MONTGOMERY -- Those who consider their pets part of the family can now give their fur children the ultimate in medical care.

Montgomery-area pet owners can have their small animals examined and treated in the comfort of their own homes, thanks to a veterinary practice that’s the first of the kind in this area.

The House Call Vet is the brainchild of Dr. Kim Gloystein, who established her unusual practice in early 2007. “Ever since I’ve been in practice,” Gloystein said, “I’ve gravitated towards individualized care. I’m a people person, and I like having long-term relationships with my clients and their pets.”

Gloystein travels to her clients in a well-equipped SUV, with the means to provide such services as annual exams, vaccinations, lab work, heartworm and parasites tests, and fluid therapy.

If Gloystein feels a pet needs more complex tests or even surgery, she uses the facilities of Bell Road Animal Medical Center in Montgomery. There, in association with Dr. Eric Lewis, she has access to all the clinic’s equipment and services for follow-up care.

In-home veterinary care offers many advantages, Gloystein says. Many pet owners dread visits to the vet because their animals don’t cope well with car trips or unfamiliar surroundings. Some animals suffer car sickness, while others are intimidated by other pets in the vet’s waiting room.

In other cases, it’s the pet owners who find vet visits a challenge. Owners of large, heavy animals may have trouble lifting them into their vehicles, especially if the animals are sick or injured. Elderly and disabled pet owners also may find it hard to transport their animals, and stay-at-home parents may not relish corralling both young children and one or more pets for an excursion to the vet.

Gloystein says both pets and pet owners are more relaxed and comfortable in their home environment, and that makes examination and treatment less traumatic for all. A home visit can be especially comforting if a pet is injured at home or hit by a car.

“It’s always sad when an owner has to euthanize a beloved pet,” Gloystein said. “But some clients like the idea of my doing the procedure in the pet’s home instead of the vet’s office and its more clinical environment.”

No matter how good the business concept, however, its success rides on public acceptance.

“Our at-home visits and the accompanying services are very competitive with other Montgomery-area vets,” Gloystein says. The House Call Vet’s standard visit fee is $45, and Gloystein will even split that fee if clients in the same neighborhood schedule visits back-to-back.

The cost of gasoline is always an issue when a business provides in-home service. Currently, however, Gloystein is willing to travel reasonable distances in the Montgomery area to build her practice, even though the cost of gas bites sharply into her bottom line.

“If a client lives a long distance away, we'll negotiate an additional travel fee up front,” she says, “and that partially compensates for my travel expense. And to prevent wasted trips, I always go over the total estimated cost with clients when they call to schedule a visit.”

Gloystein is a 1999 graduate of Auburn University’s vet school as well as a single parent. She juggles her new business venture with taking care of her two little girls and also finds time to teach aerobics classes at a Prattville gym.

She also stands in for Lewis at Bell Road when necessary. “I try to be on call for my clients 24/7,” she said, “and it’s not unusual for me to get a call at two in the morning for an emergency.”

Lewis says his collaboration with Gloystein has complementary advantages. For Gloystein, having an established veterinary clinic as a backup and complex treatment facility gives credibility for Gloystein and reassurance for her clients.
“My collaboration with Dr. Lewis is ideal,” Gloystein says, “because he and I share the same client-centered philosophy. Because he wants to provide the best possible medical care for his clients’ pets, he’s welcomed this chance to offer in-home services through my company. It’s a service most other vets don’t offer, particularly in this area.”

Though on-site veterinary services may not carry the highest possible profit margin, Gloystein says the concept is ideal for this stage in her life and career. “I’m not interested in building the mansion on a hill,” she said. “I want to be part of the community, raise my daughters and love my work.”