recommended veterinarians in Northern Illinois suburbs

[lvrwolves]

I just recently moved to Elk Grove Il with my 2 cats. I had 3 bad experiences with my current vet who is now 45 minutes away (In DesPlaines). I am a professional pet sitter & certified veterinary assisatant. So I like to have a tour of the faciltiy to make sure I am happy with the clinic and it can suit my & my cats medical needs. I am looking for any recommendations of veterinary clinics in the Elk Grove, Arlington Heights IL area. I went to Arlington Heights AH today for a tour. When I arrived I signed in, and one receptionist stated to the other “She has an appointment with Susan.” But I never, met, saw or spoke with Susan (who is the reception manager). I was greeted & given a tour by Carla Colber, the kennel manager. Carla gave a very through tour of your boarding/kennel facility. She was friendly as well. Only one slight problem, I am a cat owner. I was looking for a veterinarian, and have no interest in boarding my pets. I was never asked about myself, how I heard of the clinic, if I just move in the area, or my pets – do I have dogs, cats, ferrets, bird etc. Do they have any special medical needs? I was never shown an exam room, the laboratory or equipment, and was never introduced to any of the staff, Drs, technicians, or otherwise. So needless to say I was disappointed & on the prowl once again for a vet for my two babies. I don't know anybody in the area with pets to ask for recommendations.

[Marty]

Hmmm. I would think if you asked, that they would show you the set-up and introduce you to the staff. I am not familiar with the area, but maybe take a walk and talk to some dog walkers (I know you have cats, but cats don't get taken for walks).

[LisaLisa]

Hi,

I cannot give you a direct referral, but I found this link that may help you.

http://www.talktothevet.com/VETERINARIA ... linois.HTM

There is a Cats Only clinic in Arlington Heights.

[Traci]

If the staff didn't know the true nature of your visit, then you could only expect the usual "tour". As an assistant, then you are aware of how busy a clinic is during normal business hours, not to mention the vets are rarely available to assist in a tour or answer questions unless you make an appointment with a vet specifically for that purpose (which would be unusual, the vet's time would be valuable, and usually this would be for a referral or a consult concerning patient treatment). Also, tours often include quick walk-throughs of the kennel and possibly the common treatment room, that's what a tour is. You can't expect to tour exam rooms, surgery suites, laboratories, (which should be restricted to staff only anyway, for obvious reasons) . I'm sure the exam rooms were occupied, or were awaiting patients, therefore, it wouldn't have been feasible or appropriate to tour them.

I would suggest calling the office manager and specifiying what you want in your tour, but many areas will be restricted during business hours. So, perhaps making an appointment with a qualified staff member an hour after closing would be more appropriate.

[lvrwolves]

When I initially went to the clinic I introduced myself, gave them my business card, and explained that I was looking for a new vet because I was using a certain animal hospital & wasn't happy anymore, and I had just moved to the area. The receptionist & I started to talk & she had heard similar stories about the vet clinic I had been using. We had a nice conversation. And they knew exactly who I was & what I was looking for.
Then when the office manger called me to set up the appointment, once again I had a nice detail conversation with her as to who I was & what I was looking for. So there really is no excuse for what happened. They knew I was leaving a clinic because of bad experiences - (they did not know they exact stores) but wouldn't you make your best effort to make sure as a new client I had a good experience? When we gave our tours at our clinic we showed the owners everything. The laboratory, the exam rooms, the doctor’s offices, the kennels, the surgery room, etc. That is a potential new client - you want their business. You are going to do everything within your power to make sure that their first experience is their best! Trust me being in the field I have seen a lot of gross clinics with dirt rooms, kennel, surgery rooms etc. Places I would NEVER want my pet to be in. How sterile or healthy can that be? Same with a human hospital. So there is nothing wrong with wanting a complete tour of an animal hospital. A hospital should have no hesitations of giving tours if everything is the way it should be. When a clinic hesitates or refuses that’s a red flag. Your number one priority in any kind of animal based business is to address the owners & pets needs needs. What good are you doing the owner or the pet if their needs are not addressed?

[Traci]

I'm sorry, but not every clinic is going to oblige your every wish.

Again, call the manager and talk to him/her about your requests. If the orginal reception manager wasn't there or didn't take you on the tour, is that the other staff's fault? It could be the other person was not even aware of what you were wanting in the tour.

Sounds like a miscommunication problem. Simple fix...call the manager with your requests. But, be prepared, that after hours is truly the best time for a full tour of the facilities, as this allows a qualified staff member to have the time to walk you through, and the time to answer your questions. This shouldn't be done during normal, hectic, stressful business hours because time is valuable and limited.

[gsc4]

There are several feline only clinics in the Chicago area. Use the yellow pages and then get a map to see if they are near your location.

I live in city and love City Cat Doctor which is downtown, probably farther away than you want. Tomorrow, I'll ask a friend at work who she and her 3 elderly cats like. She lives somewhere in the 'burbs.

[gsc4]

Sorry, my friend uses a vet in Naperville. Probably too far away for you.

Have you heard about the Chicagoland Family Pet show this weekend at Arlington Park racetrack?

www.petchicago.com

Part of it is a cat show and maybe some ot the cat people there could give you a recommendation.

Good Luck, I had a hard time finding a vet recently too. I went to 2 before being happy with the one I use now.