Almost two thirds of Americans own a pet, and an incredible 91% say that they consider their pet to be a member of the family. When it comes to proper care for your pet, you want to make sure that you are covering all their needs. Part of taking care of your animal is making sure it gets proper veterinary care. Do you need to switch vets, or are you a new pet owner looking for a clinic? Here are three tips on choosing the right vet for your pet and you.

1. Are People Wagging Their Tails Over Great Care?

Asking friends and family for recommendations is always a great way to start up a list of potential vets. Veterinarian reviews online are a good way to continue with your search, since they will give you an idea of what experiences the local community has had with that particular clinic. Places with a lot of great feedback are worth checking out. Places with a lot of complaints, might be in the dog house.

2. Check it Out

Once you have narrowed your list to one or a few names, review veterinarian clinics by going to see them in person, before booking an appointment. What you want to look for is a clean, well organized facility that has knowledgeable and friendly staff. An unclean area can be more stressful for your pet, since they are more able than we are to pick up on the different animal scents left by hair and debris.

3. Ask About Extras

A vet visit in itself is fairly routine, but emergency care often is not. About 17% of pet owners report that their pet has faced a serious illness during the past year. Some vet offices do not offer late night, emergency, or weekend care when accidents or illnesses occur. In this case, you need to either change to an office that does offer it, or make sure you are okay with the office they would end up referring you to. For people who worry about the cost of emergency visits, sometimes pet insurance is a good way to mitigate expense.

What do you look for when you review veterinarians? Let us know in the comments!