Marin – Veterinary

If you have a vet and are looking for a new veterinary hospital or new veterinarian, ask yourself what you want to be different from your current vet.

Do you need more vet involvement in consultations? Do you want less pressure to perform expensive veterinary procedures? Do you need more details about veterinary visit costs? Do you feel unable to ask for more details of what tests are being performed and why?

What specific issues can you pinpoint that are making you dissatisfied with your current pet care provider? The more you can identify exactly what’s wrong, the more you’ll know what to look for in your next veterinarian. You’ll also have a good idea of what to ask to find a veterinarian who offers high-quality services.

If your animal experiences an emergency and you don’t already have a veterinarian, it can be easy to panic. In this case, it’s a good idea to have some questions already noted down. That way, you’ll have less to think about and can focus on the answers you’re getting.

To evaluate veterinary advice for any given situation, it’s worth considering:

1. Do I want a Diamond Certified company that is rated best in quality and backed by the Diamond Certified Guarantee?
2. Has your animal’s behavior changed in any way? (sleeping habits, eating habits, grooming, itching)
3. How old is your animal?
4. What are my animal’s exact symptoms? (coughing, bleeding, diarrhea, vomiting)
5. How long have the symptoms been present? Have they happened before?
6. Has your animal’s appearance changed in any way? (coat condition, eye discharge)
7. What are you feeding your animal? (brands, amount, type – wet or dry)
8. Have you noticed any change in your animal’s movement? (hesitations, missed jumps)
9. What vaccines does your animal have?
10. Does your animal have any chronic conditions?


Once you’ve done some preliminary speaking with the veterinary clinics, you can take the step of going to veterinary hospitals in San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, or other areas in Marin such as Marshall, Terra Linda, Greenbrae, or Inverness to speak to the veterinarians in person.

Some questions to keep in mind include:

• What is your recommended schedule of visits for a healthy animal at the age of my animal?
• Can you help me with behavioral problems?
• What are the typical problems, if any, for my specific kind of animal? (for example, hip dysplasia for large dogs)
• I want to take a preventative stance to maintain my pet’s health. What would you recommend?
• Can you tell me what you consider extreme medical care for my animal –pacemakers, dialysis? Under what conditions do you recommend it?
• Do you perform standard tests for my animal? If so, what are they, and what are they looking for?
• How do you determine if my animal needs a specialist? And how will coordination between your office and the specialist work?

Maintaining your pet’s health is a big responsibility. But once you’ve found a veterinarian you can trust, some of that burden is lifted. You’ll have a partner to help you keep your pet healthy for a lifetime. If an emergency does come up, you’ll know that you can trust your veterinarian to give the best advice for your pet, based on knowing it – and you.

When you take your animal in, be very clear about what brought you in. If it’s a routine check up, and you are not quite sure what that means, don’t be too shy to request a detailed description of what is planned.

If the visit is for a specific problem, describe the problem in detail. Mention any changes in behavior or anything that might be related. Don’t let office staff rush you over your description, but do be considerate and try to be concise.

Your veterinarian ask questions, and you may have to repeat answers you’ve already given to a receptionist or veterinary technician. Remember that the goal is to help your animal, and the veterinarian is just trying to get the best information. Try to remain patient.
Your veterinarian may have several options or care plans for you. If it’s not clear to you, don’t be timid about asking about the differences between them. They may have different steps or timelines, or different outcomes might be expected from different options.

Don shy away from asking what are the costs associated with each option. Most veterinarians will provide an estimate. You should be clear that you understand what is covered under the estimate. For example, if your animal is being operated on, does the estimate cover boarding costs for any nights the animal must stay in the facility? Be aware that costs for specific tests may be charged by outside laboratories. Remember to ask if there may be other charges that the veterinarian is not yet able to estimate.

Maintain Good Communication with Your Marin County Veterinarian
Once you’ve determined the plan of action for your animal, make sure you are clear on the next steps and what’s expected of you. Clarify what you must do as the owner – do you have to give medications or treatments? If so, what is the best method for giving them?  What is the schedule? If the animal is undergoing surgery, how long is the operation expected to last? Confirm that the veterinary clinic will call you once the operation is completed, if you plan to leave the facility. Make sure that you have numbers to contact the veterinarian at all times and know which numbers will be answered after hours.

Diamond Certified window contractors are backed by the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. If the window company is Diamond Certified and you can’t resolve the issue by talking with the owner, contact the mediation department at info@diamondcertified.org or call 800-738-1138.

Easy Ways to End Conflict with a Marin County Veterinarian
It’s hard to have a sick animal, and on top of that, it may seem that your animal is not making the progress you expected. The best way to alleviate this concern is to have a strong relationship with your veterinarian. You should feel comfortable bringing up any concerns you have about lack of progress.

