Questions to ask your vet

AAHA’s preventive care guide suggests asking about weight, teeth, behavior, parasites, and vaccines, and asking the vet to scan the microchip and check the number is in the record.⁸ The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association lists weight, dental care, vaccines, and parasite control, and its microchip statement recommends a scan every year.^{12, 13}

• How is this pet’s weight, and what should it be?
• How do the teeth and gums look?
• Which vaccines do you recommend for the way this pet lives?
• What is the best way to prevent parasites all year?
• I have noticed a change in behavior. Could it have a medical cause?
• Can you scan the microchip and check the number is in the record?

AAHA’s specialist visit guide tells owners to bring their questions with the notes on what changed.¹ The dates go on the symptom timeline.

The vet visit summary maker puts your questions on the same page as the dates.

• What should I watch at home, and what should I write down?
• Which changes mean I should call before the next visit?
• Could food, or a current medication, be part of this?
• What is still unknown after today?
• Do you need a photo, a video, or a sample next time?

These come from the FDA’s list of questions to ask your vet about a new medication.² Its page on medication errors adds a question about interactions with anything already in use.³ In Ontario, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario expects the vet to explain common side effects, serious risks, storage, and how to give it.¹⁴ The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says to give antimicrobials only as prescribed, even if your pet seems better.¹⁵

• Why was this prescribed, and how long should it be given?
• How should it be given, and does food change that?
• What should I do if a dose is missed, spit out, or vomited?
• Could this interact with another medication or supplement already in use?
• Which changes should I call about?
• When is the recheck, and who calls if I do not hear back?
• How should it be stored?
• Should all of it be given, even if my pet seems better?

AAHA’s anesthesia guide says to ask why anesthesia is needed.⁴ It also says you are the person who reports how your pet has been at home, including medication and supplements taken in the last day, and whether your pet has had food or water. AAHA’s referral guidelines say the clinic should tell you which medication to give the morning of a procedure, and what to do about food and water.⁵ Write the answers down, including the morning medication.

After you get home, AAHA’s anesthesia discharge guidance says the instructions should cover possible complications and when to call.⁶

• Why is anesthesia needed for this procedure?
• Which medication should I give the morning of the procedure?
• What should I do about food and water before arrival?
• What should I watch for after getting home, and when should I call?

Between visits, the useful record is what changed, not a second chart. For cats, AAHA’s feline life-stage guidelines say to keep prior medical or surgical information, diet, and medication and supplements available, and to record weight so a trend can be seen.⁷ Ask which of those the vet still wants before the next visit.

• What should I keep writing down between visits?
• Which changes should I call about before the next visit?
• Is the current medication still the one you want used, and for how long?
• When is the next recheck, and what should I bring?
• Which older records do you still need?

Banfield suggests asking what will happen if a recommended test is not done.⁹ Ohio State’s Veterinary Medical Center presents a care plan with recommended tests, treatment, and a cost estimate before work goes ahead.¹⁰ The College of Veterinarians of Ontario requires the vet to explain what happens if you decline, and to give a cost estimate.¹⁶

• What will this test tell you, and what changes if it is not done?
• What does the estimate include, and what could add to it?
• Which parts are needed today?

Cornell’s hospital says its medical records staff help owners and vets get copies of records and reports.¹¹ In Ontario, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario says a clinic must give you a copy of the record when you ask.¹⁷ Ask for the result itself, not only a summary of it.

• What did this result show, in plain words?
• What did it leave unanswered?
• Did the written instructions change, and where are they saved?
• What should I keep writing down until the next check?
• Who contacts me if another result is still pending?

The same day, write what changed and who does the next step. Use Record what changed after a vet visit.