AAHA Accredited Means Better Care for Your Dog
AAHA is the American Animal Hospital Association they are the only organization that offers Accreditation to Animal Hospitals and Clinic in the US. Here in the US Veterinary Hospitals are not required by law to be accredited. That means they can each set their own standards for the care of your pet.
Why AAHA Accredited Should Matter to You!
For those that do go to an AAHA Vet or have visited one you might have noticed a small sticker on the window or door of your local vet but never really paid any attention to what it means and why it is important. By their own admission most Veterinarians are not business people the day to day operation of their clinic is enough to make them pull their hair out. Don’t even mention the word marketing or promotion because you will be met with a blank stare. That means that even those that have worked their way through the Accreditation process and become AAHA Accredited – no small feat by the way. Have no idea what to do to let their customers know that they have gone above and beyond in order to ensure the highest level of care. To become accredited, companion animal hospitals undergo regular comprehensive evaluations by AAHA veterinary experts who evaluate the practice on approximately 900 standards of veterinary care. You can check out this AAHA Vet locator to see if your Vet or one in the area is Accredited.
AAHA Vets Make Care Of Your Pet A Priority
AAHA Accredited Hospitals have made it a priority that every single person every single team member whether at the front desk I the exam room or behind the scenes holds themselves to a higher standard and the care they give your pet to a higher standard. In all honesty I didn’t think it mattered one way or the other if the Animal Hospital I chose for Davinia and Indiana was Accredited or not. In fact most of the Veterinarians we have used over the years were not part of an Accredited Hospital. I finally got fed up with the substandard quality of care and the giant bills received from our old Vet and decided to use the AAHA locator to pick a new one. I have had to visit a few times since making the choice to switch and each time they have gone above and beyond to provide high quality care.
Why AAHA Matters to Me
As an owner of Cavaliers whenever I walk into a new hospital or clinic that isn’t AAHA Accredited I can see the dollar signs flashing in everyone’s eyes. I was literally been charged triple what everyone else was charged at a vaccination clinic for the exact same vaccinations. At a Vet in 2006 I was told that Davinia was in complete heart failure and I should schedule an appointment with a Cardiologist in order to come up with a plan to keep her comfortable. Instead I went to another practice for a second opinion because I just didn’t believe that could be possible. 3 Vets at the AAHA practice listened to Davinia’s heart and all of them said it sounded perfect. At AAHA Accredited Hospitals their healthy hearts are celebrated and other Veterinarians and Technicians are invited in to say hello and take a listen. At non-AAHA Vets I have taken Davinia and Indiana for Wellness visits and instead was charged as line items for everything instead of a package rate. At the AAHA Vet when they literally could have charged me as an emergency visit they didn’t because I called ahead and said it was an emergency and got there 2 minutes before the practice closed on a Sunday night. I was only charged for a regular exam and the medication we took home and the follow up on that Emergency visit we were only charged for a follow up even though the Veterinarian spent about a half hour with us re-evaluating Davinia.
Our New AAHA Vet
Our new AAHA Vet is extremely proud of their AAHA Accreditation. The practice owner drives around with an AAHA sticker on his truck and has AAHA information around the practice. In truth I picked this location out of the other potential locations because it was the only hospital that mentioned any of the Veterinarians having an interest in Cardiology and with two Cavaliers I want to know that should we need someone to take a really good listen to Davinia or Indiana’s heart that all we need to do is go to the next exam room over in a practice that has our records and a staff that already knows us.
Do you go to an AAHA Vet? Do you help them through word of mouth Advertising? Here are a few simple things you can do!
1. Tag your veterinary hospital on social media to tell them how much you appreciate their hard work and dedication.
2. Send a card or an email to your vet hospital to thank them for taking your pet’s health seriously and choosing to be accredited.
3. Tell 3 of your pet-owning friends or family members to check and see if their vet is accredited and if they live nearby that they should consider visiting your AAHA Accredited Vet.
4. Educate your pet-owning social media network – share the AAHA infographic to help pet owners understand why AAHA Accreditation is important.
This is not a sponsored post. This post was written to coincide with AAHA Accredited Hospital Day taking place on July 22nd, 2016 in order to help spread awareness about AAHA and help ensure that our readers have the best and most up to date Veterinary Care possible.
I think that it’s really important that our pets get the best care that is available. They are part of the family after all!
I didn’t know there was a difference. I wonder if the animal hospitals and clinics in Canada have the same type of accreditation? Thanks for the information.
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I read this information at just the right time. I have a new puppy, and I had no idea there was a difference in vets. Thanks!
Your dog is so adorable! Pets are certainly as important as family, in fact they are family! I didn’t really know much about this vet either. Lots of great info here.
I love this. I want to know that the vet I go to cares about my pets as much as I do. Or at least a fraction of that. lol.
Cavaliers are such a pretty breed. I will have to share this with my Sister. She will be interested in this information. It is important to have a good vet.
I will have to check out the local Vets to see if they are a AAHA Vet. I want only the best for my fur babies.
I never even knew this was a thing. Thank you for sharing such important information about caring for my fur baby’s health!
I never knew to look for the American Animal Hospital Association accreditation. But of course, it’s exactly what I need to know to get the best.
This is great to know. We just take this info for granted and our dog is family so why wouldn’t we want the best? Yours are adorbs!
This information is really timely as I have just gotten a new pup. Thanks!
Since pets are family, they only deserve nothing more but the best care. Going for an accredited vet service should always be the option.