Can I register my dog with more than 1 vet?

[dalidaydream]

As title, we have a new vet opened up quite literally on the doorstep which I am really tempted to use as it's so handy. My dilemma is that we have had quite a few issues and my current vets know my dog really well but to get there I have to drive past the new practice and then a further 5/6 miles which doesn't exactly make it convenient. In an ideal world I'd like to use both but don't know whether this is even legal as when I enquired at the new practice they told me they were required by law to obtain her records from her previous vet.

Any thoughts?

 

[flashmans]

Can't you just tell your current vet that you're changing to the closer one purely for convenience?

ETA: Didn't read properly! Issues with the new vet or current vets?

 

[dalidaydream]

Can't you just tell your current vet that you're changing to the closer one purely for convenience?

ETA: Didn't read properly! Issues with the new vet or current vets?

Sorry, didn't explain very well - dog has reacted badly to certain drugs and current vets have now got to the bottom of this. She is 12 and I'm just thinking might be better to stick with them but the new vet is so convenient. I'm reluctant to take the plunge to change and then find I'm not happy with the new vet and have to go crawling back to the old one so wondered if I could have her registered with both until I'm happy I'm doing the right thing for her.

Hope that makes sense now.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Personally I would stick with your current vets, it sounds as if they understand your dog and her problems which imo is worth a longer journey. We travel 14 miles to our vets, pass a couple of practices which are half the distance, but I wouldn't swap. I think it is possible to register with 2 vets, I know people who do it with horses, but it would quite likely affect your relationship with your current vet, would you want to do that?

 

[flashmans]

Ah ok. (If it was me) I'd probably just stay with the current vets then. It is a pain that the new one is right on your doorstep but as you said if you end up not happy...

Sorry, not very good advice!

 

[fatpony]

If you switch between two vets it makes it very difficult for each vet to know whats going on with the dog - even for simple things like ear or eye infections - if they dont know what it looked like to start with and they dont know what medication youve had or what has been suggested then its pretty difficult to treat the animal without crossing the same ground again. Each vet can request the history from the other but not at weekends or middle of the night or at short notice. I`d go with the vet that knows your dog especially if they provide their own out of hours. If you want to switch then switch fully and dont chop and change.

 

[Inthemud]

I've registered mine with 2 vets.

My main vet is great, but they don't do their own emergency service and I would have to travel 20-30 miles to the people they use, who then wouldn't know my dog anyway.

My second vet is very close and run their own emergency service.

I would much prefer to only use the first practice, but if I'm going to have to take pup to an unknown vet in an emergency, it seems better that is is a local one.

 

[dalidaydream]

Thanks for all the replies, looks like we'll probably be staying with current vet then.

Interesting that you obviously can register with 2 vets though.

 

[PolarSkye]

Well, I don't know why not . . . Kal (horse) is registered with two vets so it shouldn't be different for dogs.

P

 

[CorvusCorax]

Both my dogs are registered with two vets - we have a local practise which is OK for smaller things so both are registered there, but for B's issues we travel 40 miles away to another more specialised vet, who is well worth it. The local one just were no help with him, sadly.
For the pup I registered with another on the other side of the country because I want to send his x-rays to Germany for grading and there are only a handful who do this.