Thursday, August 6, 2015

Finding a Great Veterinarian is an AAHA Moment


AAHA red logo
Look for the AAHA logo.
How did you find your veterinarian? There is a variety of ways to find your pet’s doctor including word-of-mouth, proximity to your home, or letting your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages Google. I can honestly say that I have used each of these methods. I usually ended up changing after the first visit or two. The old saying, “When you know better, you do better” is certainly true. I learned better in Las Vegas at the BlogPaws 2014 conference. That is when I was introduced to the American Animal Hospital Association. It was definitely my “AAHA Moment.” I was thrilled when I was invited to a breakfast they hosted at this year’s conference in Nashville. Besides a terrific buffet, we were treated to some very interesting AAHA facts.
  Leaders in the veterinary profession established the American Animal Hospital Association in 1933. It is the only exclusive companion animal association for veterinarians. They are well-known for accrediting companion animal practices. Becoming an accredited practice is not easy. When you see the AAHA accredited sign at your vet’s office, you know they’ve been through a rigorous evaluation. An office is evaluated on 900 standards that begin from the moment you open the front door. Accredited team members also have access to publications and educational programs. There are nearly 3,500 AAHA accredited practice teams or 12-15% of all veterinary practices in the U.S. and Canada. I had wrongly assumed most veterinary offices were accredited.
Jars of cat treats, dog treats and tennis balls
Our vet has free treats AND tennis balls!
We are an AAHA Family
  We have been taking Bentley to our AAHA veterinarian hospital for over a year. The difference is incredible and you really do notice it when you walk in the door. I am always greeted by name and more importantly, Bentley is greeted by name and some love. When my son and his wife bought Paisley, I recommended our University Animal Hospital to them. They say it is one of Paisley’s favorite places to visit. I can see why, they are super nice and even have free tennis balls! My daughter and her husband (Pierre’s paw-rents) have adopted a new puppy. They live in Washington, so I advised her to check for an accredited vet for little Clementine. She was so excited to find one close to her home. They loved their new vet too. When Clementine got a nasty stomach bug, the vet called several times over the weekend to check on her! You just don’t find that kind of commitment from every vet. I’m glad to know that when Pierre moves home, he will have a great vet and an awesome little sister!
  It not just my family that is convinced the difference an AAHA clinic makes. Statistics show that 81% of pet parents would choose an accredited vet, 51% would drive further and 44% would pay more. That speaks volumes to me. We drive past four other veterinary offices that I can think of on the way to UVH.
Are you looking for a holistic vet? They can also be accredited. Ask your vet if they are accredited and if not, ask them why. If you are looking for a new vet, do yourself a favor and seek out a member of AAHA. They have an accredited hospital locator as well as many helpful tips for pet parents.You’ll be glad that you did.
Our vet and Basset meeting
Photo courtesy of Univeristy Animal Hospital
Just One More Thing
Several months ago I received a phone call from our veterinarian. Dr. Catherine Foret wanted to know if Bentley and I would be interested in doing a professional photo shoot for their new website. Of course, we did and it was so much fun! They took some of Bentley and me in various poses along the Red River. There was even a make-up artist! The new website isn’t ready yet, but I wanted to share one photo of Bentley with his favorite vet. Thanks, Dr. Foret!
*Follow AAHA on Facebook and Twitter.
Brown Paws Prints
I am pleased to be co-hosting another Thoughtless Thursday Blog Hop with my friends Ruckus the Eskie and Love is being owned by a Husky.  You are welcome to join us and remember, don't think...just link!







23 comments :

  1. Love it! On the website, that is awesome!
    We recently found the girls a new vet. We were taking them on base, and while it is cheap, I just was not happy with the doctors. Our new vet is a little expensive, but she is FANTASTIC. Young, loves small dogs, just a gem.

