Kari loved to bask in the sun.
Jeanne DeDay considers Kari, an 8-year-old dog, one of her kids—along with two other dogs and four cats that live with the Carlisle woman and her husband.
When Kari flopped down onto the warm grass that May afternoon, resting in her favorite place, she wasn’t anxious about a thing. She relaxed in the sun under the loving caresses of her parents.
As her family gathered around her to say goodbye, Dr. Tracy Sands of Healing Paws Veterinary Care helped Kari escape from the pain, the seizures and the cancer that had clutched her body.
Kari was put down, not on a cold examine table in a veterinarian’s office, but at home, surrounded by those who loved her.
“Sometimes, the right thing is the hardest to do,” DeDay said, recalling the day.
The mobile services offered by Sands, a veterinarian who travels to animals within 30 miles of downtown Carlisle, has brought convenience to pet owners and comfort to the animals she visits.
When she graduated from veterinarian school, Sands worked as a mixed animal doctor, treating cows, horses, cats and dogs wherever they lived. She saw the benefits of traveling to the animals instead of owners needing to crate screaming cats or drag shaking dogs into a brick-and-mortar location.
She heard from many of her clients about how much they appreciated traveling veterinarian care and, in 2013, started Healing Paws. Two years into the business, she had a two-to-three month waiting list for house calls.
The demand led her to hire a second doctor and put two vehicles on the road, one of which is parked in downtown Carlisle twice a week so people can bring their pets to a central location if they choose. Today, she has about 1,110 clients, most with multiple pets.
In addition to cats and dogs, Sands specializes in what she calls “backyard pets” or the goats, sheep and llamas that many people keep in the area.
The desire for traveling veterinarian services is nothing new, she added.
“Traveling used to be the only way we did veterinary medicine,” Sands said. “At some point, our society got away from that, and it brought a lot of negatives with it.”
No Rush
In an animal’s home, Sands is able to see what might really be causing problems. A home environment can be very telling, especially if a cat is battling litter box problems or a dog struggles with separation anxiety, she said.
Traveling also provides an individualized experience that’s helpful for people who balance work, family activities and other aspects of a busy lifestyle. Instead of packing up their pets and stressing them out for a car ride or a trip to an unfamiliar place, the animals and their owners can relax in their own homes.
For Dr. Debra Benner, mobile veterinary care was something that weighed heavily on her mind for the nearly 30 years she practiced in a traditional office.
The pressure to meet the overhead costs of a full veterinarian practice meant she often had to see patients quickly, not spending the time she wanted to really get to know them.
Two years ago, she started West Shore Veterinary House Calls, where she provides mobile veterinarian services within 15 miles of Mechanicsburg.
“I think, as more people learn that mobile veterinarian care is an option for cats and dogs, we’ll continue to see that trend grow,” Benner said. “Within six months of starting, I was already at my capacity for patients. It’s a service people want to see.”
Benner takes a very personal approach to her care. She often sits on the floor in the living room, she said. She believes she is a guest in the home, both to the pet owner and her furry patient. It might take longer, but she likes to wait for the cat or dog to approach her first.
“Working at that slower pace means I get to know the animals better, and the owner has a chance to tell me how things are going,” Benner said. “There’s no rush, no hurry. This is a relationship.”
Such Value
Providing end-of-life care, such as helping the DeDay family say goodbye to Kari, is also a priority for both Sands and Benner.
After putting down a dog that she had been treating since October, Benner received a call from the owner who wanted to meet for lunch. The two had become friends in the time they both spent caring for the dog.
“It’s that kind of connection to people and their pets that I missed when I worked in a traditional office,” she said.
Allowing pets and owners to say goodbye in the comfort of their home is a privilege, Sands added.
“It’s so hard to say goodbye to an animal when you consider them to be part of your family,” she added. “Being home is easier on everyone, and I’m honored that I can provide that for them.”
For the DeDays, that personal touch—that sacred moment to let Kari go—is one they will never forget. Because of the care that Sands and her staff provide, DeDay said, she considers them family, too. Whether they’re visiting her four cats (Meatball, Daisy, Spot and Tippy) or her two dogs (Spike and Ruprecht), she knows they are all in good hands.
“I think this kind of service is of such value to a pet owner,” DeDay said. “I can’t imagine the same quality of care in a more traditional service. And that means a lot to me and my fur-babies.”
