Why Finding the Right Vet Matters When You Move

Moving to a new city comes with a long list of things you have to figure out. A new grocery store, a new dentist, a new doctor, your favorite coffee shop. But if you have pets, finding a veterinarian you actually trust somehow feels harder than finding yourself a new primary care doctor.At least that was our experience.After adopting Indy, one of the first things we needed to do was establish her with a primary veterinarian. We were already looking to transfer our dogs’ care after having a bad experience with our previous vet, so I was being a lot more intentional about where we went next.We started calling different veterinary offices in the area, and honestly, the process was more overwhelming than I expected. Different offices gave us different information, and it was hard to know who we could trust.Then Indy broke her leg.We took her directly to Village Veterinary Hospital, which is right around the corner from our house. They triaged her, assessed what was going on and determined that she needed a higher level of emergency care. From there, they sent us directly to Veterinary Emergency Group, or VEG, where Indy was treated and her leg was splinted.That experience ended up being one of the first things I appreciated about Village.They didn’t try to keep her there if they knew she needed care they couldn’t provide in that moment. They evaluated her, explained what needed to happen next and gave us a clear next step during an already stressful situation.After her emergency visit at VEG, we still needed a veterinarian to manage Indy’s follow-up care and healing. That brought us back to Village.When we reached out, the difference was immediate.They were clear, concise and, most importantly, kind and empathetic.Over the following weeks, Indy needed several visits related to her splint and healing. Every time we brought her in, the staff was genuinely happy to see her. It never felt like we were just another appointment on the schedule. You could tell the people working there actually enjoy what they do and care about the animals coming through their doors.They were also incredibly efficient.Check-in was quick, they brought us back promptly and we were usually in and out without feeling rushed. They were attentive and detailed, but I never felt like they were recommending unnecessary services just to add another charge to the visit. They focused on what Indy actually needed.Once her splint was finally removed and new X-rays were taken, the veterinarian personally called me to explain what he saw, walk me through her progress and discuss our next steps. He made sure all of my questions were answered before ending the call.That kind of communication matters.As pet owners, we don’t always know what we’re looking at on an X-ray or what every medical term means. We just know that this animal is part of our family and we want to know we’re making the right decisions for them.Village gave us that reassurance without making the process more complicated than it needed to be.Indy breaking her leg obviously wasn’t how I planned on finding our new veterinarian, but in a strange way, the experience helped us find a clinic we now trust.And if you’re moving to a new city with pets, this is something I’d add to the moving checklist: establish a primary veterinarian before you need one, and know where they’ll send you if your pet has an emergency.For us, Village Veterinary Hospital became that trusted local vet, and their referral to VEG gave us an emergency option when Indy needed care immediately.Because when something happens to your pet, the last thing you want to be doing is frantically searching Google, calling office after office and trying to decide who you can trust.Finding the right vet might not be the first thing you think about when moving somewhere new, but once you need one, it suddenly becomes one of the most important.Village Veterinary Hospital 3125 W Benjamin Holt Dr, Stockton, CA 95219(209) 951-5180

Michelle M. Figueroa REALTOR® Area served: Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA, San Mateo County, CA, Hayward, CA, Union City, CA, Fremont, CA, Redwood City, CA, San Mateo, CA, Menlo Park, CA, Livermore, CA, Newark, CA, Lodi, CA Expertise: Transaction Process, First-Time Buyer