How do you find a good equine vet when you're new to an area? You know, when you don't yet have your equine network built up? Just look at reviews? Like on Yelp? Some other place?
Yes. I will ask if I find a feed store I like. I don't know how many choices there are up there, given that it's pretty rural. Where I am, we have two local feed stores within half an hour, and any number of TSCs within about the same distance. Out of all of those places, there's only one where I'd ask them for recommendations.
Yes. I will ask if I find a feed store I like. I don't know how many choices there are up there, given that it's pretty rural. Where I am, we have two local feed stores within half an hour, and any number of TSCs within about the same distance. Out of all of those places, there's only one where I'd ask them for recommendations.
Thats a start
How often do you travel to your new place? The next time you make a trip up there I would make a few trips to the feed stores start asking about the Vets in your area, or I would pay a visit to the Vets in the area you like and feel them out.
I always went by word of mouth, and if the same Vet is brought up by more then one person thats the one I would be checking out.
@tinyliny is close enough, she might have heard of recommended vets near you or could ask at her barn. If you are not on social media, I could ask on a couple of groups for you on FB. One is the Pacific NW Endurance Riders group, and a lot of them are in WA. There are also the PNW horse classified groups, which probably would be a good place for a general query about vets.
When I moved here I asked on FB and had a lot of people recommend the vet clinic I am using.
We moved from Wisconsin to Florida and asked our Wisconsin vet if she knew anyone I could talk to here... I did NOT know she had interned here and had done so at the same time as our vet that we have now. She's originally from Canada. Just saying that because it's a small world and you'd be surprised who knows who.
I found our current farrier by talking to the down-to-earth manager we met at a local tack store.
Many people who work in Tractor Supply own livestock & horses by me. I think you would find the same at any feed or hay sales location....
You get a "gut-feeling" pretty quick and can often sense if you like someones opinion expressed or not..
You can also ask your current vet who has a extensive professional network across the nation of some to try.
The network the "pro to pro" uses is different than what you may see "advertised" on FB or farrier in your area yellow pages.
As for hooves... I thought you were trimming your horses not a farrier or trimmer?
If you are using a farrier/trimmer at your current location, then there is also a professional network used and names and some initial contact actually can be made on your behalf by your professional.
I know when we got horses down here I called our "old" farrier and asked for some names.... He gave us several resources and made the contact to two of them....one was to far away to take us on as clients, the other became our farrier for years till recently and then he introduced us to another he respected the work of along with experience to handle what ever came their way correctly.
The final decisions of who you use are going to be your choices. You may need to go through a few till you meet those who make you feel confident in the care your animals will get from this person or that.
Tinyliny may be able to offer some insight, but... she leases not own, although she has input she may not have final decision of who to use, but suggest, sure why not..
Tiny is knowledgeable and has professionals local to her she could give a word of referral to to open some doors for you or names she knows and reputations she agrees with and those she not.
We all have someone we bounce ideas or concerns off of...well, I admit I do and use when puzzled or not understand.
🐴.... jmo...
When I moved to SoCal years ago, my vet in PA called a vet near where I would be living to ask about needed vaccinations. I ended up using that vet because he was also recommended by a new neighbor with horses.
Where I am, finding any vet seems to be the ticket. Major bonus points if they’ll refill an oldster’s meds over the phone without giving you the third degree. 😬
@tinyliny is close enough, she might have heard of recommended vets near you or could ask at her barn. If you are not on social media, I could ask on a couple of groups for you on FB. One is the Pacific NW Endurance Riders group, and a lot of them are in WA. There are also the PNW horse classified groups, which probably would be a good place for a general query about vets.
When I moved here I asked on FB and had a lot of people recommend the vet clinic I am using.
I wish I could make a recommendation but I actually live on the other side of Puget Sound, so our vets would not work for her. But, there are facebook groups to join, and I can share links to a couple of them. Privately.
It's not easy to find a good vet. I've had more vet bills the last few years and have learned the hard way not to trust any vet.
First vet was highly recommended. The expert in this area (has a YouTube channel and lots of followers). Despite this, my mare did not get pregnant. Switched vets and my mare took. Now it could be coincidence but maybe not. Then after the foal was born, she did not take things seriously and enabled an infection to develop. All that could have been avoided by giving plasma on the first day. My foal could have died and I had major vet bills, again that could have been prevented with a more proactive approach. There's more, but I won't go into it here.
Then when my mare had colic, I could not find anyone. Finally got the vet on call who was very quick to jump to euthanasia. Fortunately I no longer had much faith in vets and was not willing to just euthanize based on some strangers say so. She didn't want to try any treatment at all. Didn't pass a stomach tube and that would definitely have improved my mare's comfort levels. The university did that first thing...
