I wish you well in your upcoming move, and would like to offer some suggestions in choosing your next veterinarian. People who are about to move have a lot on their minds. I have prepared this paper so you can read it at a less hectic time. Read it as soon as possible and decide on whose services you wish to use before you have an emergency need. It will be comforting to know you are prepared, whether it be for emergency care or routine medical services.

I want to assure you that an excellent veterinarian will be available wherever you live. However, use a wise selection process. Merely picking one from the classified ads is RISKY. Particularly if your choice is a veterinarian or veterinary facility whose listing, (such as a block ad or with the use of bold type), is designed to get more attention than the others.

Obviously, convenience is a factor. You could be living next door to the best services in the world. A good use for the classified ads in your phone book is to plot their location. Start with evaluating the closest veterinarian.

Begin by calling the office and see how it goes. Bear in mind that you might have called during an emergency or a very busy time. If you have, they should get back to you if they promise to. Ask for information about a question you might have about your pet. If you find satisfaction on the phone, go to their office without an appointment.

Observe the employees of an animal hospital. It takes effort to staff an office with a high percentage of good caring people. The staff should reflect an aura of being glad to BE at work. They should be concerned about the needs of the clients and/or patients and going out of their way to meet these needs.

Also observe the clientele present at an animal hospital. My experience as a veterinarian parallels that of the "frequent movers" whom I have interviewed. Each practice has a unique clientele. This is the result of a natural screening process which is affected by both the client and veterinarian. Good pet owners deliberately seek good services. Those who are not particular about the care of their pet tolerate poor quality. Good clients rally around good services. Their veterinarian goes out of his/her way to accommodate them. Eventually the uncaring client feels out of place in a good practice and goes elsewhere. The clientele a veterinarian is accustomed to serving will influence how he/she responds to your needs.

Make a special effort to observe the relationship between the veterinarian and his/her client. There should be an aura of mutual respect and appreciation for each other. Watch how the veterinarian responds to children in his office. If you have children, you will want a veterinarian who appreciates the importance of a pet to a child. As soon as a child is at the age of reason, he/she should be included in all aspects of your pet's care.

Watch the pets in the office. They should reflect an appearance of general well being. This is especially significant if the elderly patients are looking better than you would expect. They should also act fairly well behaved and be under control. The behavior of a pet is an indicator of the efforts an owner has invested in training it. I consider it inappropriate for a socalled "resident pet" to be wandering through the hospital. A hospital is a hospital, not a zoo.

While you are there without your pet, ask if you could see the rest of the hospital. If there is an emergency, you can't expect them to accommodate you. There are also safety reasons why children should not tour a hospital. Aside from that, it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask for a brief tour through the private areas during business hours. The private areas should reflect the same attention to housekeeping as the public areas. In my opinion, display of items for sale to the public indicate a compromise of professionalism. Select a veterinarian who doesn't merchandise.

It isn't worth the effort to evaluate their fees at this time. It is more of an opportunity for deception rather than enlightenment. Fees in an unscrupulous practice are quoted to appear low but are offset someplace else. You can depend on a good and honest practice to have fair fees.

If you are satisfied at this point, make an appointment to bring in your pet for an examination. What harm can come from a routine examination? If you are not pleased, keep looking.

If we have been rendering service for your pet from the beginning, you have been instructed how to raise him/her. We have covered behavior, nutrition, grooming (e.g., nail care), and areas of assuring good health by preventive measures. Attention to these factors will always benefit your pet. Select your next veterinarian on the basis of his/her ability and willingness to carry on where we have left off.

One more parting comment. Moving will be a trauma for your pet as well. Make sure he/she doesn't escape during the confusion of the move, including while you are still in this area. It is a good idea to put an additional identification tag on the collar with your NEW address on it. Cats are notorious for attempting to return to their previous premises, so make absolutely sure they are confined for a least 30 days. Make the move as unstressful as possible. Take along all their "old things" like beds, food and water dish. Be patient with your pet and give him/her some extra time. Keep the pet separated from the new pet neighbors. Allow them to meet new neighbors on a non-threatening basis.

Your pet(s) will cause some inconvenience during your move. However, they will make a beneficial contribution to the emotional well-being of your family during the early days at your new location. This is especially true when you have youngsters. They will be taking a friend along to their new home, and so will you. Pets and children act as a social lubricant in meeting new friends. We hope you enjoy your new home and meet many new friends - including a veterinarian.

Legal Aspects
o Vaccinations - As in many other areas of the country, vaccination against rabies is required by law.
o City Animal License - Naperville requires you to register and obtain a license for your cat. The fee for obtaining a license is nominal.
o Cat Leash Laws - A couple of years ago, Naperville attracted national attention (and ridicule by some local residents) when they enacted a Cat Leash Law. The Cat Leash Law is conscientiously enforced and, while the Naperville animal control officer is a compassionate animal lover who derives great satisfaction from returning lost pets to their owners, she is intolerant of frequent and deliberate violations of the leash law.
We doubt this law would have attracted so much attention if it had simply been called the Cat Containment Law and we believe that the ordinance is in the best interest of all cats and their owners. This leaflet discusses some of the reasons it is so important to confine your cat to your home.
In an article in the Naperville Sun, two local veterinarians said that they experience a relatively high incidence of FLV and FIV.
Fortunately, the incidence of FLV, FIV and FIP is nearly nonexistent among patients of The Animal Hospital. We believe this is because we educate our clients about the importance of keeping their cats indoors at all times. This is the single most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of parasites and serious diseases among cats.
Contagious Diseases
Any time you bring a new cat into your home, it
should be isolated until you are positive that it is
free from parasites and contagious diseases. When
a cat is confined to your home, it is living in a very controlled environment. Therefore, it's virtually impossible for your cat to become infected - unless he is a subclinical carrier and experiences a flare-up from stress, or another cat brings disease or parasites from the outdoors.
o As in most areas of the country, routine vaccinations for feline distemper and rhinotracheitiscalici is wise.
o The cat has many serious diseases which can easily be prevented. Among these are Feline Leukemia Virus (FLV), Feline lmmunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) - all of which can be prevented by simply keeping your cat indoors. While FIP vaccination is seldom recommended, FLV vaccination is wise under certain circumstances when exposure is possible.
Parasites
o Internal Parasites - Unless your cat consumes raw meat, its exposure to internal parasites should be minimal.
o Fleas - An unprotected cat is the perfect host for fleas. Be particularly careful if you also own a dog, as dogs can bring fleas in from outdoors and transfer them to your cat.
o Tapeworm - This is the most common internal parasite that we diagnose among cats. Cats can catch tapeworm from eating small animals and/or fleas.
Our Climate
Here are some things you should know about
owning a pet in this climate:
o Heat exhaustion in cats is rare, so you needn't worry too much about the hot summer months.
o Frostbite - Because most of my clients' cats are kept indoors, frostbite problems have also been rare. However, if a cat escapes and is exposed to extreme cold, frostbite can affect the tips of its ears.
Human Health Warning:
Pregnant women should be aware of
the dangers of Toxoplasmosis. Call or
stop by if you want more information
about how easy it is to prevent this
serious risk.