Previsit information for house calls

Dear Client, thank you for making an appointment with our Pets and their People Mobile Vet service. To ensure that this is a positive experience for you and your pet, kindly take the time to read the following information. Should you have any further enquiries, please do not hesitate to call any of our practices and our friendly staff will be able to assist.

Booking appointments - please call (08) 8102 0130

We are currently taking appointments for house calls at 10am to 7pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 10am to 5pm Wednesday and Friday, and 9am to 1pm Saturday.

Due to some of the challenges of home visit service it can be difficult to predict how long things will take and we ask you to be flexible regarding timing. Our appointment times should be considered “estimated”. Plus or minus 15 - 30 min. We will endeavour to contact you if we are going be outside this timeframe.

House call consultations cover almost everything that an in-clinic consult would cover, e.g. vaccinations, skin checks, behavioural issues, wound dressings or bandage changes; however there are some limitations. For example, certain specific conditions require specific equipment, some of which are portable, and others aren’t. Therefore, for a successful consultation, it is crucial that you inform the receptionist of any specific concerns you may have when making your bookings: e.g. my dog has a red eye; my cat has been scratching at her ears; there are unusual patches on her skin etc.

There may be times when we may not have the required equipment on hand, and if so, another appointment may have to be made.

Your assistance will be required:

Most of the time, a house call will be attended by a veterinarian only. Therefore, you will be required to provide assistance in restraining your animal for examination or treatment, or even assisting in blood collection if that is indicated. Should you be uncomfortable with, or unable to provide such assistance, please let our Receptionist know when making your booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Safety

While we understand that some pets get stressed by and may behave in uncharacteristic ways when visiting the vet, some pets will behave the same way when the vet visits them. If your pet is known to be aggressive and difficult to restrain, it is essential that you let us know in advance. Some aggressive animals are more manageable when in their own home environment, however some animals will be aggressive no matter the situation.

A good way to gauge if a house visit is the best option for your animal is to ask yourself if you would be able to restrain your animal when it is being aggressive and trust it not to bite or attack you or anyone else. If your answer is not a confident “yes”, then an in-clinic consultation would probably be preferable as we will have a more controlled environment in the hospital.

If you are in any doubt about the suitability and safety or your pets. This way we can be discuss the suitability of a housecall and we can also talk you through ways to prepare yourself and your pet for our visit.

The safety of our team is paramount. We reserve the right to refuse or cancel a house visit if at any time the attending vet is uncomfortable with being able to assess and treat your pet safely.

Extra equipment/medication may be required:

Whilst we have tried to ensure that we have everything we might need on such a visit, there are certain limitations as to how much equipment we can actually bring with us. Therefore, when making a booking, it is very important to advise the Receptionist of any particular concerns you may have or any repeat medications that you would like dispensed

Examples of these are:

• Blood pressure monitoring
• Eye or ear checks
• Ocular pressure checks
• Open wounds or suspicious wounds
• On going medications

Even with our best efforts there will be times that we will not be able to provide the same services and medication that we would be able to provide in clinic.

The consultation may be deferred or referred.

The safety and well-being of our staff is of utmost importance. If for any reason our staff believe themselves to be at risk of injury or feel unsafe, we reserve the right to end the house call at that given moment, and either defer the appointment, or refer you to an in-clinic consult, or to another clinic.

We would appreciate that you respect the decision of our attending Veterinarian, and maintain an understanding and cooperative manner at all times.

There may also be times when the attending Vet realises that in order to provide the best care for your pet, we will need to refer you to in-hospital treatment. When this happens, we will discuss the options with you, and we may be able to transport your animal back to the hospital with us, or help you make the necessary arrangements.

Payment

Full payment is required prior to or at the end of the consultation.

For all House Calls, we will charge out for services provided just like we would do in-clinic. A House Call surcharge of $45.10 per animal is then added on top of the total bill.

We will have the facilities for touch payments. However, should technology fail us, or you prefer otherwise, you will be able to make payments over the phone to our Receptionist at the end of the consult.

To book, please call (08) 8102 0130.