One role that the veterinary nurse can do is home visits. This does not mean that your practice necessarily provides the service of a home visit, you would have to check with them on that one, but some practices do provide this and as I work in one that does! I think it is a good asset to be able to provide this. Of course, it could be just a veterinary nurse coming on the visit, or it could be a vet and nurse together, it depends on the situation. So, what is the role and purpose of a veterinary nurse doing a home visit, what can they do? Let’s have a look at what they can do.   

When would I need a home visit?  

Some owners will never have a home visit; they may never need one or be happy to travel to the practice. However others do not have any transport so cannot get to the practice, these are the owners that will benefit from a home visit.   

What are the benefits of a veterinary nurse home visit?  

Some patients (especially cats) get quite stressed being put into a carrier, crate and car. Some just do not travel very well. Equally, others may travel fine but get very stressed when in the practice, this can be upsetting for the owner and the patient. The benefit of a nurse home visit is that by going to them, we can minimise most of this.  

A home visit would suit an anxious patient, as being in their home comfort is always better even if you do have a stranger in the house. Having a home visit can also be of connivance to the owner too, if they don’t have time to travel, having a nurse to the house can save them some time. Some home visits can also make for longer consult times too, which can benefit the patient and the owner if they have a few questions.   

What can a veterinary nurse do on a home visit?  

As always… it depends what needs doing! However, typical tasks might include: 

Routine preventative care 

Flea and worm treatment needs to be prescribed by a vet, often yearly, so if your pet has seen a vet and you have discussed which flea and worm treatment suits then you can usually use prescription treatment without necessarily needing to see a vet again. 

Flea and worm treatment comes in three different forms: we have spot-ons, tablets, and collars. However, few owners have trouble applying a collar, so we’ll focus on the other types here.  

Spot on treatment is a liquid treatment that you must apply to the back of their neck. Some owners can’t do this, this could be due to the patient knowing what the treatment is, they tend to be able to smell it and then the owner can’t get near them, or health issues. But this is something a veterinary nurse can apply at home.  

The next form is a tablet, tableting your pet is more difficult, especially if the tablets aren’t palatable. Again, if you as an owner struggle to administer tablets, then a vet nurse can do this at home. Flea and worm treatment from a practice is usually a POM-V treatment. This means a veterinary surgeon must prescribe this medication for your pet. A nurse can only apply the treatment that has been prescribed. However, increasing numbers of nurses also hold an SQP qualification, meaning they can prescribe certain flea, tick and worm treatments too.

Also on a home visit, veterinary nurses can give nutritional advice.  

Gentle de-matting 

Some patients have long coats and some just do not like being groomed. Sometimes this causes matts to form, especially in cats. The only way to remove this is to clip the matts out. De-matting is something we do often in practice, but a vet nurse could do this at your home if the patient allows it!  

Nail clipping 

A veterinary nurse can clip a patient’s nails at home. This is a routine procedure for a veterinary nurse. If the patient is well behaved and doesn’t mind having this procedure done, then having them clipped at home is fine. If the patient is difficult to have their nails clipped, then you may be better advised to have them done at the practice.   

Anal gland expression 

Anal glands are scent glands, found on either side of the anus (hence the name!). They can sometimes get compacted and full, and cannot express themselves naturally when the patient goes to the toilet. When they get impacted like this, you may notice an odd fishy odour around your pet, this could indicate they need expressing. A veterinary nurse can often help this problem by expressing the anal glands to remove the contents. This is something that can easily be done at home, assuming there’s no infection. 

Microchipping 

Another procedure that can be done at home. Microchipping involves the insertion of an implant that is the size of a grain of rice, which is inserted under the skin, between the shoulder blades. It is a form of identification and traces back to the owners if the patient was ever found as a stray.  While it is a legal requirement that pet dogs and cats have a microchip when they are young, occasionally we do still come across animals without one! 

Administer medications 

If a medication has been prescribed by the vet but the owner is having trouble administering, then a vet nurse can come on a home visit and administer the medication. This could be injectable, tablets or cream.   

Post operative checks 

Patients recovering from surgery will need a post operative check. This is to check on how they are doing in themselves and to check their wounds. If a patient is anxious about travel, then a vet nurse can visit your home to perform these checks.   

Vaccinations 

Annual vaccinations and health checks must be given by a veterinary surgeon. If a patient has had to restart their vaccinations, they would then need a course of two injections. The first one given by the vet then the second one can be given by a nurse. If your pet has restarted its vaccinations then a veterinary nurse giving the second injection can be done at home, if the vet is happy with this.   

Palliative care 

When pets are receiving palliative care, it can be sometimes stressful and hard to bring them into the practice. Depending on what your pet needs, a veterinary nurse can also come to your home to help. They can give you advice on how to look after your pet during this difficult time.   

Mobile ambulance 

A lot of practices nowadays, especially in more rural areas, will have a mobile ambulance. They will use this for vet or nurse home visits, or they can use them to transport a patient to and from the practice if the owner has transportation issues.   

Euthanasia 

When it comes to euthanasia, a vet nurse will not usually perform this, but they are vital in assisting with the procedure. They are there to support the vet and the owners during a difficult time. During this procedure they’ll help restrain the patient so an intravenous catheter can be placed. They’ll be there to comfort the patient to try and relieve any stress they may have.   

What if my practice doesn’t offer home visits? 

Some veterinary practices may not offer home visits, which is fine – they don’t have to offer this service. It could be that they don’t have the facilities to do this or enough staff members to do it either. If you would still like a home visit by a nurse because you feel this will benefit yourselves and your pet, then there are mobile veterinary nurses that work alone out of a practice. To find them, simply use a search engine and look for mobile veterinary nurses. Anyone wanting to call themself a veterinary nurse must be qualified and be registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. If you have found a mobile veterinary nurse and want to check that they are registered, then search on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons register.   

 A note on the law: Schedule 3 

Vet nurses can perform certain tasks away from the practice, but it always must be under the direction of the veterinary surgeon in charge of your pet. For procedures like anal gland expression, vaccinations and even microchipping, they all fall into the schedule 3 rules. This is part of the Veterinary Surgeons Act that allows nurses to perform certain tasks that are under the supervision of a veterinary surgeon, meaning that if the pet hasn’t been seen by a vet for this problem or hasn’t had a vet vaccinate them, then a veterinary nurse cannot perform this task legally. If you want a home visit for concerns you have with your pet, then it needs to be done with a veterinary surgeon as a vet nurse cannot give a diagnosis.   

Conclusion 

I think there is definitely a place in the practice for veterinary nurses on home visits and vets. Many practices have elderly clients that just cannot get in with their pets, so it’s nice to be able to offer this service to them. I also think a practice that provides home visits also builds a good rapport with clients.