society. If the website is associate with organizations you are unfamiliar with do not discount it immediately. Do some research. Read into the organization’s mission statement and see if they have made an impact anywhere other than online. Typically is a website is linked to an organization that is doing good or has good intentions, then that website will be equally reliable.
When looking for a review site, you want to find a review site, and not a forum. As previously stated, not all opinions are created equal. Even if a website is not directly linked to an organization it can still be a good one for you by providing quality information. Quality information can include a listing of vets by area. Typically these sites will allow you to search for city or zip code. From there you may want to look at listings that also include what insurance plans each vet office takes. If you have pet insurance this can be a quid way to narrow down your search results.
If you need to find a veterinarian these review sites can be a great place to begin your search. However getting referrals from other professionals in animal care can help you even more. You should use a combination of results derived from veterinarian reviews and professional referrals to create a list of vets you would like to interview for the position of health care provider to your pet.