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  2. Finding a Vet you can trust and doesn't cost 87 milk bones a visit isn't easy
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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  3. This is a very interesting post. I have two vets...one that I use when we are at home and one I use when we are at the cottage. The one at the cottage is an accredited vet...and yes I DO notice a difference. I truly do love my vet that I've had at home forEVER, but hers is a very small practice. It works out for me though...if I have any questions, I can always call my cottage vet and ask! Sometimes it pays to have more than one vet!

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  4. How cool you are getting into modeling, Bentley! Good thing you worked on getting those six pack abs and all in order so you are looking your handsome best!

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  5. Wow, free treats and tennis balls!!

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  6. I wish we had such a service too... we were lost in France as we had an emergency case with the huskies and we wasted a lot of time to find a vet at saturday night. You are a supermodel and it's so great that your vet picked you... now I know a real VIB (very impawtant basset)

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  7. Our vet is one of only a few in Jacksonville that is AAHA accredited :)

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  8. Living in a very rural area makes if really hard to find a good vet - lack of selection. Consequently, we have 3. One relatively local for routine stuff. Two who are over an hour and half away - one for more serious things, the other for holistic treatment. Not the best situation. Now I'm headed to check out Bentley the model and the AAHA site to see if our vets are accredited.

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  9. Great info :) we have been a little let down on recent times and may have to change vets..the wait times are very long now..we rarely see the same vet and Dinnermintz 24 tummy bug cost nearly 500 dollars..sadly i think when some vets look at the computer and see how much you have spent they see owners willing to pay whatever it takes..which we will but within reason..with four cats and two dogs and three sheep ALL seniors we have to be sure we get great care at a good price..love the pic :) hugs Bev xx

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  10. Interesting, but we live in a small town and doubt the vet is one of those.

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  11. Love the tennis ball idea
    Snorts
    Lily & Edward

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  12. Thanks for this - I'm thinking of looking for a new vet - a 'regular' vet, not for Maggie, so this is timely.

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  13. Wow, great info MK! And congrats on your photo shoot!!!!! That is so awesome!!!!!!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  14. A good dogtur is very impawtent. We like Dr. Eddy. He was recommended to us by Bert and Goose both.

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  15. we have gone to the same vet office for many years. They are not fancy but reasonable and we feel comfortable there.
    When our regular vet retired recently we just switched to seeing the owner - who we also have seen many times over the years. I must inquire to see if they are AAHA accredited.
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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  16. I'm so glad you found a vet you are happy with! We are happy with our current vet, but if he were ever to retire or move away (which I suspect he might), I'm not sure what we'd do. But a search only turned up onlytwo AAHA vets about 30 miles away. I'd really want someone closer.
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  17. Great post. When I moved to TN a year ago I found the first vet who is personable, cares about my pets, and is cost conscious.

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  18. Interesting resource! But I am curious about this makeup artist ... what makeup did they put on Bentley?

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  19. Finding a good vet is important. We live in a very rural area and are far even from the closest vet, 25 miles. They are ok but not as in tune as we'd like. We prefer to take the dogs, cats and horses to another vet who is 120 miles away but keep the local vet in the mix for emergencies.

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  20. How cool that you and Bentley were asked to be part of your vet's website! Our vet isn't a AAHA vet, but we like her. Finding a good vet is so important.

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  21. WooooHoooo!!!! Bentley, I knews you were a STAR, butts WOWSA! You;re gonna go viral!!! I just knows it!!!
    Luckily, we have a good vettie, butts I just wish their office was bigger, so hyper doggies weren't on top of eachother in the waiting room! It is so impawtent to find a good vettie! And peeps shouldn;t be afraid to go to check out lots of vets if they can.
    Good postie guys!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥
    pees: don't go in the back room....nothing good EVER happens in the back room! just sayin'....

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  22. What a clever idea have both treats and tennis balls. Wow, Bentley, you are becoming quite the celebrity boy!

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  23. Well we always knew Bentley was a star, I guess your Vet knew too! Let us know when the site is up so we can check his handsome self out on the site! I loved meeting AAHA at the conference too, and I better understand why it's important for Veterinarians to have AAHA accreditation.
    Love & Biscuits,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

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