The location of a veterinarian’s facilities should be considered when deciding which clinic is

right for you. Unlike a small animal situation where clients bring their pets to the hospital for exams and treatments, large animal medicine dictates that veterinarians offer ambulatory services. Horses are large animals and the logistics of moving them can become complicated. Not every horse owner possesses a trailer or vehicle capable of towing one. Not every horse will load obediently into a trailer and travel quietly until the desired destination is reached. While trailering a horse to a clinic for a vaccination or exam is merely inconvenient, doing so with a horse experiencing a painful colic or limb injury can be very dangerous as well.

The goal is to find a clinic within a close enough radius to your horse’s location so that, should it be required, you could receive emergency treatment within a reasonable amount of time. Simply because you live near a clinic, however, does not guarantee that a veterinarian will be at your door in record speed should you be presented with a crisis. Most clinics do not have the resources to employ a doctor to stay in the clinic on the chance that an emergency may arise. The doctors are out of the office making farm calls and could be well over an hour, perhaps even a two-hour, commute away. Obviously, emergencies will take precedence over routine appointments, but the veterinarian may have a distance to cover before he or she can arrive at your farm.

The distance between the veterinary clinic and your home or boarding facility may also influence the scheduling options that are available to you as well as call charges that you may incur (the farther you live from the clinic, the larger the cost of the call charge). Many clinics schedule routine calls to areas that are on the outer edges of the clinic’s normal servicing radius on certain days of the week to limit the amount of time the veterinarian spends on the road. If your schedule is not flexible, arranging for a veterinary visit may be next to impossible unless you are willing to trailer your horse to the hospital itself. Distance plays a role here as well as a person will be more likely to procrastinate or postpone a visit to an office that is forty-five minutes away than one that is only fifteen or twenty. How convenient is it to drive to the clinic if you need to pick up prescribed medications or last-minute health certificates for travel?

A veterinary practice may have the perfect staff, a pristine clinic and top-of-the-line equipment, but if the hours of operation conflict with your work schedule, it is not of much use to you. Look for a clinic that offers extended hours in the evenings as well as weekend appointments. Check to see if the clinic is open during the lunch hour or you may be greeted by a locked door when you stop in to pay a bill or pick up a prescription refill.

Inquire about the clinic’s scheduling methods. Do they schedule appointments at specific, predetermined times or do they provide a ballpark estimated time of arrival (ie. Some time after 11am next Tuesday)? How far in advance do you need to call to secure the appointment slot you require?

Next is the question of availability in the case of an emergency. How does the clinic handle after-hours calls? Are the call duties rotated between other clinics in the area? What response time could you expect in the event that an emergency situation occurs? Ask about the charges that would be incurred. Some clinics charge differing degrees of emergency fees based on the time of the visit (i.e. Before 11 p.m., after 11 p.m.), and still others will charge an extra fee for emergencies occurring during office hours.

Not all equine clinics are equipped the same. New technologies are constantly emerging and some veterinarians are more progressive than others. For example, there are still practitioners in the equine field who don’t own an ultrasound. If you are planning on breeding your problem mare via artificial insemination, you will want a clinic with an ultrasound so you can best determine insemination timing and monitor the early stages of pregnancy. Perhaps you are interested in embryo transfer. Does the clinic have the means to accommodate your needs? While most veterinarians have portable x-ray units they can tote with them to lameness exams, do they have powerful stationary units back at the clinic to perform diagnostic radiography on the larger portions of your horse? If your horse requires x-rays for respiratory problems or a possible abdominal mass, you will need to travel to the nearest referral hospital or veterinary school if your veterinarian does not have adequate equipment.

Some equipment may be more convenient than it is necessary. For example, many clinics are purchasing electric-powered dental floats instead of using the old "file and muscle" method. This will decrease the amount of time it takes to float your horse’s teeth and will almost guarantee that a better job will be done as the veterinarian will not grow fatigued. Laser units are another luxury. Though not seen in many clinics due to their exorbitant cost, they are a desirable piece of equipment to have available to you. Laser surgery is reportedly less painful and has fewer post-surgical complications than traditional surgery, which results in a better experience for your horse.

