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How to Find and List Veterinary Specialists

Posted by Joe Gargiulo | Thu, Feb 23, 2017 @ 02:00 PM

veterinary specialists

A recent article on dogster.com named “What Every Pet Parent Should Know About Veterinary Specialists” provided the inspiration for the CrossCheck editorial team to dig a little deeper. After reviewing the seven factors author Jackie Brown believes pet owners need to know about the subject, this article transitions to additional resources for finding and listing veterinary specialists in many geographic areas.

Brown begins by comparing and contrasting general practitioners with specialists. General practitioners have broad training with a spectrum of species and they are well-qualified to treat a variety of health issues, including serious ones. On the other hand, specialists have (1) advanced training in specific aspects of veterinary care, (2) are board certified, and (3) have done residency in their focus area. Specialists typically administer care per referral by a general practitioner.

Second, the author states that some specialists will accept direct queries from pet owners without a referral if the situation warrants it. The context includes concerns such as pet owners being dissatisfied with the general practitioner’s recommendations, elapsed time with no signs of improvement, or simply not agreeing with the diagnosis or treatment plan. As Brown points out, “It never hurts to seek a second opinion.”

Next, Brown provides background into 40 different board-certified specialties and subcategories with the help of a link to a list maintained by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). For example, the Internal Medicine entry presents three subcategories:

  • Cardiology — the study of diseases and conditions of the heart and circulatory system
  • Neurology — the study of diseases of the brain, spinal cord and other parts of the nervous system
  • Oncology — the study of tumors and cancer

veterinary specialistsBrown’s fourth point discusses the relationship between location and available resources with the help of testimony from Steve Scibelli DVM, owner of Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital in San Clemente, California:

“Some regions have more options versus others, and therefore standard of care can vary. For example, if you live in the Midwest near nothing versus a large city, the general practitioners in the isolated geographical region may perform more orthopedic procedures rather than have owners drive two to three states away. And some states don’t even have a veterinary neurologist, cardiologist or other specialty.”

Note: the specter of such a void inspired the CrossCheck editorial team to drill down a little deeper. See the additional resources mentioned below.

Fifth, the author restores some hope by introducing the availability of care by one of the 30 accredited veterinary universities in the US. Also maintained by the AVMA, this list is sorted by states and their respective institutions.

“Most of these universities operate veterinary teaching hospitals where your dog can benefit from the latest research and might be able to get cutting-edge treatments that are not available anywhere else,” writes Brown.

Brown’s next point describes the cost of, and waiting period for, specialists in some areas:

  • It’s not unusual to have to wait a while for an appointment.
  • Specialty services can sometimes be costly.

She closes by saying that specialists are worth waiting for: “Sometimes the outcome can be much better when you and your veterinarian enlist the help of a specialist.

Other Resources for Finding and Listing Veterinary Specialists

CrossCheck found two other channels for finding thousands of veterinary specialists across the country. For example, a hypothetical search in the state of Indiana found 73 specialists via VetSpecialists.com and 13 VCA affiliated hospitals in Indiana.

VetSpecialist.com maintains a search feature that is sorted by Type of Specialist, Small or Large Animal and Located Near Me.

VCA, Inc. (NASDAQ symbol “WOOF”) began as a privately owned company with one animal hospital in 1986, and is now the largest US provider of animal care, operating over 800 hospitals in 43 states and five Canadian provinces and providing diagnostic services to more than 17,000 independent hospitals.

CrossCheck recommends that specialists register with all available online directories and optimize their sites to generate the greatest web presence.

Furthermore, pet owners would be well served by searching for the nearest veterinary specialists and saving their contact information for future reference.

If emergency care is ever needed, CrossCheck’s Multiple Check payment solution can help pay for expensive treatments.

Pet owners write 2 – 4 checks to cover the emergency care. Specialists deposit those checks over a 30-day period, giving pet owners time to replenish their checking accounts. It’s a win-win situation. Pet owners provide their fur babies with the proper care, and veterinary offices receive guaranteed payment with each and every deposit. Learn more by downloading our free guide.

 

Topics: Veterinarians

Written by Joe Gargiulo

Marketing Specialist Joe Gargiulo has 25-plus years in marketing, communications and copy writing. As a writer, he enjoys connecting story leads to all aspects of the human experience.