Everything You Need to Know About Mobile Vet Services
The Realities of Modern-Day Veterinary Care
For many American households, our pets are an integral part of our family dynamic, with pet parents treating their pets as they would human children — letting them sleep in bed at night, giving them the highest quality food available, and even buying them birthday and Christmas presents every year.
But, when it comes to healthcare for our pets, the modern-day veterinary experience can sometimes feel inadequate compared to the quality of care and attention our pets receive from us. Pet parents are often battling against long wait times for appointments (only to be seen by a veterinarian for mere minutes once at the appointment) and putting their pets in a stressful, unfamiliar environment that can take a toll on their health instead of improving it.
Luckily, mobile vet services are growing rapidly across the world and are giving pet parents an alternative to the traditional vet experience that delivers higher quality, less stressful, and more convenient healthcare for their beloved pets.
How Does a Mobile Vet Service Work?
Mobile vet services are exactly what you’d expect from the name: a veterinarian coming to your home and providing the same services they would provide at a traditional vet office or hospital, including wellness exams, vaccines, diagnostic testing, and more.
At-home veterinary care is not necessarily a new concept — especially for farm animals and other large animals that cannot be transported away from their home — but the COVID-19 pandemic really accelerated the demand for mobile veterinarians for house pets, like dogs and cats, as more families were living in relative isolation and more people were adopting pets to keep them company while stuck at home. Today, the mobile vet care market is on track to grow by nearly 86% over the next eight years worldwide.
What Can Mobile Vets Treat?
Depending on the doctor and their setup, mobile vets can provide nearly the same services that an in-office vet would do, including urgent care and emergency care that is traditionally time-consuming, expensive, and hurried.
For example, many at-home vets can provide:
Exams and consultations: annual wellness exams, diagnostic exams, creating a long-term care plan, urgent care exams, and more
Telehealth and rechecks: once in-person care is established, virtual visits to check in on a pet’s ongoing condition, assess urgent symptoms, get general advice, and more
Diagnostics: blood work, x-rays, ultrasounds, urinalysis, cancer screening, echocardiogram, urgent care diagnostics, and more
General wellness care: vaccinations, medication administration, heartworm testing, fecal testing, and more
Procedures: spays/neuters, mass removals, dental cleanings, and more
Key Benefits of Working With an At-Home Vet
Whether your current vet care options are an ongoing challenge or you’re simply looking for the best care for your pet, there are some major benefits of mobile vet services, including quality of care, convenience, and reducing pain and anxiety.
Quality of Care
When a veterinarian comes to your home, you are getting 100% of their attention — no other appointments, no last-minute emergency visits, and no other distractions taking away from your pet. The familiar home environment also makes it easier for a vet to observe your pet in a more natural state, as pets can sometimes stop showing symptoms or start showing atypical behavior when in an unfamiliar environment, like a vet office or hospital.
Convenience
Between prep time, drive time, and waiting room time, vet appointments can take up a large chunk of your day, especially when the time you’re actually spending with a vet is often a fraction of the surrounding time investment. When your vet comes to you, that time commitment becomes solely time spent with your doctor, which is far less disruptive.
Reducing Pain & Anxiety
Lastly, at-home vet care can significantly decrease the pain and anxiety that many pets experience when traveling to a vet hospital. Their home is their safe space, and the extra time and attention they get make healthcare much less stressful. This is especially true with urgent care or emergency situations, as quicker care can make a big difference in your pet’s recovery.
Who Are Good Candidates for Mobile Vet Services?
At-home vet care is not perfect for every pet and every family, but it is for any pet parent seeking a more convenient, personal approach to their pet’s care.
Cats, in particular, are a great fit for at-home vet care. Felines are normally hard to transport outside the home, get uncomfortable in places they aren’t familiar with, and may act out of character in new, stressful environments. Mobile vet services allow cats to get the care they need (and often lack) without leaving the comfortable home environment, allowing them to warm up faster and build a stronger bond with their veterinarian.
Some other great candidates for mobile vet services are:
Pets with severe anxiety or reactivity, especially those with a prior history of negative vet experiences or other animals
Pets that are difficult to transport due to their age, temperament, mobility, or car anxiety
Families with multiple pets that each require individualized care
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Is a Mobile Vet Right For Your Animal?
Every pet is unique, and their veterinary care should be unique, as well. But, for those wanting to invest in the very best, attentive care for their pets, an at-home vet (like our doctors at Dallas Veterinary Concierge!) is often the right choice.
If you’re in the Dallas area, you can schedule an appointment with Dr. Olson at Dallas Veterinary Concierge and get quality, compassionate care for your pet in the comfort of your home.