These days, everything seems to be mobile and based on convenience – phones, the internet, music. There are mobile mechanics, mobile hairdressers and yes, even mobile vets. For many people, taking their pet to the vet is just one of those things you do like going to the doctors or having an eye check. But sometimes, just contemplating the visit – loading the pet in the car, travelling to the surgery, waiting in the waiting room, the noise the busyness and the return journey – can be incredibly stressful. This is where contacting a mobile veterinary service may be the best thing you ever do. I’ve been a qualified vet for nearly 15 years and for the past 3 years have spent over half my working week on the road as a mobile vet so am well placed to discuss the ins and outs of mobile vetting.
What are mobile vets?
Mobile vets are pretty much what it sounds like they are – members of a veterinary team that work ‘on the road’ rather than in a clinic. The team tends to operate as a qualified veterinary surgeon with at least one assistant, usually a nurse or a patient care assistant. The vehicle they use will range from a regular car which will enable them to travel to see patients in the owner’s home, to a fully kitted out van with all the equipment you’d expect to see in a veterinary surgery. Some are even able to perform x-rays and carry out minor surgical procedures.
Within my role, I find we typically see four main reasons for people to make use of the mobile service:
Client reasons
Mainly people who don’t drive, people who live in areas without public transport or people with disabilities meaning they would struggle to take their animal to the vet. A large proportion of our client base are elderly people, often living alone and without transport options.
Animal reasons
Many people find taking their animal to the vets stressful as pets may not travel well, become stressed in the waiting room, or just generally hate the veterinary environment. I have had clients whose dogs have previously required sedative drugs just to get them through the surgery door yet when we visit them at home, they are relaxed, even playful, and acting as normal. This means we are able to carry out the procedures we need to with less stress and keep everything much more positive for the animal.
Convenience
A lot of people simply find the idea of a mobile vet much more convenient: let us come to you. Since Covid, more people are working from home, they have busy lives and taking time out to take their pet to the veterinary surgery can be difficult.
Multiple pets
Three dogs, four cats or even twelve rabbits, we regularly see multiple pets within one household, again, as a matter of convenience.
Some mobile vets will also run ‘pop-up’ clinics in local areas, often a village hall or local car park, where they can see clients for routine appointments or just to collect medications.
How common are mobile vets?
The idea of mobile vetting has really taken off in the past few years. Traditionally, vets regularly carried out home visits for those clients that couldn’t get their pet to the surgery (think James Herriot and Tricki Woo…). But in more modern times, practices are notoriously busy, often short-staffed and simply struggle to be able to spare a vet and nurse to go out on calls. This is where mobile vets can help. Within my clinic, the two days a week that I’m on the road, that is my only role, so it means that we don’t have to take staff out of a busy clinic day and can dedicate time appropriately to house calls. Around the country, many businesses have set up that provide solely mobile work, which have proved incredibly popular. A quick internet search brings up a map dotted with these companies, covering nearly all of the UK, from Scotland to the Isle of Wight.
What can mobile vets do?
When it comes to what a mobile vet can do, as mentioned above, it depends on what sort of vehicle they use. The mainstay of a lot of mobile vet work is at-home euthanasia. This is a service that all mobile vets will offer and can bring huge comfort to owners at a very difficult time. Many people would much prefer to have their pet put to sleep at home rather than taken into the veterinary surgery and doing it at home often allows for more time in a much less stressful environment.
For those mobile vets with a car, their services will be like an on-call doctor, being able to carry out consultations in the home, just like they would in a clinic consulting room – think health checks, vaccinations, medication reviews, ear exams and nail trims.
Vans can offer another layer of service – they will have the space to be able to carry out examinations in the van itself, meaning a more controlled environment to perform blood tests, blood pressure checks or eye examinations. Some mobile units have been built to be able to carry oxygen and anaesthetic gas so minor surgical procedures, such as lump removals or neutering can also be performed.
What can’t mobile vets do?
Most mobile vets deal with routine cases and pre-booked appointments rather than emergency situations. Even the most sophisticated mobile set up will not be able to perform major or emergency surgery. These situations require multiple members of the veterinary team and much more equipment and drugs than they can carry and it simply wouldn’t be safe to carry out these procedures at the roadside.
The majority also do not provide their mobile service 24 hours a day and will not be available out of hours. Because of all this, mobile vets will either be part of, or have an association with a traditional bricks and mortar practice meaning all services can be covered.
What happens in an emergency?
By far and away the majority of mobile vets only operate during daytime hours. A few may run evening appointments but it’s rare to find a mobile vet that can attend in the middle of the night or on a bank holiday. Every veterinary practitioner in the UK has to provide their clients with 24-hour provision which may be in their own clinic or at a dedicated out of hours centre. Every mobile vet will also have these provisions in place.
How much would a mobile vet cost?
The cost of having a vet visit at home will obviously be higher than a standard consultation in the clinic, but prices can still vary. The average cost of a veterinary consultation in the UK is around £58. The cost of a veterinary consultation at home varies from around £60 to upwards of £160 with the main variability being down to location and distance travelled. Some vets have a set visit fee, others will use zonal pricing. Aside from the visit fee, the other fees charged, for procedures and drugs, will be comparable to if the owner were to visit a regular clinic. Some insurance companies will also cover home visits, though there may be caveats and certain conditions to meet. The additional cost, although prohibitive for some, can easily be justified by others in order to improve convenience, reduce stress and manage their time more efficiently.
All in all, mobile vets can offer another level of care which compliments that offered by traditional veterinary practices. Home visits are not for everyone but they can be invaluable in some cases and can benefit both owners and their pets greatly. I love this aspect of my job and getting to know my ‘van regulars’ both two and four legged.
Further Reading:
Is it worth registering with a mobile vet?
Mobile Vet Clinic is the First of its kind to gain RWAF Rabbit Friendly Status
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