Veterinarians in Portland

Before you go

• Call and ask three things: are they taking new patients, what a wellness exam costs, and what they do after hours (their own emergency cover, or a referral).
• Bring vaccination records and any medication, and a stool sample if they ask; the first visit is mostly a baseline.
• A typical US wellness exam runs $50–$100 before vaccines or tests; emergency and specialty care is several times that, which is what pet insurance is for.

What works

• Closer is better for a routine clinic: a sick animal in a car for forty minutes is a worse animal.
• Ask whether they offer Fear Free handling or a quiet entrance for anxious cats and dogs.
• Keep the clinic's number and the nearest emergency hospital's number in your phone under the pet's name.
• Annual visits for adults, every six months from about age seven; cats need them as much as dogs and get them less.
• If costs are a worry, ask about a care plan or a payment option before treatment rather than after.