Let Your Pet's Vet Come to You

CROWNSVILLE, Md. - Many pets dread going to the vet. In Anne Arundel County, they don't have to.

Mobile Pet Vet specializes in house calls. In fact, the three veterinarians working for the agency and the two technicians working there only do house calls.

Crownsville physician and mom Susan Peeler is delighted with the service. Taking a family pet to a regular animal hospital, says Mrs. Peeler, is "chaos" and "stressful" for the animal.

Veterinary technician Robin Hennick agrees.

"When I worked in a hospital setting, the dog was always nervous," said Hennick. "The animal was always a bit tense. And you really had to use a little bit more restraint."

Hennick, a self-confessed animal lover, says she felt guilty. Now, she points out that her patients come running toward her during house visits.

Mobile Pet Vet visited the Peeler home Friday to check up on a 9-week-old puppy. Veterinarian Lisa Beagan administered a distemper shot, examined the pup, and offered advice on food, tick control, and house training. Beagan has worked as a large animal vet, in a traditional small animal clinic, and now she operates Mobile Pet Vet.

Beagan maintains the medical care she offers during house calls is sometimes superior to the care she once offered in a traditional clinic, despite the clinics' advantage in technology. The difference: visiting the patients' home environment.

"Somebody who's got six kids and five dogs, and we're asking them to medicate a dog three times a day," ruminates Dr. Beagan, "That might be asking a little more than they really can do."

Mobile Pet Vet charges a $58 fee for house calls, and if the pet needs an x-ray or surgery, the owner is referred to a clinic that can provide those services.