Before you bring your dog home, be sure you have a veterinarian who knows and likes small dogs. Not every veterinarian is a good Toy dog veterinarian. Your vet must either be familiar with your Toy breed or want to now more about him, and exhibit a genuine interest. Small dogs respond best to a veterinarian who moves slowly and gently during an examination. They are not dog: generic. Many of the Toy breeds have special problems not found in other dogs (more about that in part III). You must find someone in whom you have absolute faith and confidence before you entrust them with this life for which you are now responsible.
The dog's breeder will want to know if you have a veterinarian who is good with small dogs and accustomed to handling them. You may want to use the same veterinarian the breeder is using, if you both live in the same area. You might ask someone with Toys who lives nearby which veterinarian they use, if they're happy with that person, and if their veterinarian seems to understand small dogs.
One of the better ways to find a veterinarian is to contact a major veterinary referral hospital in your area for a recommendation. They have to be cautious about such recommendations, but they can suggest veterinarians who have sent Toys and other small dogs to their hospital who have been thoroughly worked up diagnostically.
You should check out the veterinarian's clinic in advance, taking a tour of the facility. Does the waiting area look and smell clean? Of course there will be some odor, but if it looks and smells dirty, the rest of the facility may be, too. Use your eyes and nose and trust your senses and instincts. Does the clinic have weekend and evening hours? What about emergency services? Payment plans? Is the staff well trained and friendly? Keep in mind that a clinic certified by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) will have been evaluated and found to meet the high standards set by that organization.
Talk with the veterinarian. Finding a veterinarian is like finding a pediatrician for a child, only in this case the patient will never be able to verbally tell the doctor where it hurts. So you want someone who's not only tuned in to a dog's body language but with whom you can communicate easily about everything from treatments to cost. The vet should be more concerned with an animal's well-being than with their self-promotion or ego. They should not be insulted if you ask about getting a second opinion. And someone who runs in and out of the office and isn't paying much attention or doesn't have much patience is not going to be a good candidate to care for your dog.
