Preparing For Your Wellness House Call

You scheduled an appointment now let’s get ready.

Upon scheduling with Your Home Vet, you should receive an email on “How To Prepare For Your House Call Appointment”. We’ve also attached that information here: Info for Your House Call Appointment. Whether you’ve already scheduled or just want to learn more about how the process works, keep reading. This is going to help you prepare for your house call appointment with us.

We LOVE that we can provide this service for you but this is a medical appointment and should be treated as such. Our focus is on providing quality medicine and advice about your pet’s health. We need your attention for this appointment just like in a clinic.

As you know, a house call appointment is very different than going into a veterinary clinic for many reasons. There is a small amount of prep work involved, but don’t worry, it’s not too hard! Most importantly, if your pet has any anxieties or fearfulness, please inform of us this first so we can prepare and advise you accordingly.

For your cat’s appointment, please confine your fun feline to a small room that doesn’t have any furniture which they can hide underneath or behind. Small bathrooms work great! Please do this at least 20 minutes before we arrive. Cats are pros at hiding. We allow a generous amount of time for each appointment, longer than you would receive at a clinic, but we do not have the luxury of going over your allotted time. If we spend a portion of the appointment just trying to catch your cat, that is time lost for the exam and addressing any health concerns or questions.

For dogs and cats if you have a morning appointment, don’t feed your pet (unless necessary due to a medical condition) so we can give them lots of treats and positive reinforcement. By the way, please tell us if your pet has food allergies or sensitivities in advance! We start giving treats almost immediately when we arrive. Or please provide your pet’s special treats for us to give as goodies. If you have an afternoon appointment, only feed half their breakfast.

Please obtain stool from the litter box or yard, as “fresh” as possible, and save it. Plastic bag or Tupperware you don’t want returned is fine. If we need a urine sample, please keep your pet inside or remove access to a litter box so we can collect urine.

If you have an anxious or nervous pet, there are some things you can do to prepare them as well. Take them for an early, long walk or long playtime to get their brain stimulated and then a little worn out right before we arrive. Play relaxing pet music. Yes, there is music for your pet! Go on iTunes and search for the Pet Music Academy. If you have sedatives from another vet that was provided for appointments, talk to us about them! Provide extra toys or playtime for your cat. If they feel more relaxed with cat nip, let them have it. Basically, the day of the appointment should be a really awesome day for your pet!

We can examine your pet just about anywhere as long as we have enough light and some space. Mostly we work in family rooms, the kitchen or back yard. Please turn the lights on for us. Large dogs we can examine on the floor. For smaller pets we can use a coffee table or kitchen table if possible but we don’t want to scratch your nice furniture. We carry several bags and a large scale so please provide a clear pathway.

We aim for transparency and open communication with clients about their pets because that is the only way to get pets the best care. Owners are encouraged to be present during appointments and may be asked to play an active role. Participating may simply be talking to your pet to soothe them, feeding them treats to keep them distracted and happy, or even holding your pet at times. Some people are squeamish with medical procedures and that is understandable. Let’s be honest, some things we do in the name of medicine are pretty gross. Let us know if there is anything that you do not want to see or be present for. We can make adjustments or ask you to leave the room for a moment if needed.  If you are uncomfortable at any time, please stop us and let us know.

Sometimes we are called for a house call appointment because clients work at home and will continue to work through the appointment. That is okay. However, there will be multiple times when we need to have conversations, and need you to be available for these.

Those are the basics. We could go on and on with a long list of things to do or you can give us a call and we’re happy to talk more!