Apr 01 2010
Best Friends Mobile Veterinary Clinic
This is Tegan.
We got her in 2004 from the Asheville Humane Society. A man tried to pick her up and she immediatly hissed at him. The tech said she “does that.” She’s a mean kitty. But gosh she’s pretty! I love the orange patches on her face, her one brown spot on her side and her little tailess bum. I asked to hold her. The tech warned me, but I picked her up anyway and she started purring for me! We brought her home.
And yes, she’s a sweetie for me a lot of the time. But it’s clear she has been through a lot. She’s accident prone. She’s not very graceful. She’s afraid of thunder and loud noises and fast movements and new people. She only likes being touched on her head. If you slide your hand down her body, you can watch as she goes from cuddly to angry. Touch her below the waist and she’ll bite you.
Unfortunately, she’s got the butt problems that are common among Manx kitties. And as you can guess, she is a Terror at the vet. Before we even take her out of her carrier, she is already growling and hissing and ready to bite. They literally have to knock her out just to examine her. And she gets all mad about the whole ordeal and refuses to eat after. It’s so traumatic for her (and us) that we often struggle with the decision to take her to the doctor or just wait it out.
Recently we saw the Best Friends Mobile Veterinary Clinic van parked in front of a neighbor’s house. Mike called and made an appointment for Tegan’s butt and for Henry (the nice kitty) to get shots. What a seriously awesome service! A vet that comes to your door! Their van is really amazing, the inside is a fully functional veterinary office. They have it setup with an examination table, surgery light, x-ray machine, anethesia/gas machine and vitals monitor, dental station, cages, microscope, centrifuge, etc. Dr. Pickett & Stewart were so nice and so patient with us. I always feel rushed at the regular vet. Dr.Pickett really took the time to answer all of our questions and explain everything clearly. They provide uninterrupted appointments, so they do not answer the phone during your visit, but if you call, the get back to you pretty quickly. They still had to put Tegan out so they could safely examine her, but at least we got to wait in our own living room instead of an uncomfortable vet’s office!
Pricewise, there was a $40 charge for travel for the examination, but all the other charges were on par with regular office visits. And the $40 was so worth it! Highly recommended, especially if your pet is a bad patient.