Veterinarian house calls especially popular during pandemic

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee veterinarian who six years ago decided to focus on house calls has found her service to be even more comforting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike the clinic setting, Rebecca Feiring has allowed her clients to be near the patients while she examines them. She said there have been a lot of visits outside during the warmer months or in people’s garages with everyone wearing masks.

The personalized one-on-one care permits Feiring, 39, to examine animals in a calmer setting. She can take extra time with patients and owners, with an emphasis on low-stress handling, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Feiring was working in a different clinic in Milwaukee when she decided to “take the plunge” for house calls in 2015.

“It was my first job after vet school and I had been there a number of years and I was really getting tired of feeling like I was in a rush all the time,” she said. “The administrators at the clinic didn’t really care about much else except for how many patients you could see in a day.”

Randy Nelson, 57, and Mark Beske, 54, said their dog Thomas, a springer spaniel, was aggressive and had previously been abused. Thomas never enjoyed visits to the clinic.

“She (Feiring) takes her time, you never feel rushed, and if a dog is stressed, she takes the additional time to make sure there aren’t any negative effects during the observation,” Beske said.