Does Your Vet Make House Calls?

  Posted on September 4, 2012  by Joy of Living  No comments

Party Marty, here to shake up your week after an exciting Labor Day weekend! Hey…you are back at work or back to dealing with the kids’ full-time schedules…or both. Time. Seems we never have enough of it, even when it comes to your pets. Sure, you love and adore them and would do anything for them, but with today’s hectic lifestyles, finding the time to take your furry friends to the vet can be challenging.

Fortunately, there is a growing trend in the field of veterinary medicine that takes us back to by-gone days where instead of loading the dogs and cats into the car, the vet makes a house call.

Among the country’s 85,000 veterinarians, the era of house calls is being revitalized, according to Dr. Bonnie Beaver, who is a professor at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Vets are also making use of technology, responding to texts for those moments when an emergency is not at hand but a quick question needs an answer and a house call or office visit is not necessary. One pet owner’s dog in Brooklyn, NY, for example, consumed a peppermint patty one evening and through a quick text message shared with the vet, an instant answer was given, as was peace of mind. And a lot of time was saved, too.

House calls used to be referred to as farm calls. The vet would come out to check on the cows and horses and also the family dogs and cats. Once clinics came into existence with their operating rooms, x-ray equipment and other advanced technologies, those house calls soon became a thing of the past. But they are making somewhat of a comeback now, especially in larger cities with higher income brackets.

When a vet sees an animal at home, anxiety is reduced and a special bond can be formed between the vet, the pet and the owner. You don’t have to deal with the added stress of loading up the car, driving, unloading, waiting and all that other stuff. Your pet is treated in the comfort of its own home and will most likely be more cooperative and relaxed.

The availability of house calls is especially great for the elderly and the infirm who cannot get out as readily.

House calls can be more expensive than in-office visits and fees varying depending on the vet, but for those who cannot drive or perhaps don’t even have a car (like in New York City), house calls is the ideal solution.

Thanks to news.yahoo.com for this insightful information.