Shopping for a Gainesville Vet

When I look for a great Gainesville vet, there are specific criteria I am looking for. First off, I need to see a clean office. There is something very depressing about a veterinarians office that is not tidy. And if it smells, that is not good either. Sure, dogs and cats are a little smelly – but overall the vet office should have a professional appearance. And it should be clear that reasonable efforts are made to keep that Gainesville vet clinic clean.

The friendliness of the staff is another big consideration. Nobody likes walking into their veterinarian to be greeted by someone who is rude. And believe it or not, many people at the front desks of vet offices are not nice. This is customer service 101. Make sure the Gainesville veterinarian you select has a friendly staff.

The last thing to consider when shopping Gainesville vets is price. You want inexpensive services, but be balanced here. The cheapest option in town is not always the best care for your dog or cat. You want your pet to get high quality health care services, so you may have to pay slight more than the rock bottom. That’s okay, but be sure you are not paying extremely high prices either. Aim for the middle of the road as you explore veterinarian options.

Animal veterinarians can be strange people

Some of the strangest people I have met in my life have been animal veterinarians. I am not sure if it is an intrinsic property of the type of people who want to become animal veterinarians, or if it is property of the training they undergo on their path to becoming animal veterinarians. Either way, I would like to share some stories of the strangest animal veterinarians I have ever met.


One of them was from New York City. He had been among New York’s animal veterinarians since he was a young man. He had worked on elephants, tigers, and even penguins at various zoos. He said he wanted to be just like his favorite animal veterinarians because he related to animals better than humans, and sometimes, he would try and communicate with them in his best attempt at their noises. Are all animal veterinarians so strange?!


Another one was from Missouri. He had become one of Missouri’s animal veterinarians after he lost his medical license to treat humans because of a mental health issue. Apparently, he started having hallucinations when he would operate on people, so he had to become a vet because he did not have the same experience. For some reason, being a vet does not affect him in the same manner.


The strangest of the animal veterinarians that I have met was the one I knew when I was a boy. I went to his house once, and he didn’t live with any humans, only ten Dachsunds named after the seven wonders of the world, with three of them having duplicate names followed by the number two. He was a pleasant man, but of all the animal veterinarians that I have met, he sure takes the cake as the most wacky!