Guide to Articles and Other Resources
by Ann Viera, 865.974.9015 voice
Ag-Vet Med Library

Background: Over the last five years, I have been asked to find information on mobile veterinary practices, also called house call (or housecall) veterinary practices or services. There is little in the veterinary literature on this topic. The only book on the topic is listed below, plus a list of the few articles from the veterinary and general literature that are available (including articles on large animal mobile practices since there are so few articles on either kind), and some additional suggestions for finding out about this kind of practice.

Scope: Housecall or mobile veterinary services provide services to the small or exotic animal owner at the owner's home or office, operating out of a specially fitted truck or van. The practice may be exclusively a housecall service, or the housecall service may be a part of a veterinary hospital or clinic. In large animal practices, visiting animals on-site is a given part of client service, and may have no other terminology, or it may be called ambulatory service.

Statistics:  as of May 2006, statistics on the number of mobile practices in the US are not kept by any organization. Try the American Association of Housecall Veterinarians or Carin Smith (contact information below) for more information. 

Book:

The Housecall Veterinarian's Manual by Dr. Carin A. Smith, 2005.
http://smithvet.com/ or info@smithvet.com <mailto:info@smithvet.com> Order from: Smith Veterinary Services
phone: 509-548-2010
address: P.O. Box 698
Peshastin, WA 98847
SF745.S6 2005 (Ag-Vet Med Library call number)

Association and Locator Service:

• American Association of Housecall and Mobile Veterinarians (AAHV) - includes a list of members by state (as of 2/2007 this website is not available)

List of articles in veterinary journals and magazines:

1. Hutchins, Brian, "Mobile Clinics Drive Rural Practices," VPN (Veterinary Product News) Sourcebook, January 1995, page 26.
2. White, Gary W., "Equip equine mobile units with essentials," VPN (Veterinary Product News) Sourcebook, December 1995, pages 62-63.
3. Carlson, Thomas A., "Veterinary vehicles: born in Iowa," Iowa State University Veterinarian, 1992, Volume 54, Number 2, 1992, page 82-83.
4. Carlson, Thomas A., "Veterinary vehicles: born in Iowa part II," Iowa State University Veterinarian, 1993, Volume 55, Number 1, page 17.
5. Simms, John C., "Fixed and mobile facilities in dairy practice," Veterinary Clinics of North America Food Animal Practice, Volume 5, Number 3, 1989, pages 591-601.
6. Miller, Robert M., "A veterinary mobile unit designed with horse sense," Veterinary Medicine, July 1984, pages 939-941.
7. Anonymous, "Mobile clinic marks return of veterinary house calls," Veterinary Medicine/Small Animal Clinician, March 1979, pages 288-291.
8. MVP Staff, "Practice to the people," Modern Veterinary Practice, February 1979, pages 98-103.
9. MVP Staff, "Mobile clinics in veterinary practice," Modern Veterinary Practice, November 1977, pages 908-911.
10. Currnow, E.E., "A mobile pet clinic," Canine Practice , Nov-Dec 1975, pages 14-20.
11. Edling, T.M. "Exotic care on the road: setting up a mobile practice," Exotic-DVM 2002, 4(6), pages 18-19.
    
12. Driggers, T. "The Moblie Exotic Animal Practice," Vet. Clinics of North Am Exot Anim Pract., Sep. 2005, Volume 8, Number 3, pages 463-7
13. Patchett G.,  “Whatever happened to house calls?”  New Zealand Veterinary Journal, November 1 1985, vol. 33, no. 11, page 181.
14. Hannah, H.W., “Legal Brief: Mobile Veterinary Clinics,” Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association,  September  1, 1998, vol. 213, no. 5, pages 624-625.
15. Bennett, A.W., “The predicament for practices created by car park/car boot veterinarians,” Australian Veterinary Journal, March 2002, vol. 80, no. 3, page 131.

Other magazine, newspaper articles:

1. Malcom, Andrew H., "House Call Survives for V.I.P.'s" New York Times, Tuesday May 19, 1992 page A16. This article is one column long, and describes the practice of Dr. Melissa Foodman in Fairfield County, Conn.
2. Bark, Kathleen , "Going to the Dogs: this vet carries a pet clinic in her car," Memphis Business Journal, March 30, 1992 volume 13 number 46, p 1 (2). Features the practice of Kyla Dillard.
3. Jackson, Tom, "Loveable Lizards," Tampa Tribune, September 30, 1995, Final Edition, Page 1. The article mentions Dr. Richard Funk, "...an exotic animal veterinarian who makes house calls throughout Hillsborough County."
4. Geissler, Gary L., “Targeting a niche market of pet owners: consumer evaluation of a mobile veterinarian’s service concept,” Journal of Consumer Behaviour, September 2003, vol. 3 no. 1, pages 74-84.
5. CARRIE ANTLFINGER, More veterinarians making house calls Associated Press Published: Friday, November 10, 2006 in the Montreal Gazette
6. Mobile Pet Vet brings medicine to your door; By SHARON LEE TEGLER For the Maryland Gazette July 7, 2007
   
   

The Veterinary Information Network (VIN) has a bulletin board for housecall practitioners. It is under the VIN Information Section of the main message boards. There are several levels of service on VIN. For more information call VIN directly 1-800-700-4636 or fax to 916-756-6035. Their address is VIN, 1411 W. Covell Blvd., Ste 106-131, Davis, CA 95616.

Please send comments or suggestions to me at the address above. Please feel free to share this guide, but do give credit.
Housecall or Mobile Veterinary Practices for Small Animals by Ann Viera, May 1996.

Updated February 6, 2007