Characteristics of a Perfect Veterinary Clinic

Hygienic! Hygienic! Hygienic! Hygienic!   No floors peeling, no stains on walls or ceiling, no boxes of stuff stored about. No rags or other detritus lying around.  No dog hair, no blood, no sharps, etc.

UV lights at night, and certainly daily complete chemical disinfections  

A decent sterile field in operating rooms. No crates, no grooming tub, no stuff spread out on counters, nobody wearing street clothes, etc.

Techs wearing aprons that are changed between dogs

Competent tech staying in clinic overnight and vet on call at all times

A place to sit in the examining room

A fitness/recovery hydrotherapy pool with jets and current

Underwater treadmill

Decent acoustics--since everything is hard and sterile, acoustic material should be added so the noises are not so sharp and alarming to already frightened animals

A poured rubber floor that is somewhat soft and has decent traction

Not too much traction in the waiting room.  It is nice for novice handlers with unruly dogs to have the upper hand

No grout lines in floor

No crack where floor meets walls

A good staff is very important-- all vet techs need to be competent.

Techs and vets take enough time to assess knowledge level of owner and do not waste time preaching very novice information to people who know more than they do about a given subject

Techs trained not to make silly breed guesses or behavior comments or suggestions about areas they are not trained in

Willingness to refer to specialists when appropriate, both allopathic and alternative

Having good specialists who come in periodically-- both medical specialists, and nutritionists, allergists, massage thereapists, etc.

Offering Penn Hip, CERF, OFA, Micro-chipping, etc

Evidence of continuing education by all staff members

Specialty surgeons. Not all vets are decent surgeons

A hydraulic exam table that can lower close to the floor so the dog can step onto it

A non-hydraulic table for dogs that are frightened by the table moving and for situations where you need to be able to get all around

Several absolutely clean "potty areas" for dogs.  Some with river rock kept sterile, others with grass.  Separate areas for known sick dogs

Potty areas, and everything else should be inside GOOD chain link fence

A well fenced play area so exuberant dogs can go play fetch for a few minutes and calm down before being examined

Easy access to potty areas

Large enough boarding areas

Plenty of parking areas with easy access

An alarm system throughout clinic

X-ray and other lab equipment

CT Scan, endoscope, etc

Separate waiting rooms. 1 for sick pets and 1 for well pets who maybe just need vaccinations or nail trims

Waiting rooms large enough so bad tempered animals can be kept apart

Enough exam rooms so that ill-behaved animals can wait in exam for a vet

Separate rooms for dogs and cats

Separate route into clinic and out so you don’t have to go against the flow, or stand in the reception area waiting to pay. Also nice so people who have euthanized an animal can leave privately

Several vets working at all times so they can take turns being on call for emergencies. And the vet doing routine exams can stay focused

No cloth sofas or anything else that is unsanitary

X-ray area designed so that the owner can accompany the dog.  This often means an OFA X-ray can be done without anesthesia

A dedicated and comfortable area for owners to sit on the floor with dogs coming out of anesthesia.  This area needs to be large enough that people who want to stay the entire time are welcome

A route for people visiting hospitalized dogs to get in and out without interfering with normal flow

Observation room into surgery for people who want to be there

Accommodations so that people can handle their own dogs if appropriate during most care

All doors are double doors for safety.  There is enough room between two doors that owner and animal can fully come through one door before opening next

A nice, well lit area with good traction where animals can be gaited and observed

A video camera so animals can be taped moving and watched in slow motion by vet and owner

A scale in the waiting room so people can get a weight before going in and also so people can come in and weigh their animal without interfering with anything else

A kennel for big disagreeable dogs that does not require staff to go in with them

Indoor/outdoor areas for dogs that should NOT be walked by staff

A pane of glass in the back door of the exam rooms so vet can see in the exam room instead of bonking a dog with the door

Separate isolation room, with several cages, with sliding glass doors and it's own air filtration system

No loose cats in clinic. This is simply not acceptable in a medical office.  Responsible owners of high prey drive dogs should be able to go to the vet without having to worry about this

A handy hook with some free slip leads is nice, since some people seem to forget theirs

I do not like places to hook leashes to the wall because this encourages people to not pay attention to their dogs

A close-by covered entry area for unloading multiple dogs or dogs that are injured

I like to see vets involved in local activities-- attending vet at dog shows, participating in cutting-edge seminars, etc.

I would love to see a vet offer seminars in which people could gather together to discuss current veterinary ideas with some skilled and thoughtful vets participating-- holistic medicine, BARF, environmental factors in dysplasia, toxic plants in our area and appropriate response, etc.

Microscopes with external monitors so vets can easily show various organisms to clients

Routinely checked e-mail account where clients can consult when binging animal in is not necessary or appropriate

Ability to do house calls if indicated-- euthanasia, routine vaccinations, etc

Completely isolated and sterile room for puppy vaccinating so puppies are not exposed to diseases carried by adults

A vet who takes long enough and listens well enough

A vet who is willing to work on preventative medicine and not ONLY remedial medicine

A vet who is able to stop trying to save money when the owner is not cost conscious

A vet with good knowledge and medical skills

Bathroom available for owners

A supply of worthwhile animal-related reading material in the waiting area including reference books and recent copies of journals

A brochure that explains the clinics philosophy, available services, gives background on the veterinarians, hours, emergency phone number for the clinic and perhaps poison hotline and other useful numbers

Standard AVMA type brochures on specific diseases and injuries and pest control and weight control

Office copies of suitable books, possibly even available for loan

Handout recommending good reference books and magazines

A current list of recommended local resources-- trainers, boarding facilities, breeders, behaviorists, massage, grooming, clubs, etc.