Vets That Make House Calls
Does your dog hide under the bed when he hears the word “vet”? Would your cat rather be chased by a pack of hyenas than get in the pet carrier? Maybe your puppy gets car sick, or you are homebound with a new baby. Whatever your reason for not being able to get your pet to the vet, there is a solution. Vets that make house calls!
Carolynne Cash, DVM, is a full-time Tulsa veterinarian and the owner of The Mobile Pet Vet, a mobile veterinary clinic serving the greater Tulsa area. Dr. Cash will see animals in their homes or bring her large mobile unit to the home for particular procedures.
“I usually don’t bring the big unit,” Cash said, “unless there is a procedure that has to be done, or there are three or more big dogs in the family.”
She says when there are a lot of animals in the family, it can be hard to separate out the animal requiring attention.
Cash started her vet service because she knew there were animals who didn’t have access to care. “Some pets are impossible to load into the car, other situations involve the elderly or disabled who can’t get to the vet.”
She hated to think of animals needing care and going without because their owners couldn’t get them to a vet. As a working mother of three boys, she also finds that her mobile vet service provides her with the flexibility to be the parent she wants to be.
Kristie Plunkett, DVM, also has a mobile vet service, Mobile Veterinary Hospital of Tulsa. She specializes in exotics and felines. She finds that pets are definitely more relaxed when examined in their own homes.
“There is a large number of animals that suffer from stress or anxiety during their visit to the veterinarian, whether it be due to the smells of the hospital, aggression towards other animals, being away from their owner, motion sickness due to the car ride or even from the break in their daily routine.”
Dr. Plunkett said that when she makes house calls, pets often greet her at the door. “They like to show us where they keep their toys and are much more likely to show us all the tricks their owners are so proud of teaching them.”
Plunkett says that there is no typical day in the life of a mobile vet. “One day may consist of dog and cat vaccines, while the next may be spaying or neutering a rabbit, amputating a cat’s leg, x-rays of a chameleon, trimming a bird’s wings and nails, or relieving a large dog’s arthritis pain.”
Both veterinarians said that in-home euthanasia is one of the most common services provided. “It is always a sad day,” Plunkett said. “But on the other hand, in-home euthanasias are very rewarding. Our clients are very appreciative of having their pets in the comfort of their own home in their owners’ arms during their last moments of life.”
“As a vet I realize more and more how important that human-animal bond is,” Cash said. “My goal is to keep that bond strong by helping pets stay healthy.”
