When Alice Smith needed to take her dalmatian mix to the veterinarian, she wasn't sure hat she was going to do.
Jody, her 90-pound dog, wasn't accustomed to riding in a car, and even putting a leash on him proved to be difficult.
"You couldn't get him to budge," she said. "I thought, 'What in the world am I going to do?' "
So on a trip to Iredell Companion Animal Hospital to see Dr. Robert McCurry about one of her rescue dogs, she mentioned her problems with Jody.
McCurry offered her a solution to her problem - a house call from a vet who works part-time in his office, Dr. Lisa Busko.
A few days later, Smith returned home to find Busko sitting at her house waiting to see Jody.
For Smith, who had taken her animals to Busko before, this cemented her positive opinion of the doctor.
"That she was willing to come and do that was just wonderful," Smith said. "She is such a sweetheart."
Busko said people like Smith, who have a large number of animals or balky pets like Jody, are the reason she makes the house calls two days a week.
Busko said McCurry endorsed the idea when she suggested it, and a couple weeks ago, they launched the house-call service.
With just word of mouth advertising from a flyer posted at the animal hospital, the service is becoming popular, Busko said.
Often Busko and one of the clinic's two vet technicians, Nicole Guifarro or Erin Pergason, go out on either Wednesday or Saturday afternoons and Thursdays.
She said house calls are not new to the veterinary service, but are often reserved for larger animals, such as horses and cows.
Busko treats those animals as well as household pets such as dogs and cats.
She said going to the animals is a valuable service.
Some pets are frightened of going into the vet's office or don't react well to other animals and, therefore, are easier to treat in their own environment, Busko said.
She said it is also aimed at people who may have several animals, particularly cats, which can be difficult to corral and bring into the vet's office.
"It's for the convenience of the owners and causes less stress on the pet," she said.
Busko said she can do simple procedures, such as regular bloodwork, vaccinations, delivering flea and tick medications and nail trims.
Busko also offers her specialty, chiropractic and acupuncture services, on her house calls.
Some services will eventually result in a trip to the vet, such as with Jody, who had a tumor on the side of his head.
Smith said Busko offered to come out and sedate Jody for the trip, and offered advice on acclimating him to the car.
Smith took the advice, and soon was able to take Jody into the vet for treatment. He's doing fine now, she said.
"I think this is absolutely wonderful," she said.
Smith said the cost for the service was less than she expected.
Busko said costs range from a minimum of $25 above the cost of a regular visit to the clinic.
For Smith, the ability to have her numerous animals remain in their home environment is worth a few dollars extra.
"To me, this is so much easier," she said.
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