Dr. Shannon Dawkins, D.V.M., has launched Claws and Paws Mobile Veterinary Services, a mobile basic vet care service.
Dr. Dawkins will make house calls for dogs and cats as well as what are known in the vet business as “exotics” – birds, reptiles, rabbits, chinchillas and even amphibians.
“It’s less stressful for your pet to be treated in its home environment,” Dr. Dawkins said.
She emphasizes this is not emergency veterinary care. Rather, it’s designed to provide yearly inoculations, heartworm tests, and behavior and nutritional counseling, and to diagnose and treat non-life-threatening illnesses and conditions. Dr. Dawkins maintains a working arrangement with Dr. Colleen Smith and the Chattanooga Holistic Animal Institute so animals can be treated in a clinic if they require it.
Dr. Dawkins is fluent in Spanish, and is reaching out to the Hispanic community as well. “In many cases, there’s a cultural gap. People might not realize the need for basic vaccinations-for parvo-until it’s too late. Or they might hesitate to come in because of the language barrier. I would like to help change that.”
Claws and Paws Mobile Veterinary Services can be booked Monday through Saturday by appointment. (Some evening appointments are available.) “I’m usually able to see a pet within 24 hours,” says Dr. Dawkins. Costs are similar to what a trip to a bricks-and-mortar vet would cost. A house call to an area further out, such as Ooltewah or Cleveland, will cost more than one to Red Bank or Hixson.
“Several clients have noted that ‘time is money,’ and that this service is saving them a great deal of time,” Dr. Dawkins says. She is also licensed in Georgia, and will make calls to North Georgia.
Claws and Paws Mobile Veterinary Services can be contacted at 779-7467.
Source: Claws and Paws Mobile Veterinary Services