In pets, as in people, having one doctor to oversee and coordinate care has definite advantages. But in these days of larger veterinary hospitals, it can be more difficult to see the same veterinarian routinely.

Is it worth the effort to have a "primary care veterinarian"? For the most part, it is, and if you shift how you manage your pet's care, you can make coordinating care with one veterinarian easier to manage.

But first, the advantages. When you routinely see the same veterinarian, you're working with a doctor who is familiar not only with your pet and its medical history, but also with you. Over time, you and your veterinarian can develop a mutually respectful relationship that promotes a partnership dedicated to keeping your pet healthy.

That's not the end of the story, of course, because your pet may need to be seen by other veterinarians, not only when your veterinarian isn't available for urgent or emergency care, but also when your pet can benefit from a referral to a specialist. Ideally, your veterinarian will help you decide when calling in colleagues can help your pet. She'll also work to integrate the specialist's work into the overarching care plans for your pet.

What happens when you can't see your regular veterinarian? Seeing a different veterinarian in the same practice isn't the worst that can happen. After all, your pet's records will bring the attending veterinarian up to date, and the practice's expert veterinary technicians are there to help with continuity of care. In a well-run veterinary hospital, the standard of care is very high overall, and your pet will be well cared for, no matter what.

What may suffer, though, will be your ability to communicate with a doctor you don't know as well. That's especially important if you don't feel as comfortable about asking questions of a new veterinarian or following up on recommended treatments.

Fortunately, there's a way to resolve this for the most part: Shift your focus to preventive care.

When you concentrate on working with your veterinarian to prevent health problems instead of reacting to health emergencies, you'll not only save money by catching little problems before they become big ones, you'll also be saving your pet the suffering and stress that comes with a full-blown illness.

The cornerstone of preventive care is a once-a-year – or, ideally, twice-a-year – comprehensive veterinary visit that gives your vet the chance to go over your pet nose to toes to tail and utilize simple diagnostic tests that can spot problems before symptoms show.

During these visits your veterinarian can review other preventive care strategies, such as good nutrition, parasite control and maintaining a healthy weight and an active lifestyle.

In terms of seeing the same veterinarian, when you switch to focus on preventive care, you can schedule your veterinary visits far enough out to almost always see the same veterinarian in the practice. Though accidents and other emergencies will still need to be treated urgently by the first veterinarian available, with a preventive care plan the majority of your pet's care will be in the hands of the same doctor.

Communication and respect are keys to a great relationship with a doctor, no matter if it's your own or your pet's. It's worth working at it to make that work.

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Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. Email them at petconnection@gmail.com or visit www.petconnection.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/spadafori.