Advantages of a House Call
Convenient/ Time saver for clients
- Clients don’t need to take time to catch up pets, travel to clinic and wait in the lobby for their turn – we come to you! Easy peasy.
- If the vet happens to be running late, no worries! Client can do dishes/etc while waiting!
- Multiple pets can be seen on the same visit – alleviating multiple trips to clinic for each pet
- Kids can be present on house calls, or busy doing their homework…easier on parents
- Easier for older pet parents or geriatric pets, who don’t get around very easy.
Less stress on pet
- No need to put your pet into a carrier
- No worries about your pet getting car sick en route
- Pet is at home – feeling happy and safe. They see the veterinarian as just another visitor!
Personal relationship with pet owner and pet
- More time is spent with owner and pet – better able to get your questions answered
- Observation of your pet in their own environment is very helpful to getting to a diagnosis quicker
- Vet’s attention is entirely on you and your pet
Safety
- no exposure to sick or aggressive animals in lobby of clinic
Home Euthanasia
- No one ever wants to go through this experience…but should the time come, it is much more peaceful for both owner and pet, when it is at home
- Cremation services available
Disadvantages of a House Call Visit
Owner compliance
- Clients do need to be prepared for the appointment:
- making sure cats are confined in a bathroom prior to visit (otherwise they hide)
- having their check in forms filled out prior to the visit (on website)
- communicating all their concerns and needs to receptionist, to make sure vet brings all necessary supplies to address the pets’ needs for this visit
- communicating all medication refills when making appointment, so vet can bring with
Services limited to Outpatient Care only
- see list below of services that can or cannot be performed on a house call basis
- For services that require a clinic setting, you will be referred into a local clinic for care, including all emergency needs
- No same day lab services (send out labs are available)
Scheduling
- Oftentimes, your house call vet has a very full schedule and cannot fit your pet in (in a reasonable amount of time) and will need to refer you into a clinic setting
- House calls cannot be double booked, like a clinic setting, making scheduling more challenging
- The distance you live away from the home base also plays a role in whether you can get a same day urgent care appointment (no emergencies are seen on a house call basis – not appropriate)
- If you miss an appointment, and fail to give 24 hours notice, you will be charged the trip charge.
- Be kind, your vet is trying their best to serve your needs. The overall shortage in staffing in veterinary medicine makes this challenging, even in a clinic setting
- In a clinic setting, about 10-15 appointments are seen in a day. On a full house call day, including all the driving time, it allows for 6-8. Your vet needs time to drive to you, set up, examine your pet, write up home-care notes, pack up and drive to the next appointment.
Time management
- Your house call vet can see more patients in a day, if you are kind, thoughtful and respectful of your house call vet. There are several more patients they need to see that day, not just yours.
- Please be ready when your vet arrives, and be focused on getting your pet the care they need. While your vet would love to have time to just socialize with you, it means someone else’s pet will not get an appointment that day.
Other
- Poor lighting- this can really compromise your pets care. Good lighting makes it easier to draw blood, examine eyes, ears, skin and masses.
- Visitors – one of the benefits of house calls, is that your pet is home and relaxed. If you also have visitors/neighbors there, it further excites your pet and makes it harder to perform an exam. It is also distracting, as the visitor oftentimes wants to question the vet too, and takes time away from your own pets’ care.
Services Appropriate for a House Call
Most services that your pet experiences in their life can be handled on a house call “outpatient” care. Emergency care really should be seen by an emergency care veterinarian (ER medicine is different that all other medicine)
Examples of Cases that can be handled on a house call visit
- Vaccines booster and Annual exams
- Heartworm testing
- FELV testing
- Send out labs; blood, urine and stool analysis – most results next day
- Vaccine Titer testing
- Cytopoint
- Fill prescriptions including medication, nutraceutical, preventatives, herbals, dewormers and whole body supplements
Pet’s with
- Diarrhea
- Coughing
- sneezing,
- vomiting (some cases)
- Allergies
- Skin infections
- Minor wound treatment
- Issues with eyes/ears/dental exams
- Urinary accidents
- Litter box – not using appropriately
- Weight loss plans
- Lameness exam
- Ultrasound
- Euthanasia/Cremation
Additional services:
Alternative Medicine consults
- Stem cell consults
- Drug Free Pain management options/Assisi Loop
- Nutritional consults
- Acupuncture
- Laser
- Veterinary Spinal Manipulation (Chiro)
Treatments:
- Vaccines administered and annual heartworm testing
- SUB Q fluids
- Administer injectable antibiotics/medications/Adequan shots
- Nail trims
- Clean ears
- Minor wound management
- Microchip Implants
- Anal glands
- Laser treatment
- Blood pressure measurement
- Clipping wounds
- Some hospice care
Services NOT appropriate for house call
If your pet needs care today, that is an emergency and ideally should be seen by a vet that has training in emergency care. If that is not possible, at the very least, they need to be seen in a clinic setting.
- Xray/Radiology
- Surgeries
- Dental cleaning
- IV fluids
