Best Friend Vet Care

4.7 (156)
2840 N Oakland Ave, Decatur, IL 62526, USA

Hours:

Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Thursday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Saturday: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

How to Save Money at Best Friend Vet Care

Schedule Regular Vet Visits

One of the best ways to save on vet bills is to prevent expensive health issues before they develop. By scheduling regular wellness checkups, your vet can detect health issues early, helping you to avoid costly treatments and surgeries down the road.

Price Shop for Pet Prescriptions

Oftentimes our fur babies are prescribed human drugs off-label. Your vet is apt to charge more for these medications than you would pay at your local pharmacy. In fact, big-box or chain pharmacies can offer steep discounts. So it’s best to price shop.

Pet Insurance

Most pet insurance providers will pay between 80% and 90% of the vet bill. You can even get coverage for routine care and things like vaccinations and dental cleanings. If you do the math, you’ll most likely find that pet insurance makes financial sense in the long run as well as gives you peace of mind.

How Do You Choose the Right Pet Insurance Provider?

Pet Insurance Review makes it incredibly easy for pet parents to select an insurance provider they feel good about. You can use our handy comparison tool to get the gist of what a company offers. We’ve also collected over 150,000 reviews of insurance companies from real pet parents like you to rank the top providers in the market. Here is the current ranking of each:

Top Pet Insurance Providers of 2024
Rating Provider Total Review
4.4 AKC 889
4.7 ASPCA 11,414
4.9 Embrace 14,242
4.9 Fetch 2,055
4.4 Figo 2,580
4.7 Hartville 164
4.9 Healthy Paws 7,477
4.9 Lemonade 783
3.2 ManyPets 2,156
4.6 MetLife 493
4.8 Nationwide 21,393
4.3 Pet Assure 12
4.7 PetPartners 110
4.5 Pets Best 7,196
4.3 Pumpkin 1,163
4.7 Spot 5,275
4.9 Trupanion 60,301
4.8 Prudent Pet 125

Or, you can simply get a fast quote from multiple providers and go from there.

Thinking of insuring your pet?

Get Quotes & Compare

Getting to Know Your New Vet: Essential Questions to Ask

Choosing a new veterinarian is an important decision for any pet owner. You want to find someone who is competent, compassionate, and a good fit for you and your fur baby. To help you get the most out of your first appointment, here's a list of essential questions to ask your new vet:

Tell me about your experience with [pet type].

Different vets have different areas of specialization. Some are experts with cats, some dogs, some pocket pets, and some horses. Knowing that your vet has vast experience treating your specific type of pet can bring you peace of mind.

How do you handle emergencies?

You must know what to do in case of a pet medical emergency. Inquire what after-hours policy the clinic has, whether they have on-site emergency care available, and if they have a relationship with any nearby emergency animal hospitals.

How do you communicate with pet owners?

Good communication is key to building a trusting relationship with your vet. Ask how they prefer to communicate (phone calls, emails, online portal) and how often you can expect to hear from them.

Are there any breed-specific health concerns I should be aware of?

Some breeds are predisposed to certain health conditions. Knowing what to watch out for can help you catch problems early and get your pet the treatment they need.

Do you have any questions for me about my pet?

This is a great question to ask because the answer will show that the vet is interested in getting to know your pet as an individual and is willing to listen to your concerns.

Bonus question: Can I take a tour of your facility?

Getting a feel for the clinic's environment can help you and your pet feel more comfortable during your visits. Remember, you’re not just looking for a veterinarian, you’re looking for a partnership. Do not be afraid to ask these questions and any others you can think of. Any vet worth their salt will be happy to answer them. Because the more informed you are, the better equipped you'll be to make decisions about your pet's care! And that should be every vet’s top priority.

Reviews from Google

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MayRennie Dotson

I love the service and care for my dogs they give. They let you know everything and give thorough explanations. My dogs are very comfortable with the staff.

posted: 03/25/2023

Steven Craven

The veterinarians and staff here are top-notch. My dog is usually nervous and skittish around strangers but we have never had an issue here. I highly recommend them.

posted: 05/09/2023

Sam Mcclure

Great!!! All the way from the veterinarians to the vet techs to the office staff Great!! I'm glad to have them take care of my dog's 👍👍👍

posted: 06/01/2023

Karissa Poland

Would rate no stars. Highly unprofessional. If you have fur babies and love them DO NOT go to Best Friends Vet Care. I am not a client here but, recently took a stray in and they were the place that could get her seen for a spay the quickest. My cat's spay appointment was for today 1/19. I legit took this cat in from the street so, I know nothing about her history, etc. Not only did Dr. Stark see an incision mark on her when she shaved her before the procedure, she did not call me to inform me and let me decide what I wanted the next steps to be. So instead Dr. Stark took it upon herself to still cut my cat open and take her intestines out for an hour plus for no reason because she had already been spayed. Dr. Stark then calls me to tell me that it's $374 even though my cat did not even need to be opened up. I called back after I found some downtime at work and talked to the horribly unprofessional rude receptionist who hung up on me twice. I was not rude nor unprofessional on the phone to her. She just didn't want to hear what I had to say. They had my cat in possession still and would not answer my phone call because they saw my name on the caller ID. I then had to dip into PTO time to rush over there and ask why was I hung up on twice and to get my cat back from their sick sadistic office. The rude receptionist literally yelled at me in the waiting room. Who does that?!?!? This place is unethical, dirty, unprofessional, and treated my poor cat so barbaric. PLEASE TAKE YOUR FUR BABIES SOMEWHERE ELSE!! I will never return here even if it was the last vet clinic open in Decatur.

posted: 01/19/2023

Maribel Ziga

I've taken both our fur kids here. One for a dental cleaning and another for a small mass removal that needed stitches and "the cone of shame" lol. Great service and the people are so nice and make sure you don't leave without answering any questions. Nice and small, it has not been crowded when ive gone in but i went to pick them up 2x before closing. Husband has gone in busier hours and he has no complaints. He loves taking the kids here.

posted: 08/07/2021