The first step is to ask family, friends and colleagues where they take their pets for veterinary care. It can be a challenge to find the right animal hospital for your pet; if you live in a rural area, there may not be a lot of choices. In a large city, you may have dozens of different animal hospitals to choose from. In both cases, this can make it difficult to decide on the right hospital. The opinions of other pet owners who have had their pet cared for at a particular animal hospital are the best source of information about the level of care given. Both positive and negative views are good to know; after all, you don't want your companion animal being given anything but the best possible care.

Secondly, here are a few basic guidelines if you need to choose a good animal hospital. Ask to see the veterinarian's license and start by asking if there is a registered veterinary technician on staff at the animal hospital. Doing this means that you have qualified staff working there. For example, a registered veterinary technician has passed the regulated state tests for all vets. Education is essential because a registered technician will have the experience and skills that are prerequisites for required proper pet treatment and examinations. Please note: you should only allow a registered pet technician treat your pet and administer shots and pills (almost all animal hospitals will have non-registered employees working for them).

Next, you should have a meeting with the veterinarian. Other than making sure that their license is valid, you should ask what their experience in veterinary care is and what animals they are skilled in treating. Having many years of experience in the field is a plus - though exactly how much experience you want your vet to have is, of course up to you.

Before you finish reading the license make note of whether it is temporary or permanent. If temporary, it will be labeled so which means the person taking care of your precious pet is in the final stages of earning their education (you may not want someone so new to the field looking after you pet and treating them). A temporary license is often issued to residents and interns. Next, in your interview with the Vet, ask about the roles of the Vet Tech on staff. Are they allowed to do much more than weigh the animal and escort you to the examination room? If so, what are they responsible for?

You should always ask, when visiting an animal hospital, what veterinary services are offered at the hospital. For example, do they offer urgent care - and if so, what hours are these services offered? Does the hospital perform surgeries and other more complex health care services? Does the hospital offer services like training for puppies and dogs? Does the hospital provide dietary and nutritional services? How about geriatric pet care? Check if the hospital has a website and if so, what information about the hospital and its staff is provided there. Remember that just calling an establishment an animal hospital says nothing about the quality of care they provide there. If you someday need emergency veterinary care, you'll want to be sure that the animal hospital's care and services are of the highest quality. If your family, friends or co-workers don't have any recommendations for you, you can find a good animal hospital by touring different ones and asking plenty of questions.

It's always a good idea to tour the animal hospital after talking to the vet. You should pay attention to the condition of the examination rooms and the surgery area. You should hold the cleanliness of these rooms to the same standard as you would a human hospital - they should be very clean. It's OK to take a look around under tables and on the floor (discreetly) to make sure that it is clean and free of debris. Sterile conditions are every bit as important in an animal hospital as they are in a hospital you'd visit for health care. Make sure that the hospital seems well organized and that there are no unusual odors beyond what you'd expect in an animal hospital. Unpleasant odors can be an indication of poor sanitation or a lack of attention to the welfare of animals being treated and should make you think twice about the facility.

In summary, follow these simple guidelines to choosing an animal hospital and you will understand why it is imperative to make an informed decision. Remember, get a referral first, listen to good advice and bad, set up an interview, check the license, discuss roles of staff and while getting an interview and tour make your sensory observations. This will calm many fears and lead to better observations and an informed decision of the best animal hospital in your area and veterinarian service you choose for your precious pet.  It is important to do the research yourself so that you can give your pet the best he/she deserves.