I’ve realized that although the terms housecall veterinarian and mobile veterinarian seem synonymous, they actually have different….innuendos.
People often associate mobile veterinarians with large vans, doing surgeries on the corner. The most common example of this would be a mobile low-cost spay/neuter clinic. Typically they travel to different regions on specified days, and people bring their pet to the van for surgery.
Other veterinarians that are considered mobile have large vans that contain machines for blood tests, as well as exam tables. Some can perform anesthesia as well. These are a “clinic on wheels’ and can offer most basic procedures, with the exception of x-rays.
Housecall veterinarians, on the other hand, come into the house. They do no have a van for clients to enter with their pets. Similar to a human doctor performing housecalls (you wouldn’t climb into the back of his car would you?) the housecall veterinarian brings his or her equipment inside the house and performs diagnostics and treatments on the spot.
So yes both can travel to your home. The difference in mobile veterinarians come TO the home, and housecall veterinarians come IN the home.
