5 Situations to Take Your Pet to a Veterinary Specialist

by Dr. Chris

November 15, 2009 Every year there are more and more veterinary specialists offering their services in a wide range of fields. There are now veterinarians that specialize in soft tissue surgery, dentistry, orthopedics, cardiology, dermatology, and neurology. So when does it make sense to see one of these vets instead of your own vet?

Remember, as a general practitioner vet, I often make clients aware that there are specialists out there when we run into complex medical problems. Some take advantage of this and some don’t. For many clients, the price of seeing one of the specialty veterinarians is what often prevents them from doing so.

Here are 5 situations where it might make sense to see a veterinary specialist:

1: Need a second option/complex case. If the vet is not clear on the diagnosis or it is a complex case involving complex combinations of treatment.

2: Heart problems. Specialists have more advanced cardiac equipment to better diagnose and treat cardiac problems.

3: Lack of Trust. If your vet seems unsure about the condition or treatment, it might put your mind at ease to see a specialist.

4: Chronic skin condition. Chronic dermatology cases often seem to present a challenge for most vets, which is why it might pay to see a specialist.

5: Neurology problems. This is one area where general practitioners don’t have a lot of experience or knowledge, so might be better off seeing a specialist.

I’m sure there are many other reasons to see a specialist but these are the ones that I can think about right now.

Remember, most veterinarians will tell you about specialists in the area for fear of lawsuits, but this does not mean that they cannot handle the medical case.

If you like your vet, and have confidence in them, then let them do the best they can. In some cases a general veterinary practitioner can be just as good as a specialist.


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