This vet makes house calls

SHEFFIELD, Mass. ---— Veterinarian Tracey Fahey goes the extra mile for her patients. Literally. 

Since opening her private practice, Berkshire Barks and Purrs Advanced Mobile VetCare last fall, the Sheffield resident has become a familiar sight navigating her sprawling, 26-foot, customized Ford E450 van around portions of Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York while making house calls.

The veterinarian, with 19 years of experience in the field, recently returned from drawing blood from a 160-pound Mastiff in Colebrook, Conn. During an interview at her mobile clinic on Saturday, Feb. 9, she was ready to hit the road once again for a 3 p.m. appointment in nearby Mill River to treat a cat with a laceration and dog with an infected cyst.

Fahey, like a growing number of small-pet veterinarians across the country, has turned to a kinder, gentler way of practicing by offering mobile veterinary services. Instead of pet owners taking their animals to the vet, the vet comes to them.

“The way I have been practicing medicine,” up until opening her mobile clinic, “is the corporate norm,” said Fahey.  “See as many patients as you can, as quickly as you can, and keep that waiting room and exam rooms as full of as many people and animals as possible from open to close.” Among the benefits of a clinic on wheels, she said, is the elimination of a stressful car ride, exposure to sick animals and a strange and often noisy environment. It is also a convenience for elderly clients or pet owners who have mobility issues, are time-crunched or have multiple animals.

A 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association showed that in- home vet visits resulted in lower blood pressure and body temperature readings, as well as respiratory and pulse rates, and the result is more accurate readings. While historically mobile veterinarians have been popular with horses and farm animals, demand among pet owners is fueling the treatment-at-home trend.

The Sheffield veterinarian began her career nearly two decades ago as an associate DVM at various practices in southern Berkshire County and Falls Village. Prior to starting her private practice last October, she served as Medical Director for a four-doctor practice in Bristol.

 “I have learned many things about practicing high-quality medicine and about how to manage a well-run practice,” said Fahey. But of utmost importance, she added, is the bond shared with patients and their families. “That’s what I love, the client/patient relationship. That is what veterinary medicine is losing, and why I am committed to an old-fashioned style of practice. When the phone rings, we go!” She makes house calls generally within a 25-mile radius from her home base in Sheffield.

“I recently saw a lovely lady in Great Barrington who had a sick cat with breathing difficulties. We did full-body X-rays and within minutes determined that the cat had fluid in her chest. We parked within 20 feet of the house, and then scooted kitty back into its home.”

The hours for routine appointments at Berkshire Barks and Purrs Advanced Mobile VetCare is 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Early morning and evening hours are primarily for emergency calls, Fahey said. Her custom designed rolling clinic boasts everything found in a brick-and-mortar clinic:  an exam area, separate surgery suite and full X-ray capabilities.

Fahey said she knew there had to be a way to deliver high-quality veterinary medicine, minus the angst for all involved.  “It’s a way to return to slower times, when there was adequate time for conversations about owner concerns and important wellness topics, as well as time to bond with the patients we serve and love.”

Services include vaccines, blood work, full-body and full-mouth dental x-rays, senior pet care, routine surgical procedures, state-of-the-art anesthesia and monitoring, oral surgery and extractions, in-home end-of-life counseling and after hours emergency care. Group and private crematory services are also available.  Fees start at $40 for a house call within a 25-mile radius (including much of northern Litchfield County) up to $50 for slightly longer travel. Routine exams are $65, and vaccines range from about $25 to $28.

 “We strive to be affordable so that animals can get the care they need,” said Fahey, who noted that travel discounts are available for multiple clients at one location. “They can split the travel cost.” Also, she has had clients drive to her home base at 151 Miller Ave. in Sheffield, where her mobile clinic resides when not making house calls.  

Fahey also employs a part-time vet tech to help with surgeries and the day-to-day operation, and it’s not uncommon for her 12-year-old son, Gabe, to join his mom on a call when he’s not playing soccer. “He’s definitely an animal lover,” and it’s not uncommon for her son to assist with holding or calming a frightened pet during a visit, said the veterinarian, whose family has three dogs.

Fahey has noticed that “cats just aren’t getting the care that they need. I don’t see as many as I do dogs. Just the stress of getting a cat to the vet clinic is often so daunting and traumatic for pet owners.” Felines, unlike their canine friends, often don’t show that they are sick until it becomes obvious through weight loss and decreased appetite. “Cats don’t lose weight for good reasons. If you see a cat losing weight, something is wrong.” Which is why routine exams are vital, she said.

So far, she is pleased with the response to her new mobile clinic. “We still get people who see our van and think we are a dog grooming service,” she laughed.

“I feel that I’ve done more good in the last four months of my mobile practice than the last decade of corporate veterinary medicine. When you call here, you get me. This model is allowing me that contact with my patients and with my clients, and that is what I love most,” said Fahey. “This is that corrective force, and it’s becoming a really popular mode of veterinary medicine.”

For more information on services, fees or to book an appointment, call 833-838-2275, or visit www. Berkshirebarkspurrs.com.