House Calls for Pets
House Calls for Pets are a New Experience for Most People, Here are Some Tru Tips
Why Do I Need a House Call?
If you want your pet to fall sleep in their own bed during their acupuncture treatment.
If you want to let the kids keep playing while you take care of your pet. If you want the doctors full advice with full knowledge of where and how your pet lives.
If you want a health problem solved on Sunday night so you can start your week with a sense of relief.
If you want to feel like you are an equal partner in a conversation with the doctor about your pet.
If you want any of these benefits, you want a holistic house call.
How do I Book My House Call?
Email DrTruli@VetVMD.com
Text (813) 714-7863
or Call 877-DR TRULI (877-378-7854)
Text or email is fastest.
Dr Truli needs your name, address, pet’s main current health concern, and your ideal date and time you would like an appointment.
Dr Truli replies as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours.
If you have an emergency, please visit your nearest pet ER. (Holistic medicine is not typically ideal for emergencies.)
Quick answer: Email DrTruli@VetVMD.com and share your name, street address, pet’s name and condition in a few words, and the date and time that would be fantastic for you.
What Geographic Areas Do You Typically Cover for House Calls?
Generally speaking, a house call for you is possible in the Greater Tampa Bay Area, depending on your needs, urgency & doctor’s schedule.
Quick answer: Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties…mostly
Regularly, Dr Truli visits:
- Belleair
- Clearwater
- Clearwater Beach*
- Crystal Beach
- Dunedin
- Eastlake
- Gulfport
- Largo
- Madeira Beach
- New Port Richey
- Odessa
- Ozona
- Oldsmar
- Palm Harbor
- Pinellas Park
- Port Richey
- Safety Harbor
- Seminole
- South Tampa
- St Petersburg
- Tampa
- Tarpon Springs
- Tarpon
- Trinity
- West Chase
Special scheduling (advance notice) is needed:
- Apollo Beach
- Brooksville
- Fishhawk Ranch
- Hudson
- Lutz
- Land o’ Lakes
- St Pete Beach*
- Indian Rocks Beach*
- Palmetto
- Bradenton
- Sarasota
- * In-season beach locations (you know who you are!) need appointments before 10am M-W or evenings and generally Thurs-Sunday is difficult or impossible to schedule during the day in season because of beach traffic
Assistance Holding Your Pet is Available
If you need an assistant to hold your pet during the house call physical exam, please let Dr Truli know in advance. Most people hold their pet themselves (Dr. Truli is a good teacher!), or they have a neighbor, relative or friend come to the house to help.
How Long is a House Call?
Quick answer:
Initial holistic house calls take 60-90 minutes.
Follow-up visits are usually 45-60 minutes.
How Much Does the House Call Cost?
Quick answer: about $272-$475
Acupuncture quick answer: +$86
The cost is comparable to a hospital visit, however, with a house call, you get more attention for your pet and more consultation time with the doctor. On average, a house call consultation and physical exam costs $272-475. Comprehensive visits can cost $800-$1,200, depending on the complexity and your wishes for thorough investigations. We can also design a plan of sequential healing and address issues in a step-wise fashion to keep monthly costs on budget.
After consultation with Dr. Truli, your pet may need extensive services. Dr. Truli is prepared to provide these services and will discuss costs with you before embarking on the diagnostics and treatments.
For example, a common house call need is the consultation and then a starting acupuncture session and an herbal medicine to synergize and enhance the acupuncture. This typically costs an additional $85 to $175, depending upon the size of your pet. We discuss these services, the pros and cons and the expected benefits and time frame for results before you commit to any particular course of treatment.
Please call and ask Dr. Truli if you have concerns about time and financial commitments for holistic treatment (877) 378-7854.
One wonderful fact about a house call is we are not pressured for time by another pet in a waiting room. Therefore, if your pet has multiple, complex issues that have been addressed in a surface manner, or in a repeated introductory manner with $300-$600 hospital visits, Dr. Truli will look at your pet holistically and move your understanding and ability to help your pet forward on the path to health.
What Can You Really Do In a House Call?
All Outpatient Services
Quick answer: 95% of everything a vet hospital does. But no sedation, no surgery, no dentistry.
