What to Expect

cat on couch looking out window

Never had the veterinarian come to your house before?

No worries! It’s much different from a trip to a clinic! Here’s what you can expect.

We will come inside your house! No large van or truck for you to try to enter with your pet. Dogs often give us an enthusiastic greeting (we have treats!). For cats, it’s often more of a curiosity from afar.  For the “fraidy-cats”, we request they be placed in a bathroom 10 minutes before we arrive to prevent them from feeling “chased.” We’ll snuggle the nervous kitty in a towel and bring them out for the exam and any necessary procedures.

Depending on the nature of the visit, we’ll discuss vaccination options (we recommend 3-year whenever possible), bloodwork, needed diagnostics, whatever comes up. We have two types of scale to get accurate weights.

dogs and scale

Some patients politely decline actually standing ON the scale.

We carry over 75 different medications, including heartworm and flea preventatives, and can often provide what is needed at the visit.

Ear infection? Bald spot? New lump or growth? We have a microscope and lab set-up in the car to examine samples on the spot. Urine issues? We can perform a complete urinalysis. Blood test for thyroid, liver, kidney, etc? We use the same lab as the St. Louis Zoo for our testing! We often get results in 24-48 hours, and can get same-day results for urgent cases.

An appointment for a single animal can take 30-60 minutes. We stay until all of your questions are answered, and we have a good diagnostic and treatment plan in place.

Finally, we spend a lot of time sitting on the floor. A LOT! Pets feel much more relaxed when we come down to their level. Some dogs want to be on a couch, favorite chair, wherever. Cats often prefer our lap. We go where they are happy, even if it takes a little bending on our part!

If you are curious about costs, feel free to ask! We offer discounted rates for multiple pets seen in the same appointment. We accept cash, checks, and credit cards. I will email you a receipt that day.

For more information on end-of-life appointments and in-home euthanasia, please visit our “Home Euthanasia” page.