Scout, age 9 weeks, had her first puppy visit here today. The staff went crazy over her, and everyone treated her like they would treat their own pup. I was nearly 10 minutes late for the appointment (traffic, plus it was just one of those Monday mornings where everything that COULD go wrong, DID go wrong.)
When I arrived I offered to reschedule, so we wouldn’t throw off the doctor’s schedule for the day. They wouldn’t let me! 🙂 I was assured that they could “go with the flow,” and I really appreciated that! Her first exam was thorough, and included a review of the necessary vaccines as well as a discussion about flea & tick control, and heartworm preventative. We received a complimentary single dose of Vectra (a topical flea/tick parasiticide that is effective for 1 month, even after swimming or baths), and a dose of Heartgard. That was a pleasant surprise!
They also asked for a stool sample so they can do a fecal check, and they said they would call me with the results.
Something else I noticed while I was waiting in the exam room was the amount of information they make available to their clients. Each exam room has a binder in it with info about everything – an explanation of the ingredients in dog food, educational info on flea/tick/heartworm prevention, what happens during a dental (with pictures), and much more. The binder had so much useful info in it that I wanted to ask if I could borrow it for a week 🙂
So, what I took away from this first visit were these impressions: the clinic is clean, organized, and there is clearly a system in place for dealing with clients who aren’t on time, like me (ughhh, lol.) The prices are reasonable and I really appreciated getting the flea/tick and heartworm preventative free with our first puppy exam. Finally, judging from all the info available in the clinic as well as on their FB page, web site & blog, this clinic really believes in client education. Which is nice – they want you to be an informed pet owner, not just someone who brings their pet in and lets the doctors and staff decide what’s best while you sit on the sidelines. Clearly they value pet owners’ input and do what they can in taking a collaborative approach to your pet’s care.
I definitely recommend this veterinary clinic to those who are seeking care in the Finksburg/Westminster/Carroll Co. area 🙂
