Last Updated: 04/02/2026
How to Find a Good Vet
Choosing a vet is one of the most important decisions you'll make for your pet's long-term health. Learn how to evaluate local clinics, what qualifications to look for, and how to build a lasting partnership with your veterinary team.
Author: Dr Brittany Ward BVSc
Reading Time: 12 minutes - short read
Bringing a new pet home is a whirlwind of excitement, puppy breath, and choosing the perfect squeaky toy. Amidst the flurry of buying beds and bowls, it’s easy to overlook one of the most vital "essentials": finding a veterinary clinic you can trust. Whether it’s for a first vaccination or an unexpected midnight emergency, your vet will be your greatest ally in keeping your best friend happy and healthy. Ideally, you want to find a clinic that feels like a natural extension of your pet’s family - someone who knows their history from their first "zoomie" to their golden years.
Below are the 10 questions your should ask yourself and the staff when looking for a vet.
In this article
- Where should you look for a vet?
- What species does the vet treat?
- What hours is the vet open and do they offer after hours?
- What qualifications do they have?
- How many vets are on staff and do you see the same vet?
- What in-house services do they provide?
- What are their protocols for emergency and overnight patients?
- Do they have a list of preferred specialists?
- Do they offer payment plans?
- How welcoming is the clinic?
- How to be a good pet patient parent
Where should you look for a vet?
If you are in an emergency situation, you don't want to be driving 2 hours to get to your vet if you can help it. So look locally and try to choose a practice that is within 5-10 km from home and takes less than 30 minutes to get there.
You can search online to find all the general practices in your local area, and make note of where the nearest emergency clinic is too. It is also often best to ask around and chat to other pet owners in the area about which Vet they prefer and why.
What species does the vet treat?
Not all vets will treat all species, some clinics may refine themselves to Cats, Small Animals (Dogs and Cats), Equine, Large Animals or Avian and Exotics. If you have a menagerie of pets, then you may need to look for a couple different vets or seek out a Mixed Practice Vet.
What hours is the vet open and do they offer after hours?
You are probably a busy person, so when will you be able to take your pet to the Vet? If you work a 9-5 job, 5 days a week, and that happens to be the same hours the clinic works, you might have to take time off to take your pets to the Vet. So make sure your Vet will be open at times when you are able to get there.
Ask your chosen clinic:
- What are your opening hours?
- Are you open on weekends?
- Do you offer an emergency or after hours service and for what times?
What qualifications do they have?
Australia operates on a state by state registration basis. Each clinic and practising veterinarian will be registered with their relevant state's board. Each board's website will allow you to search the practise name and veterinarians at the clinic to confirm their qualifications.
All vets are required to complete continuing education to maintain their registration, and some Veterinarians may have additional qualifications as a result of these studies or if they have specialist qualifications, such as ophthalmologists or dermatologists.
The vet or clinic may also be members of other professional organisations, such as the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), or special interest groups that represent their primary areas of further study and competency in certain fields.
Another qualification you might want to ask your clinic about is Fear Free Certification. This may be obtained as a clinic or individually and is a certification that the clinic has taken additional studies into Fear Free Handling and practises these handling techniques in their clinic to provide your pets with an experience that is as stress free as possible. Just because a clinic isn't certified, doesn't mean their practices aren't 'fear free', but it may be an additional reassurance for you as a pet owner.
You can access the individual boards here:
- QLD Veterinary Surgeons Board
- Veterinary Practice Board WA
- Veterinary Practitioners Board of NSW
- VetBoard Victoria
- Veterinary Board of NT
- Veterinary Board of Tasmania
- ACT Veterinary Practictioners Board
Curious what qualifications our Vet Squad have? You can meet the team on our Meet The Team Page.
How many vets are on staff and do you see the same vet?
Many practices are very busy clinics and will see a large number of patients each day, so will have a roster of vets available to meet those needs. Often, the vets will rotate their shifts, so you may not see the same vet every time. Smaller clinics may only have one or two vets on staff, so you may consistently see the same vet. If the clinic does have a few vets, check if you are able to book with the same vet every time.
Sticking with the same vet can help your pet build a bond with their regular vet and help provide consistency in their ongoing care, especially if you are trying to manage an ongoing health condition. Having a large number of vets on staff can offer more opportunity to get a second opinion or a treatment plan that has been constructed from a wider and more experienced knowledge base.
What in-house services do they provide?
