Sep 05 2007
Peninsula Mobile Vet Clinic cruises toward first anniversary
By Jennifer Morris
POULSBO Forget the Batmobile and the Mystery Machine.
Kitsap pets and pet owners need fear no more, because there's a
new ride in town, and its tricked out with something better than
sweet rims and a fancy music system.
Its approaching the 13,000-mile mark and the end of its first
full year in business, and now, a cool 26 feet of
state-of-the-art, custom designed clinical equipment, the
Peninsula Mobile Veterinary Clinic is blowing all other super
cars right off the road.
Its pretty much got everything that a standing hospital does,
said Dr. Bill Larson, owner of the clinic. This is where all the
action happens.
Sporting a surgical suite, two anesthesia machines, an X-ray and
much more, the Peninsula Mobile Veterinary Clinic is just what
it claims to be: a transportable doctor's office perfect for
house-bound pets or owners, multiple pet households and even
those who simply don't have the time to spend twiddling their
thumbs in a pet hospital waiting room. In it, Larson offers just
about every house pet outpatient service, from physical exams
and vaccinations to dental care, general surgery, spay and
neutering and microchips, all at the patient's front steps.
But aside from the added benefit of at-home convenience, the
mobile vet clinic's atmosphere is one standing hospitals simply
can't recreate. With a quiet, personal ambience that pulls right
into the client's driveway, Larson's medicinally-suped up
machine doesn't carry with it the sights, smells and sounds of
stressed or nervous animals. Instead, its calm, cool hum relaxes
both pets and owners, who can expect to see a lot more of Larson
than they would in a regular veterinary office.
"They see me from the very beginning of the appointment to the
end", he said. "They are with me the entire time ... It allows
us to develop a stronger relationship."
Seeing an animal's home environment and behavior allows Larson
further insight into the pets he treats, and forming a personal
bond with owners while on their turf creates a trusting
relationship, he said.
"The animals can't talk for themselves, so I have to rely on the
people to tell me about how they're feeling," he said. "Its been
a real positive thing."
Larson's wife and assistant, Gayle Larson, said the complete
attention each animal receives is what sets this practice apart
from the rest.
'He gets to do really one-on-one work with just one animal, one
client," she said. "The clients can be in here the entire time.
Generally, the animal is whisked to the back, here it's very
transparent."
Larson first discovered the mobile clinic idea while at a
conference in Las Vegas, but it wasn't until traveling to
post-Katrina New Orleans in 2005 that the notion began to really
come together in his mind.
"Having a mobile unit like this would have been so much more
useful," he said of his time assisting displaced pets in
Louisiana. "That's what really kind of gelled the idea that this
could be a reality."
Now boasting 14 years of veterinary service on his resume,
Larson said his new clinic is growing just as he hoped, and he's
having a good time running it.
"It's just loads of fun," he said. "It really is a nice way to
practice."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© Copyright 2007 North Kitsap Herald
