Frequently Asked Questions

Reviews are submitted by real pet owners. We use two layers of signals to help you evaluate them:

• Email Verified badge: when a reviewer provides an email address, we send a confirmation link. Only after they click it does the review go live. This confirms the review came from a person with a real inbox, not a bot or throwaway form submission.
• Verified Visit badge: when a reviewer provides a visit date, their review displays a Verified Visit badge. This is self-reported; we cannot independently confirm the appointment, but it adds useful context.
• Reviewer relationship: every reviewer is asked whether they are a current client, former client, one-time visit, or staff member. This label appears on each review so you can weigh it accordingly.

We do not verify that a reviewer was actually a patient of the clinic; doing so would require personally identifiable appointment records we don't have access to. We chose email verification because it meaningfully raises the barrier to spam and fake reviews without requiring reviewers to share sensitive personal information. We think transparency about what we can't verify is more useful than overclaiming.

The Email Verified badge means the reviewer confirmed their submission via a link sent to a real email address. It indicates the review came from a person who controls that inbox. It does not verify the contents of the review or the reviewer's identity.

Please email us at hello@vetscouter.io with the link to the review and a brief description of your concern. We aim to respond within 1–2 business days. We take review integrity seriously and will investigate all reports.

At this time, reviews cannot be edited or deleted through the site. If you need to update or remove a review you submitted, please contact us at hello@vetscouter.io and we will assist you.

Practice owners and managers can submit a response to any review on their listing. Responses appear directly below the review they address, clearly labelled as a reply from the practice. If you'd like to respond to a review and aren't sure how to get started, email us at hello@vetscouter.io.

VetScouter does not publish a fixed price list; vet costs vary too much by region, practice type, and individual animal to be meaningful as a static number. Instead, reviewers are asked to share their real-world cost experience when writing a review, including:

• Whether they were given an estimate before treatment
• How accurate that estimate turned out to be
• Whether unexpected charges appeared on the final bill
• Their overall sense of whether the cost felt fair

This gives you a genuine picture of what to expect financially, not an average that may not apply to your situation. Look for the Cost Transparency section within individual reviews on any practice page.

The most useful reviews answer the questions that star ratings can't: the things a worried pet owner actually wants to know before walking through the door. A few things that make a review genuinely valuable:

• Be specific about the experience. "The vet remembered my dog's name from the last visit" is far more useful than "great service."
• Mention cost if you can. Even a general sense of whether the bill was what you expected, or a surprise, helps others plan.
• Note how anxious or difficult animals were handled. For many owners, this is the deciding factor.
• Include context. A routine checkup and an emergency visit are very different. Mentioning which you experienced helps readers weigh your review appropriately.

You don't need to write an essay. Two or three honest sentences from someone who's actually been there is exactly what the next pet owner is searching for.

Cost information on VetScouter comes entirely from reviewer experiences, which means it reflects what real people paid at the time of their visit. Prices can change, and individual circumstances vary; a routine visit will cost very differently from an emergency or specialist appointment. Always call the practice directly for a current estimate before booking, and don't hesitate to ask for a written quote before treatment begins.

Anyone can add a practice using the Add a Vet form, whether you're a pet owner recommending a clinic you love or a vet listing your own practice. Listings appear in search results immediately after submission.

The easiest way is to use the Suggest an Edit button on the listing page itself (it's in the sidebar on every vet profile). Your suggestion goes directly to our team for review. If you prefer, you can also email hello@vetscouter.io with the listing name and the correction. We aim to apply confirmed updates within 1–2 business days.

The best way is to call the practice directly — availability changes frequently and listings may not reflect the current situation. Reviews on VetScouter sometimes mention wait times for new patient appointments, which can give you a sense of how busy a practice is.

VetScouter is completely free for pet owners and veterinary practices. There are no paid placements, sponsored listings, or paywalls. Our goal is to provide honest, community-driven information without financial incentives affecting the results.

Reviewer email addresses are never displayed publicly and are only used to send confirmation links. We do not sell or share personal data with third parties. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Email us at hello@vetscouter.io and we'll get back to you within 1–2 business days.