Arthroscopes and laprascopes are wonderful tools that allow veterinarians to visualize lesions and perform surgery in the abdomen and joint spaces through tiny incisions and with minimal anesthesia. Portable lab units provide a veterinarian with the means to perform diagnostic blood panels on-site, allowing the doctor to diagnose your horse’s ailment and treat it all in the same visit. The list of toys and tools goes on and on. When interviewing clinics, don’t be afraid to ask what equipment and technology the clinic utilizes and what that particular clinic charges for such services.

It is every horse owner’s hope that they will never be required to bring their horse to an equine hospital, but if the need arises, it is beneficial to know what facilities your chosen veterinarian has to offer. Many equine veterinarians literally work out of their trucks, and may, perhaps, have a small building with an examination stock and treatment area. Such veterinarians rely on regional referral clinics or veterinary schools for cases that require more specialized space and equipment.

When comparing hospitals, look into what forms of specialized facilities each has to offer. Ask about treatment areas and stalling/housing facilities. Does the clinic offer paddock turn-out for long-term patients? Is there an arena or other safe area to exercise and gait horses for lameness exams? What qualities does the hospital itself possess? Is there a temperature-controlled surgical suite with a padded recovery stall? Is there a viewing window or video monitor for the surgical suite or quarantine areas? Is the lobby comfortably furnished for those long, anxious hours spent waiting for the completion of an emergency surgery? Is the clinic equipped with a complete in-house laboratory or must the blood be transported to a local laboratory for processing?

Ask to tour the clinic. Evaluate how well the building is maintained. Look at how the inventory and diagnostic equipment is organized. Aisles should be swept and clean, stalls should be well-bedded and routinely picked-out, treatment areas and aisles should be brightly lit, and equipment should be clean and neatly stored. The only excuse for a dirty clinic is a recent emergency or involved diagnostic or treatment procedure that has yet to be cleaned. Cleanliness is important, but obviously a critical patient must take priority.

Every veterinarian must graduate from an approved veterinary college and pass the national board exam and clinical competency tests. In addition, each state requires veterinarians applying for licensure within their state to pass required tests concerning state veterinary laws and regulations. To renew a veterinary license, each veterinarian must prove that the state’s continuing education requirements have been met. Although every veterinarian must achieve the minimum, many will seek education beyond the state requirements. Ask how frequently the veterinarian(s) attend continuing education events and what resources they routinely utilize for the supplementation of their current veterinary knowledge. In addition to the structured education, a large percentage of a veterinarian’s learning comes through experience. How many years has the veterinarian has been practicing medicine?

Does the clinic employ any board-certified specialists? These are veterinarians who have taken their education to the next level and have tailored their learning to a specific field of equine practice. It may be handy to have a specialist at your disposal if you have a horse with a complicated medical problem or one that requires an extensive surgical procedure. If there are no board-certified specialists, ask if the veterinarian(s) employed have any areas of special interest. A veterinarian may not have gone through the procedures to become board-certified in a certain aspect of equine medicine, but if the veterinarian has a special interest in that area, he or she may know more or have more experience than the average practitioner.

Education is obviously important, but if the vet cannot communicate clearly or is unapproachable or intimidating, that doctor is not an effective resource. Quiz your friends on the veterinarians they employ and ask for desirable and undesirable characteristics each doctor possesses. If possible, meet with the veterinarians you are considering so that you can determine if their personality, mannerisms, and communication methods mesh with those of your own.

In addition to evaluating the veterinarians themselves, be certain to evaluate the support staff, for these are the individuals you are likely to deal with the most. Run the staff members through the same evaluation checklist as you would the veterinarian. How many employees does the clinic staff? What kind of training and experience does the staff have? Are any of the staff members certified veterinary technicians? Does the clinic employ a designated office manager? How is the clinic routinely staffed? Does the clinic regularly employ staff for evening care or overnight emergencies, or is that handled on an as-needed basis? How long has each employee been at the clinic? No one likes to see a different face every time they visit their doctor; longevity of staff employment suggests stability within the practice and ensures that you will be recognized when you walk in the door.

Focus on the qualities that are most important to you. Evaluate the clinic’s location, facilities, and equipment. Consider each candidate’s education and experience Interrogate friends and interview potential veterinarians and staff members to determine if their personality and communication styles are compatible with your own. It may seem a daunting task to find the veterinarian that is right for you and your horse, but if you can find a doctor with whom you can place your trust, your efforts will be well rewarded and you will rest assured that your horse’s health is in good hands.