There are many benefits to mobile veterinary appointments. You and your pet are more comfortable in your home setting, and your pet is less likely to mask symptoms due to fear, anxiety, and stress that can impact them at an in-person clinic. To make your in-home visit as successful as possible, we have 10 tips to help you prepare before the vet arrives:

1. Upon booking your appointment, you will be asked to complete a form to rate your pet using a fear, anxiety, and stress scale that is provided for you. You will be asked a series of questions about behavior concerns, avoidance or resistance to procedures, favorite treats, and touch sensitivity. Based on this information, we will provide you with a pre-visit pharmaceutical. This is a medication that is given to alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress associated with veterinary visits

  • This is step one because you will need to have this medication filled, at the latest, the day before your scheduled appointment.
  • You will need to administer the pre-visit medication the night before the visit as a loading dose that will help the medication kick in faster at the next dose.
  • Then, you will give your pet the medication 2 hours prior to the veterinary visit
  • We recommend feeding with a pill pocket, or mixing with a small amount of wet food. You do not want to mix the medication with too much food, as your pet may not consume it all and will not receive their full dose of medication.

2. It is also suggested that you do not feed your pet any treats prior to our arrival, as we will offer them tons of high-value options when we arrive. This gives us an opportunity to build trust with your pet, while acclimating them to us. They are more likely to accept treats if they are hungry when we arrive.

3. For dogs, a small activity that makes a big difference is going for a walk beforehand. When a dog is able to walk off their energy and leave themselves feeling tired, this often relieves stress associated with the excitement of new people in the home.

4. For cats, we encourage you to put them in a room with limited hiding spots, that can be closed off from the rest of the house. As we know, cats prefer to hide when unfamiliar people or objects come into their environment. By putting them in a secluded room, you are allowing them to hide from us upon entry, and then we can introduce ourselves to them slowly by offering high-value treats, like Churu, whipped cream, and spray cheese.

5. Write a list of questions and concerns to discuss with the veterinarian. We all get wrapped up in the moment, only to realize a few hours later that we have unanswered questions. By writing them down beforehand, you can ensure that you get all the answers you are looking for.

6. To help streamline gathering information about your pet, set their food out on your kitchen counter, alongside any treats, supplements, and/or medications your pet takes. The veterinary assistant can easily look at these items and list them in your pet’s medical record, while you talk with the veterinarian.

7. If you have pet insurance, please review your coverage plan prior to the visit. This will help to create a plan of care for your pet based on your budget and reimbursement policy.

8. If your pet is not insured, we recommend applying immediately. You can use this website to figure out which provider and policy is best for you and your pet. The earlier you start the policy in your pet’s life, the better off you will be. If your pet is insured, and then becomes ill or develops a medical condition, these will be covered, depending on your plan. If your pet is diagnosed with the illness or medical condition prior to you signing up for insurance, it will be considered a “pre-existing condition” that will not be covered by your plan

9. If you have other pets in your home that are not being examined, please isolate them for the duration of the visit. Additional animals (and people) in the home can sometimes cause the feeling of being “overwhelmed”, even if the pet is familiar with the animals and people in their space. When our team comes in, we can shift the usual dynamic between housemates, that sometimes causes tension, which may lead to your pet redirecting their fear, stress, and anxiety towards you or a housemate.

10. Please be available to actively partake in this appointment. Your pet feels the most comfortable (in a majority of cases) when you are involved in their medical care. Actively ask questions, and tell us a detailed history of your pet. This is how we piece together the full picture; you are the key to vocalizing the behaviors your pet is exhibiting at home. We ask that if you are working, if you have a meeting scheduled, or any other obligation that may result in your inability to be a part of the visit, to reschedule the visit to a time when you can be involved without interruptions.

Our goal with providing mobile veterinary care is to make veterinary care accessible to all dogs and cats, even when they do not have the ability to leave their home. We want to alleviate all fear, anxiety, and stress associated with veterinary care and condition your pet to know they only receive positive interactions, followed by the reward of high-value treats when interacting with our team. We are here to learn about your pet and perform personalized care based around their preferences.