Finding a Veterinarian
One of the most important aspects of caring for an animal family member is managing health care needs. Good preventative care, including high quality food, a clean safe living environment, and a proactive approach to any concerns, can make a huge difference. However, all cats will face an increasing number of health issues as they age, and all will need to see a veterinarian periodically. In order for health evaluations to be effective, you need a skilled vet who stays up to date on research and who really cares about their patients. It is especially important to have found a known and trusted veterinarian before any emergency takes you to a clinic. For this #WiseWednesday, we want to offer some tips on choosing and navigating veterinary care, particularly here in Japan.
Tip 1: Get recommendations
Ask friends, and reach out to other cat guardians, for experienced based input on veterinarians in your area. It’s best if these recommendations come specifically from those caring for cats (rather than dogs or other types or animals). It’s also helpful if coming from caretakers who have been through health issues with their own cats before, and can better evaluate the vet’s skill throughout that experience. Google reviews can be helpful, but personal recommendations and related experiences are usually much more reliable. It’s reasonable to ask about costs, as well as diagnostic ability and bedside manner. How well-equipped the clinic is might also be a consideration, especially if there are any special needs or chronic health issues. Finally, language capability might be a significant aspect for clearly explaining symptoms as well as understanding diagnoses and potential treatments.
Tip 2: Choose a vet whose clinic shows compassion
Look for signs in the clinic that the vet is connected to the community. These could be posters about adoption, lost pets, or other welfare issues. Vets who regularly cooperate with rescues are not only more likely to be invested and compassionate evaluators, they are often more experienced with various health conditions, having seen and treated more at-risk animals with a larger scope of concerns.
It’s not a bad idea to first go to a vet with a straightforward issue or request– for example, a parasite test or vaccination–in order to evaluate how the vet interacts with you and your cat. Does the vet touch the cat patiently and kindly? Do they explain diagnostics and potential treatments thoroughly? This often can make a difference in their overall investment in keeping cats at optimum health, and in the level of success they might have contributing to that. If you feel uncomfortable with the overall experience, take that seriously and keep looking.
Tip 3: Advocate for your cat
You will likely need to do some research yourself and help to direct treatments. You are the one who has spent the most time around your cat under normal conditions, and will be more aware of what is abnormal. You are also the person most invested in a positive outcome. So, don’t leave everything entirely in the vet’s hands.
If, after checking online, you have an idea which symptoms might indicate a potential problem and/or treatment, ask the vet about that. If you feel sure your cat needs a certain treatment or test, ask firmly. There are cases in which a vet doesn’t have experience in a particular area, and is unaware of important treatment aspects. In other cases, vets are trying to save time or money by limiting recommended treatments and tests accordingly.
Vets in Japan tend to be apprehensive about trying treatments that have only been studied outside the country, regardless of how rigorous the research methods might have been there. This makes it more important for you to put in the research time yourself, and then if you are convinced of the efficacy of a potential treatment, to find a vet willing to consider the data.
Tip 4: Get a second opinion
If you don’t feel comfortable with the outcome of a vet visit or with the progress being made, do not hesitate to go elsewhere for a second opinion. This can truly be lifesaving. Even when vets mean well, and have great skills in many areas, they might not have any experience at all with certain conditions. They can therefore completely miss potentially life threatening symptoms. It’s uncommon for medical professionals to admit when they just don’t know, and this is the case for many veterinarians as well.
If a cat is experiencing unresolved health symptoms, it’s important to get to the bottom of things before an underlying condition becomes even more serious. If the vet seems unable or unwilling to do that, it is vital to promptly go elsewhere for further evaluation. While it is usually helpful to see one vet regularly, who keeps and can check continuous health records on your cat, it’s not out of the question to have a short list handy of several recommended vets you could visit, depending on what specific aspect you are looking to address. You might also consider an online professional consultation with a reputable veterinary service from your home country.
Tip 5: Be prepared to go to the vet sooner rather than later
While veterinary costs can certainly be high, regret always costs more. The sooner you get to the vet to check out any health concerns, the more successful (and less expensive) a potential resolution will likely be. That also gives you more time to seek input elsewhere, if needed.
Always be especially watchful for 5 important warning signs, and keep in mind that any combination indicates the need for a vet visit the same day: 1. Lack of appetite; 2. Vomiting; 3. Diarrhea; 4. Lack of energy; 5. Straining in or frequent use of litter box.
Be very sure to transport your cat securely inside a strong carrier, as escapes en-route to or from clinics often go unresolved. Transporting cats on trains and in taxis is allowed, as long as the cats are inside secure carriers. If your cat is shy or nervous, it will likely be safer and less stressful for everyone involved to place the cat ahead of time inside a zippered laundry net with large holes, and then inside the carrier.
Even the most experienced cat caregivers among us have struggled to navigate health choices and treatments for our feline family members. Hindsight is 20-20, and we cannot possibly anticipate every outcome. Planning ahead can offer a significant advantage in feeling as comfortable and confident as possible with the choices we make, as well as with the outcomes that follow. Please don’t hesitate to reach out in our community for vet recommendations from other guardians, and to ask about concerning health symptoms that others might have previous experience in facing.
Check out a few more articles on the topic of choosing a veterinarian: