Is Your Vet AAHA Accredited?
AAHA! – Not just a fun interjection to express your excitement over having just found that long-lost cat toy under the couch. AAHA is actually an acronym that stands for the American Animal Hospital Association. Established in 1933, AAHA is the only organization to accredit companion veterinary hospitals. You see, unlike human hospitals, veterinary hospitals are not required to be accredited. In fact, only 12-15% of animal hospitals in the US and Canada are AAHA accredited. Kinda scary, huh? That’s not to say that a vet that’s NOT accredited is a bad one. There are many wonderful vets out there that have just not gone through the accreditation process. But if a vet is AAHA accredited, you can rest assured that they hold themselves to a high standard.
We know this first-hand because our vet is accredited. Whenever I have to take the kitties to see Dr. Caldwell, I know that they are going to be treated respectfully and with the upmost care and attention.
What does it mean to be AAHA accredited?
If a veterinary hospital is AAHA accredited, it means they have been evaluated on approximately 900 standards of veterinary care, such as:
- Cleanliness and organization – areas are neat, clean, and well-organized
- Minimized contamination – syringes and needles are only used once
- Disease control – frequent hand-washing or antimicrobial agents are used to prevent the spread of contagious disease
- Use of anesthesia monitoring equipment – tracks a pet’s vital signs while under anesthesia and alerts medical professionals to any changes
- Top surgical care – pre-surgical assessments, dedicated surgical suites, surgical attire, and sterile packs and equipment
- Emergency preparation – emergency equipment and drugs readily available, stocked at all times, and in a portable container for those unscheduled emergencies
- Continuing education – all veterinary team members are encouraged to continue their education to stay up-to-date on all the newest information
- And many more!
How does the accreditation process work?
As mentioned above, vet practices are evaluated against approximately 900 standards of excellence. These standards are continually being updated to reflect the latest developments and improvements in veterinary medicine. When a veterinary practice applies to become accredited, they will usually spend several weeks to months examining and fine-tuning their operation to be sure they meet AAHA’s standards. The entire veterinary team is often involved, from the veterinarian to the receptionist. When the practice is ready, the following steps are taken:
- AAHA sends consultants to conduct an on-site evaluation
- Points are awarded to the veterinary practice for each standard they meet
- A certain score must be reached for the practice to pass
- The practice will then be re-evaluated every 3 years to ensure they are keeping up with the most current standards
Becoming accredited is not guaranteed, and it is certainly not easy. In fact, it is a big achievement – one to be celebrated!
Speaking of…
Happy AAHA Accredited Hospital Day!
AAHA has officially designated July 22 as AAHA Accredited Hospital Day! The goal of this day is to highlight the exceptional care provided by accredited hospitals and to educate pet owners about AAHA accreditation.
If your vet is accredited, today is the perfect day to express your gratitude for them and all that they do for your fur babies! Pick up the phone, shoot an email, send a card – just let your vet know how much you appreciate them and the fact that they hold themselves to a higher standard.
If your vet is not accredited, today might be a great time to ask them if they’ve considered going through the accreditation process and encourage them to do so. Perhaps they haven’t pursued it because they don’t realize how much their patients would value it! You never know 😉
How do I know if my vet is accredited?
Accredited veterinary offices will display the AAHA logo in their office and/or on their website! You can also check the AAHA Accredited Hospital Locator to find one near you.
Is your vet accredited?
For more information, visit AAHA’s Pet Owner’s Website.
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If you’d like to read more about AAHA and why you as a pet owner should seek an accredited veterinarian, we recommend reading this great article by Scott Smith.
Our vet was AAHA accredited but they aren’t anymore. I’m not sure why they stopped.
I just checked and I don’t see that the all cat clinic that we go to has this accreditation. You’d think it would be front and center on their site if they were. Our doggie vet is, though.
That’s such a great and smart idea! We do not have this kind of system in Belgium! I do have thé sweetest vet in the world!!
Our vet isn’t accredited, but that’s ok with us. He’s the best!
