What to Expect

Never had the veterinarian come to your house before? No worries! Here’s what you can expect.

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Sandy awaits our arrival

First, we actually come inside your house! No large van or truck for you to try to enter with your pet. We’ll get some paperwork done while your pet gets used to our presence. For most dogs, it’s an enthusiastic greeting (and yes, we have treats!). For cats, it’s often more of a curiosity from afar. Often they warm up to us, and our bags, while we talk with you. For the “fraidy-cats”, we’ll sometimes request you put him or her in a bathroom 10 minutes before we arrive. That prevents the cat from the stress of feeling “chased”…and prevents us from trying to get a frightened kitty out from under the bed! We’ll snuggle the nervous kitty in a towel and bring them out of the bathroom for the exam and any necessary procedures.

Depending on the nature of the visit, we’ll discuss vaccination options, bloodwork monitoring, your pet’s weight, needed diagnostics, whatever comes up. We also bring inside a baby scale to get an accurate weight on the cats and smaller dogs. For larger dogs (up to 225 lbs) we have a walk-on scale we use to weigh them.

If your pet has a problem such as an ear infection, skin infection, or new lump or growth, we have a microscope and lab set-up in the car, so we can examine samples on the spot. Urine issues? We also bring all the necessary equipment for a complete urinalysis. Tests like these typically take about 10 minutes, and then we can discuss the diagnosis.

We carry over 75 different medications, and can often provide what is needed while we’re in your home. We cannot possibly carry every medication, so we offer an online pharmacy if your pet requires a drug we do not have with us.

Finally, we spend a lot of time on the floor! I used to bring in a table for the cats and small dogs, but we learned they are all so much more relaxed when we come down to their level. Cats do better on our laps or on the floor as well!

If you are curious about costs, feel free to ask! I bring my laptop inside so we can tell you prices for what we are recommending. Once the visit is complete, we accept cash, checks, and credit cards. I will email you a receipt that same day, often with a recap of our appointment. Clients without access to email will be mailed a paper copy.

For more information on end-of-life appointments and in-home euthanasia, please visit our Saying Good-Bye page.

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Reggie is a good patient at home, but was terrified in the clinic!