You want to know that your pets are getting the best care they can and that any testing can be accessed quickly.
Some common in-house services that clinics provide are:
- Complete Blood Count and BioChemistry (Blood Testing): Do they offer advanced blood tests or do they have connections with a Lab that can run these?
- X-Rays: Do they also offer dental x-rays?
- Ultrasound
- Urine and Faecal Sampling
- Basic Cytology (sampling lumps, ears and skin and examining it under the microscope)
- Dentistry
- Surgery: Do they offer emergency surgeries or routine only? Do they offer preventative surgeries, such as Gastropexy to prevent GDV?
- Oncology: Some clinics may refer these patients to Veterinary Specialists
- DNA Testing
Some services may need to be provided by external laboratories or specialised facilities. These services might include CT Scan, MRI Scans, Advanced Blood Testing, Microbial Culture and Sensitivities (determining the cause of the infection and which medications work) and Histopathology (the study of disease tissues, such as cancer or diagnosis of auto-immune conditions). Check if your vet has facilities they can contact to access these services.
What are their protocols for emergency and overnight patients?
First you will need to know what level of care you expect for your pet in an emergency situation or if your pet needs to stay overnight. In an ideal world, every patient would have continuous monitoring overnight, but this isn't always possible. Some clinics may not have anyone in the clinic overnight, but may perform regular checks during the night or monitor via cameras. Other clinics may transfer their patients to emergency or 24 hour care hospitals overnight for monitoring. If they do, check who transfers the pet between the clinic and the hospital as well.
Likewise, not all clinics are equipped to handle emergencies, and some may only be equipped to handle common emergencies. Ask your potential clinic what emergencies they are equipped for, and if not, what emergency clinics they would refer you to. You will want to know where you need to take your pet in an emergency situation before one happens so you can get your pet treatment as soon as possible.
Do they have a list of preferred specialists?
There's a chance you may need specialist veterinary treatment at least once in your pet's life. This could be for orthopaedic surgery, nutrition, skin conditions (dermatologist), eye conditions (ophthalmologist), cancer treatment (oncologist), or a medicine specialist. If your clinic doesn't provide these services, you'll want to know if they have a sister clinic or preferred specialist they are able to recommend you to, and you might want to know how far away that specialist is as well.
Do they offer payment plans?
We all know that veterinary treatment is expensive. Unfortunately, our pet health care isn't subsidised by the government like human health care - there's no Medicare for dogs! This means that the medical equipment we use, tests we run and medications we administer all cost a lot of money, which often falls on the client as the clinic needs to cover its expenses and pay its staff. So you need to be sure that you will be able to cover the cost of general health care, as well as health problems or emergencies that may pop-up!
Because we also know that veterinary care isn't cheap, some clinics may accept payment plans or payment aid services like ZipPay or VetPay. You may also want to consider setting aside some money for your pet's treatment or investing in Pet Insurance to cover large expenses that may arise.
How welcoming is the clinic?
Once you've found a clinic that you know is going to provide the services your pet needs and meet your expectations for your pet's care, you want to make sure that clinic is also going to be a pleasant place to visit. Most staff will be polite on the phone and happy to answer any questions you have. The clinic should be clean and the waiting room inviting. The reception staff and nurses will generally greet you in a friendly manner and be kind and patient with your pet. The vet will be attentive and friendly to both you and your pet. This makes the veterinary visit experience pleasant for you and your pet.
If you feel at all uncomfortable with your vet, you can ask to see someone else next time and don't feel ashamed to try another clinic.
How to be a good pet patient parent
Any relationship is a two-way street! Your vet genuinely cares about your pet, but how you behave, and sometimes how your pet behaves, can sour a relationship too. So what can you do to help make a trip to the vet as pleasant as possible?
Finding the right vet is about more than just proximity; it’s about finding a team that respects the bond you share with your pet. By doing your homework early, you can ensure that when life’s little (or big) health hurdles happen, you have a supportive, expert partner ready to jump in. A great relationship with your vet is a two-way street built on communication, kindness, and a shared goal: helping your pet live their best, healthiest life.
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History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Thu 5 Feb 2026
Edited by Dr Gillian Hill BVSc (Hons)Dr Brittany Ward BVSc
Veterinarian
Dr. Brittany graduated from James Cook University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and started working in her home town in the Wide Bay-Burnett Region. She has always been excited about working in the veterinary industry, but over the last few years has grown especially fond of dog behaviour and training, surgery and orthopaedic disease.