Lastly, I asked for dental x rays on my mare (vet #3) and they were the worst most useless x rays ever taken. So I'm going to need to pay to have them redone...
At this point, I may end up paying extra and going to the university for any veterinary treatment required. Because you can throw your money away with poor quality care and end up paying double or triple, when it could be done right the first time.
And one other vet, I had up for a visit just to get established, would not come out later on because I was not an established client. All because I didn't want to pay $50/horse for coggins. My horses were not due for coggins at that time, and I give my own vaccines so I didn't need that service, but apparently she requires that to become an established client.
Just visiting once and seeing your animals, doesn't make you an established client. But you could run up a $350 bill on shots/coggins and still have her refuse to come out because it's a bad time or she's busy or on vacation or something... and then you will need to call a different vet anyways.
I would first of all, search Vets in the area . Then I would go the Texas state Vet lic page, see if there are suspensions etc on their lic. Then call the other Vets and ask are they taking new pts as you are moving to the area and do they supply after hour and emergency calls.
Lookup a License. Check for status of license and disciplinary action. blog2. Licensing Information. Licensing for Veterinarians, LVTs and Equine Dental ...
When we moved here there were 3 large (& small) animal vets available in the area. I asked everyone I spoke to including the lady at the bank while opening an account. Then I visited each office and talked to whoever worked the front desk. One was getting ready to retire from farm calls - cross off list, one I walked into the clinic and it stank so bad that it made me say hmmm...not keeping a clean environment - cross off list, that left the third one that I used until my much valued and trusted vet took over the practice of the one who retired. Now he's retired, has been for a couple of years, and I still don't have a horse vet. The orginal one I used no longer does large animals but he's good about being able to walk in his clinic and getting any meds I need.
If I were moving to that area and did not know anyone to give me a recommendation, I would probably go with this facility first. They have 24 hr emergency coverage, good diagnostic equipment, an in house lab and a hospital. They list five vets so if you didn't get along with one you could ask for another one.
In the more rural areas of OR and WA there are a lot of large animal vets that don't specialize in horses, and some are better at handling cows, sheep, etc. I personally prefer a vet from a horse specialty.
ETA: There are probably more choices for vets where you currently live. I'm not sure but would not be surprised if this was the only horse specialty vet practice on that side of the sound. If you are in the county where this vet practice is, there are less than 300,000 people in the whole county.
When I was taking horses to SE Montana I did like @JCnGrace. I visited clinics. There were no stinky ones. But a couple had a different focus than what I wanted, which was basic, probably just emergency, care. I found a good clinic and if I hauled a horse in rehab to the area we had fin working together on them.
When I moved to this place, I called clinics. Had a few questions about vaccines and worming considerations in this climate. I just recently needed to have a horse seen at a clinic. And I'm having the horses teeth done there in two weeks. I hope it's a good fit.
If I were moving to that area and did not know anyone to give me a recommendation, I would probably go with this facility first. They have 24 hr emergency coverage, good diagnostic equipment, an in house lab and a hospital. They list five vets so if you didn't get along with one you could ask for another one.
In the more rural areas of OR and WA there are a lot of large animal vets that don't specialize in horses, and some are better at handling cows, sheep, etc. I personally prefer a vet from a horse specialty.
ETA: There are probably more choices for vets where you currently live. I'm not sure but would not be surprised if this was the only horse specialty vet practice on that side of the sound. If you are in the county where this vet practice is, there are less than 300,000 people in the whole county.
@gottatrot yes I found that place online also and felt the same -- everything being equal, that's who I'd try. They're also the closest to me. I will live on the far north end of the peninsula.
It looks like there's a few down south in the county, but it would be a long drive for them or for me.
So maybe it ultimately doesn't matter how I try to choose one, because I only found two that looked like decent options and this one seemed far and away the better of the two.
It would be better to seriously start looking when you move and not years before. The Vet job market is hot and many are retiring or the younger ones relocating. Depending on where you move to you may not have a "choice" of vets as there may only be a 1 that handles equine in your area. When you are preparing to move I would contact the closest equine hospital and work down from there. In my local area there is only 1 practice that sees horses and they are not taking new patients. There is a travelling vet that is located 3 hours away and does a circuit of the area. Emergencies are mostly referred to the closest equine hospital (in my case just under 3 hours away) Our vet is a mixed practice vet clinic and sees small and large animals so any real precise diagnosis is above their scope (I'm not bashing them - I understand how this is) they do shots, cuts and small lacerations, treat minor colic and choke- and that is about it) Lameness, repro and other more detailed services are referred out.
A forum community dedicated to horse owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, grooming, reviews, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