I will have to find out if our vet is. We usually ask for the same vet for consistency.
I didn’t know about AAHA when I first searched for a vet when Goro came to live with us. It would have helped when choosing the vet. Our current vet is not AAHA accredited but she is a good doctor 🙂
The one I have gone to recently is not but there are a couple near me I’d love to try out that are. I am not loyal to one place specifically, I’ve tried a few over the years.
I am thrilled to find that my vet is accredited! I’m not surprised because they are absolutely wonderful, but it does make me feel even better about bringing Henry there 🙂
I don’t think mine is accredited, but I love them, so I am OK with that.
AAHA accreditation sounds like a good quality indicator. Purrs
We don’t have any of those ’round here. But they sound great.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
AAHA accreditation doesn’t really mean anything. AAHA vets still declaw, even though the AAHA’s official stance is against amputating the toes of cats. Since they don’t bother to enforce that, it’s unlikely they pay attention to much else, either.
It’s not really. They don’t enforce their so called position against declawing of cats. Can’t help but wonder what else they turn a blind eye to, can you?
I think this is an American specific thing.
Ours is accredited, but I am not thrilled it was bought out by VCA.
Nope not mine, but there is one about 15 miles down the road 🙂
Our vet isn’t AAHA accredited. The mom thought about switching to one that is…there’s one about 20 mins from our house…but we’ve been going to our vet for so long, the mom finds it hard to switch.
I’m not sure if ours is, but I do know they follow the guidelines you have listed. They also came highly recommended by other pet parents ❤
Our vets are AAHA-accredited. We’re very pleased with the care we get and Mom Paula has peace of mind that they’ve passed rigorous standards.
Our current vet is not but we’ve gone to AAHA-certified ones before.
Our current vet is accredited but we had a vet a long time ago who was not …and definitely had a few problems.
Great info! I switched to an AAHA accredited vet after I first learned about the difference that accreditation makes. They are awesome.
Our Vet Clinic joined up with the SPCA at the beginning of the year and I am so happy with them
My vet IS accredited, and I’m so proud of her for taking those extra steps to do so! She’s always treated Rugby with the best of care….understanding his special emotional needs. She always goes above and beyond!!
Ours is the Canadian equivalent. Thanks for the opportunity to support organizations on the other side of the border – we do work with them too.
I am just looking for a new vet for Kilo the Pug – he hated the previous one I used. He needs a check up. I will definitely check out accreditation and enter to win.
My veterinarian is not AAHA certified, but they do all of the things mentioned here as qualifications. I will have to ask them about it next time I’m in. I love that AAHA is encouraging veterinary practices to have the same kinds of standards that human hospitals have.
I love the people behind and the work that AAHA does! I’ve seen their stickers on my various vets’ clinic doors for as long as I can remember. Good luck to all the entrants!
Our vet is definitely AAHA accredited. It gives us great comfort to know that they are, too!
Our new feline-only vet announced their AAHA accreditation was official just this month, so this is really timely!
Bummer, there’s no accredited vets closer than an hour away!
My vets are not AAHA accredited, but overall I’m satisfied with them. I just wish they had a separate area for dogs who need a little more space and two usable doors. I never know what will be on the other side of the door, and Theo doesn’t like surprises.
Great information! I will be checking my vet’s website to see if they are accredited.
Our closest AAHA accredited vet is about 40 miles away. None of our local vets are accredited but I applaud the vets that go the extra mile for it.
I can’t enter the giveaway as I am an employee of BlogPaws, but I do like our vet. I don’t have an AAHA accredited vet near me.
Such a great organization, I wish all Vets could be accredited.
Love & biscuits
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Great informative post. And what a super giveaway!
We are so happy that our vet is accredited, and we sure could use to win this. With Fiona’s bill, our vet debt is never ending. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo wth kisses, purrs, and paw-pats to Sampy from Astrid
My vet is accredited!
I’m glad my veterinarian clinic is AAHA accredited, there are only 2 vets that are in my town.