Mobile Veterinary Hospitals: What You Should Know

As a loving pet parent, you undoubtedly want your pets to receive the care they need, when they need it. But if you’ve ever had to wrangle a frantic feline into a carrier or clean up after a carsick canine, you know that traveling with pets can be tricky—and sometimes messy.

Mobile veterinary clinics bring the care to you, offering convenience and making it much easier to stick to your pet’s schedule for wellness visits, particularly if you have multiple pets.

Let’s take a closer look at what you should know about traveling veterinarians.

Medicine on the Move

First, it’s important to understand that not all mobile vets provide the same level of services. 

There are traveling veterinarians who make house calls for basic care, such as vaccinations and euthanasia. While others, like At Home Pet Doctor, provide a veterinary clinic on wheels, with a more complete spectrum of services that includes minor surgeries, spay and neuter procedures, dental cleanings, diagnostics, and evaluations for illnesses. 

The Benefits of a Mobile Vet

Besides the obvious elimination of the car ride, which can be stressful for some pets, mobile veterinary hospitals the following advantages:

• Vital access to pet care for elderly pet owners or those with mobility limitations.
• It’s far more convenient for multi-pet households.
• It saves you the drive time.
• Traveling to a vet clinic can further traumatize a pet that is experiencing pain.
• Home visits give the veterinarian a chance to see the pet’s everyday surroundings. 
• Some traveling vets offer more flexibility in scheduling, such as evening and weekend appointments.
• Pets tend to be more relaxed and easier to examine if they aren’t subjected to a car ride and anxious time spent in a waiting area.
• Your pet’s vital signs, like heart rate and blood pressure, may be more accurate.
• Home visits can help forge stronger connections between pet families and the veterinarian.
• Traveling vets typically spend more time with each patient.
• The mobile vet is focused on the pet in front of them, not distracted by phone calls or other interruptions. 
• Pets don’t have to share a waiting room with other anxious animals.
• There’s a lower risk of exposure to infectious diseases that can be present in waiting rooms.
• Home pet euthanasia is more dignified and personal, and the entire family can be there.

When NOT to Call a Mobile Vet

Mobile veterinary hospitals aren’t intended to be 24-hour, in-patient facilities with all of the necessary equipment it takes to sustain a pet for an extended period of time. Some, like At Home Pet Doctor, do provide services like IV fluid therapy for dehydration and wound repair for lacerations, but serious, time-sensitive emergencies should be treated at an emergency hospital.

We Look Forward to Meeting You and Your Pets!

Please contact us at (719) 839-0446 to schedule a visit or if you have any questions about our services.