Listen carefully to the veterinarian’s response. As with human illnesses, responses and healing times vary among particular animals. If you don’t feel satisfied with your pet’s progress, you can always seek another opinion. If you do look for another vet, your veterinarian is required by law to provide copies of your pet’s records. Your veterinarian is allowed to charge a duplication fee for the records.

When you speak with any veterinarian about your pet’s progress, try to identify as many facts as you can. Bring as much detail as possible, for example, when did the issue first show itself? Compile a list of all the steps you have taken, whether giving your animal dietary changes, curtailing outside time, giving medicines, or undergoing procedures, operations, and the like. Try to be calm and focused. Explain your expectations. Listen carefully to the veterinarian’s response to see if you are being realistic or unrealistic.

If you disagree with your veterinary clinic about fees, you can try to work with your veterinarian to resolve it. Fees should be clear upfront, and changes should be discussed with you. If a veterinary clinic cannot quote an exact price, for example, if work is being performed by an outside laboratory, there may be fees the veterinary clinic cannot quote for you. It should be made clear to you when additional fees are a possibility. If you cannot work out a disagreement, the California Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) recommends small claims court to resolve the issue. You can also report the firm to the Better Business Bureau.

There are some options the provide assistance with pet care fees. The organization RedRover offers some grants, based on need and circumstances. Their Web site describes details of how to apply for these grants. The site is also a good starting place to look for additional resources for pet care funding, including state and national programs, as well as programs devoted to certain breeds or diseases.

When your dispute with the veterinarian is about not about money but about the care received, you do have an outlet. For example, if you believe your pet has been subjected to poor clinical treatment or that a veterinary clinic is acting in a way that harms or may cause harm to animals, you can file a complaint with the VMB by downloading a form from the Web site. When filing a complaint, you should focus on factual information, rather than any conclusions you have drawn. The VMB requests the following information:

• Animal’s name
• Age
• Breed
• Current condition
• Dates of veterinary visits
• Summary of reason for complaint
• Supplementing information including bills, forms from veterinary hospitals, letters, and any witness statements


A complaint can take two-four weeks to be received by the VMB. Once received, the VMB reviews to ensure that they have jurisdiction. The VMB explicitly states that issues of fees or fee collection do not fall in their jurisdiction. The VMB reviews cases related to fraud, incompetence, negligence, unprofessional conduct, and facility standards, among others. The VMB resolves the case with a range of outcomes, from closing the case, to fines, to referrals for further investigation or review.

Q: Why choose a Diamond Certified Veterinarian?
A: Diamond Certified helps you choose a veterinarian with confidence by offering a list of top-rated local companies who have passed the country’s most in-depth rating process. Only veterinarians rated Highest in Quality earn the prestigious Diamond Certified award. Most companies can’t pass the ratings. American Ratings Corporation also monitors every Diamond Certified company with ongoing research and ratings. And your purchase is backed by the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. So you’ll feel confident choosing a Diamond Certified veterinarian.

Q: Does pet insurance save me money on veterinary care costs?
A: Pet insurance, also called pet health insurance, is designed to help manage costs related to pet health care. If you have no significant costs or crisis, you could end up paying for an insurance plan, and not getting back all the money you paid in premiums. If you do have a major crisis, pet insurance will be able to help defray the costs of treating that crisis. Pet insurance is best thought of as a risk management tool, not an investment vehicle.

Q: What should I look for in a pet insurance plan?
A: Pet insurance plans come in two major categories. One covers emergency, or crisis, situations only. The other includes both crisis situations and routine health visits.

For plans that cover routine health visits, you may have a co-pay for each visit. You should be aware that you will have to pay your entire bill at the veterinarian, then you will work with your insurer’s process to get reimbursed for your co-pay. Pet insurance operates a bit differently from human health care plans because it is a form of property insurance.

Some pet insurance plans allow you to choose any veterinarian, while others require you to choose from a network of providers.

Pet health insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions. Be careful about how the plan defines pre-existing conditions. For example, if your animal has had a knee injury to one knee, the insurance company consider that a pre-existing condition and determine that any subsequent knee injury is a pre-existing condition, even if the injury is to different knee.

Q: Who is taking care of my animal?
A: In non-emergency cases, you can make an appointment with a veterinary hospital or veterinary clinic. In California, all veterinarians must be licensed and must display that license so you can see it in their offices. If you are seeing a farm vet who comes to you, the veterinarian should carry a pocket version of the license. Veterinarians may also employ licensed and unlicensed help. Registered veterinary technicians must be licensed and display and carry their licenses. These technicians can perform some tasks on their own and can perform others under the direct or indirect supervision of a veterinarian. Unlicensed workers may also work under supervision, direct or indirect, of veterinarians or technicians.

