Most people realize how important it is to have a family doctor who you see on a regular basis. You develop a rapport and your doctor knows your medical history. As a result, he is able to give you better care because of that history and familiarity. For the furry members of your family, it's important to develop the same type of long-term relationship with a veterinarian.

According to Dr. Daniel Joffe, medical director of Calgary's CARE Centre, there are two major benefits of seeing the same vet regularly: "Number one, you get more bang for your veterinary dollar because the veterinarian knows more about your pet, and number two, and more importantly, your pet gets better care. That veterinarian who you see all the time knows the history of your pet, knows if your pet has had reactions to any medications, food, or anaesthetics. They know the surgical history, and they know the diet history.”

You gain even more benefit if you keep the same veterinarian as the animal members of your family change over the years. That's because vets don't just get to know your pet, they also get to know you, says Dr. Alun Cooksley, from Calgary North Veterinary Hospital. "I've always thought of the relationship between the veterinarian, the pet and the client as a triangular flow. You have to have all the links in place in that triangle for things to work,” he says. Dr. Cooksley goes on to say that all three have to communicate and have empathy for one another to ensure the best possible care for the pet.

Dr. Joffe, who has been practicing for 25 years, has on several occasions diagnosed animals with cancer knowing that the client had a previous pet with cancer. Knowing the client's history, not just the pet's history, affected how he dealt with those clients.

Dr. Cooksley, who has been practicing for almost 30 years, has also had many long-term clients. "It's like any other relationship," he says. "You can't, on the first date, understand a future partner as well as you can after 20 years of marriage.”

Developing this type of long-term relationship with a veterinarian starts with finding the right veterinarian for you and your pet. When looking for a new veterinarian, start by asking for recommendations. "Don't just go to somebody because they're closer, and certainly don't just go to somebody because they're cheaper. Go to somebody because you have friends, family, colleagues, or neighbours that respect the veterinarian that they're going to," says Dr. Joffe.

If you move far away from your regular veterinarian, you may be forced to find a new veterinarian. In that case, Dr. Joffe suggests asking your old veterinarian for recommendations. "The veterinary community is pretty small and quite often they'll be able to recommend somebody in the new area that you're moving to," he says. Once you have settled in to your new home and found a new veterinarian, contact your old clinic and ask them to transfer your pet's records. That way, the new veterinarian has your pet's medical history as a starting point.

When looking for a regular veterinarian, another consideration is the type of practice. According to Dr. Annabelle Denson, director of the Distributed Veterinary Learning Community at the University of Calgary, "There are people who specialize in various types of therapies, so you might make a choice of a veterinarian depending on your philosophy of medical service for yourself. For example, some people are interested in holistic types of practice, and certainly veterinary medicine has expanded and changed a lot in the last 10 or 20 years. There are lots of different types of practices." There are also veterinarians who specialize in certain species of animal, such as cats-only veterinary practices. Find the type of veterinary practice that works best for you and your pet.

Dr. Denson adds, "Being a good pet (guardian) means that you are looking out for the health of your animal. If you have developed a relationship with a veterinarian and they have some history about your pet, that veterinarian is in a better position to help make recommendations for your pet and for your family."