For most vet clinic profiles the best primary category is Veterinarian — use it when: vet practice. Choose Animal hospital instead if full animal hospital with surgery. Choose Emergency veterinarian service instead if 24/7 emergency vet. Pet businesses mix services and venues. Mobile groomers, walkers and trainers are usually service-area profiles; kennels, vets and shops show their address.
Open the free tool for a vet clinic → tick what you really offer and get a copy-ready setup sheet
Primary category
- Veterinarian — Vet practice
- Animal hospital — Full animal hospital with surgery
- Emergency veterinarian service — 24/7 emergency vet
Secondary (additional) categories
Add one only if the condition is genuinely true at this location. Fewer, accurate categories beat a full list of nine.
- Pet groomer — only if: grooming who else uses it
- Pet boarding service — only if: boarding who else uses it
Categories to avoid
These are often added to vet clinic profiles but usually describe a different or broader business:
- Pet supply store (unless retail)
- Pet store
Address or service area?
Usually a storefront: show the full address exactly as it appears on your signage, and keep it identical on Google, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places and your website. Service-area vs storefront rules.
Starter services to add
Categories say what you are; services say what you do. Good first entries:
- Wellness exams
- Vaccinations
- Dental cleaning
Check before you change anything
Search “vet” on Google Maps in your own area, open the top few profiles and note their primary category (shown under the business name). Use what's common as a sanity check, not a template — your categories must describe your business. Ready to switch? How to change your category safely.
Profile problems?
Suspended, stuck in verification, or not showing on Maps? See the free fix guides: suspended profile · verification failed · not on Maps · name rules.