Your house call can take care of blood testing, laboratory testing like fecal analysis, skin exams and skin tests and biopsies on peaceful pets, eye and ear exams, orthopedic exams and much more! We can do about 95% of what a hospital does in a house call.
Supplement and Nutrition Advice
Dr. Truli can help you go through your supplements and pet supplies and use ones that you already have that will work for your pet. The peace of mind alone is worth the visit! Her nutrition advice is based on modern Western food science and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. She is one of very few Certified Veterinary Food Therapists in the world and can help you sort through the confusing theories and evidence to find an intelligent and fun feeding strategy for your pet.
Personalized Flea Advice
If you are having trouble with fleas, Dr. Truli can see your environment and figure out how to target your problem and fix it.
Cat Social Drama
If your cats are not happy, but you cannot explain or diagram why, Dr. Truli can just see the layout of the house and the litter boxes, food and water bowls, resources like windows and scratching posts. Sometime the answer is right in front of you, but it takes an experienced doctor to see it. (Dr. Truli grew up with cats, she knows how they think!)
How Do I Get Ready for a House Call?
Quick answer: have a clean, well-lit area. Table and seating helpful.
Dr. Truli brings everything you need for the house call, but there are some specific ways you can help.
- Keep your phone available in case Dr. Truli needs directions.
- Have your pet available. No kidding.
- Have a well-lit table or clear area on the floor for big dogs. A sunny room during the day has nice natural light for the physical exam.
- A nearby electrical plug is helpful.
- Make sure any hyper or nosy disruptive pets are kept away from the exam area.
- Do not schedule house cleaning, lawn maintenance, construction, renovations, or other “upheavals” on a veterinary visit day.
- Pay special attention to your environment as scented products can interfere with the physical exam.
What Happens After the House Call?
Quick answer: you get a comprehensive written report and instructions and Dr Truli to answer your questions. Ideally, your pet gets better!
If your pet was treated with acupuncture s/he may be tired for a day, and then start feeling better than before the visit. This is a normal energy adjustment response to acupuncture.
Record-Keeping
You will receive your text or email receipt of payment from Boston Brain Bank, LLC. This is the official corporate name of Dr. Truli’s business. Your copy of the physical exam notes and plan will come via email.
VetVMD.vetsfirstchoice.com Competitive Online Pharmacy
You will be invited to Dr. Truli’s online pharmacy with email or texted login information (your choice).
Results
Results from tests may take several days to even several weeks (certain skin and allergy tests and biopsies). You can schedule a recheck and consult, or for simple results like a heart worm test result, Dr. Truli will call you.
If you still have questions or concerns, or wish to book an appointment, please call now to get started.
“Thank you for coming out to see him – his hips are doing so well!”
Dr. Sandra Truli Springer, VMD, MS-TCVM, CVA, CVFT, CVTP, CVCH, CTCVMP, CTPEP, CVMMP
“Truli holistic veterinary services” | Care provided in your home
Greater Tampa Bay, Florida, USA
Call toll-free 1 (877) DR TRULI | (877) 378-785
Hello Dr. Truli,
Do you provide services in Wesley Chapel, MeadowPointe subdivision, (Bruce B. Downs/County Line are major crossroads-on the line of New Tampa)
I have a cat who has CKD, most likely in the 3-4 range.
Thank you and I look forward to your email.
Dear Vilma,
Thank you for your inquiry. Yes, I have availability for your location at this time. I look forward to our appointment!
Sincerely,
Dr Truli
Can you do ultrasounds, x-rays, and other test that an IM vet will do for a cat with digestive issues during a home visit? Thanks
Dear Misty,
Thanks for your excellent question. I do not do XR at home- I cannot guarantee radiation safety in the home environment. I have been missing the ultrasound machines I worked with for 20 years! This January 8th, a new ButterflyIQ system is arriving & I will be imaging in house calls starting in a few weeks. I also offer full laboratory services like a hospital- so TLI-PLI-B12-Folate, fecal tests, and all that good diagnostic stuff that we may need to help a digestive issues kitty.
That said, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) is phenomenal at helping pet with digestive issues that Western medicine treats with immunosuppressive drugs, like steroids for inflammatory bowel disease. We can treat the Chinese medicine pattern of your cat’s issues. This is especially helpful when a cat has had all the Western medicine tests and they are inconclusive.
Feel free to call for an appointment and we can get specific.
-Dr Truli