In an emergency situation, you will see on-call staff. If they are veterinarians or registered veterinary technicians, they must be licensed.

If your animal stays overnight in a facility, you may want to ask what the overnight staffing arrangements are.

If your animal has a serious condition or a condition your general practice veterinarian does not treat, you may be referred to a specialist veterinarian.

Q: What can registered veterinary technicians or unlicensed veterinary assistants do? And what does direct or indirect supervision mean?
A: Let’s take the second question first. Direct supervision means the supervisor is in the facility where the pet care is happening and can quickly be reached. Indirect supervision means the supervisor does not have to be present but has delivered instructions.

Under direct supervision of a veterinarian, registered veterinary technicians can remove teeth, create a hole in the skin for a catheter, put on a splint or cast, give anesthesia, or stitch skin and mouth tissue.

Under indirect supervision of a veterinarian, registered veterinary technicians can draw blood or run lab tests, give medications, bandage animals, give some lifesaving emergency procedures, and operate x-ray equipment.

Unlicensed staff can give medicine. They can help a veterinarian under direct or indirect supervision and can help a registered veterinary technician under direct supervision. They are not allowed to work on animals except in a hospital.  

Q: Why should I see a vet regularly if my animal is in good health?
A: Of course you want to take good care of your animal, but you also don’t want to feel you are paying money for nothing. It’s still a good idea to see a veterinarian on a regular schedule. This will help you establish a relationship with the veterinary clinic so that if something drastic does occur, you will feel comfortable accepting the veterinarian’s assessment. You’ll have a sense of what the veterinarian typically recommends and how aggressively he or she typically treats issues, so you’ll be able to judge the reaction when bigger issues arise.

Preventative treatment can also identify issues while they are still very manageable. You can save considerable care and money if you can catch diseases in the earlier stages, when treatment is often less aggressive and less costly.

You should discuss with your veterinarian what a reasonable schedule for visits would be for animals of your species, breed, and age.

Q: Should I have my veterinarian spay or neuter my pet?
A: Both spaying and neutering refer to removing reproductive abilities from animals. For cats and dogs, spaying and neutering is recommended as a way to manage the overall population and avoid unwanted animals that can end up in shelters and euthanized.

Some choose not to spay or neuter because they plan to breed the animal.

Q: How do I know my veterinarian is properly licensed?
A: Veterinarians are licensed to work on a state-by-state basis. In California, you can check for veterinarian’s license using tools on the Veterinary Medical Board’s Web site. The listing will also include information about complaints and pending complaints against the veterinarian.

License information for registered veterinary technicians is available at the same site.

Veterinarians in California are required to renew their license every two years and to take continuing education classes during each two-year period.

Q: What can I do to help my animal get the best care?
A: Keep good records about your animal. Note down things like age, which can be easy to forget in the heat of the moment. You’ll want to keep a record of vaccines, as some vaccines must be administered over time, and some must be renewed at different periods, for example, annually.

You’ll also want to keep a record of veterinary visits, what happened, what treatments were given, what medications were prescribed. You’ll want to keep track of any surgeries your animal has and the dates of those surgeries. If your animal has particular trouble with one form of medicine – for example, if you find it difficult to give your cat a pill – take note and ask about optional forms of the medicine in the future.

If you move or change veterinarians for any reason, you can ask for a copy of your veterinary records. The veterinarian must give you your animal’s medical record, though they are allowed to charge duplication fees for preparing the material.

Q: What is a microchip and do I want one in my pet?
A: A microchip is an electronic device that can be implanted in an animal. It’s as small as a grain of rice. The microchip stores an identification number for your animal. The microchip does not include any battery or power source. A scanner must be used to activate and read the chip.

There are several things to remember about microchips. Microchips come in several different frequencies. The scanner must match the chip’s frequency to be able to detect the microchip. Many scanners today are capable of reading all frequencies, but there is a chance that an older scanner might not read a newer chip. You can get multiple microchips implanted, if desired. They will not cancel each other out.

Most importantly, it’s up to you to keep your contact information updated. The chip only stores an ID number. That number appears when scanned. It then is matched against the database information for that chip. You can only be found if your database information is current. So if you move, make updating your information with your microchip service a task on your checklist!

Q: I just saw a very dirty veterinary clinic. I am worried for my animal’s health! What do I do?
A: Report unsanitary conditions, and any act or situation that causes harm or could cause harm to animals to the VMB. When filing a report, you’ll want to include information specific to your animal, including name, breed, and age.

When describing the situation, be as factual as possible.