Our coffee machine broke last week. It was terrible for me. Not because I was unable to have an espresso or latte (I’m pretty happy with instant!), but because I had to endure the look of abject fear on Annelise’s face for whom a machine coffee is the one chink of light in a morning routine dominated by the general wailings and bickerings of a 3 and a 5 year old. This was an urgent first world situation and it called for quick thinking and decisive action. I took the bull by the horns, bundled the family into the car and drove to a well known “home” store. We walked in, perused the coffee machines, selected one, purchased it, carried it to the car and it was plugged in and producing coffee within the hour. Phew! Crisis averted!
It was actually quite a liberating experience buying something like that from a shop, when in recent years we have converted to making nearly all similar purchases online. You click “pay”, check delivery details and in due course a white van turns up with your goods. The result? A huge amount of cardboard to dispose of and incredibly easy transactions! It’s the way things appear to be going with more and more products and services delivered to our doors.
Delivering veterinary services to the home is not a new phenomenon, we have been providing home visits for many years. In fact, it is an obligation of the profession to be able to provide emergency first aid and pain relief to an animal - something which could require an ambulatory service in extreme circumstances. Until recently, at Hawthorn vets, we’ve generally provided visits at short notice for emergency situations for sick pets that cannot be moved or leave the house.
However, there are many other situations where a home visit is desirable. Many pets find a trip to the veterinary practice, or merely a trip in the car, very stressful. By the time these pets reach the consulting room, heart rates have raised, blood pressure has gone up, bowels and bladders have been emptied, claws are out and tempers are frayed – it’s an overall negative experience for all involved and also not a representative examination of the pet in question. Examining these patients in the comfort and security of their own environment is a far more attractive proposition. There are also many owners who would prefer home visits either because they find transporting their pet difficult, or they would prefer the convenience of a home visit.
For this reason, we have recently invested in a practice vehicle for exactly this purpose - “bringing veterinary care to your home”. Additionally, in order to make the service more accessible, we are offering discounted home visits for £30 at certain times. Initially, the discounted visit service is available on Mondays and visits have to be booked before Friday 1pm the week before to allow us to plan ahead. You can choose between an afternoon or morning visit slot. We hope that this new service will be appreciated by both 2 and 4 legged clients alike! To find out more, see our website or contact us directly where one of our team will be happy to give you more information or book a visit. Please note – this is a veterinary only service, there are no plans to deliver coffee machines!
