Dr. Tom Sholseth Mobile Veterinary Service

14/08/2024

Cant copy the link, but its easier now, fill out import form

17/07/2024

https://inspection.canada.ca/en/animal-health/terrestrial-animals/exports/pets #

Starting August 1, 2024 – CDC's new requirements for dogs travelling to the United States (U.S.) – Interim guidance now available The United States (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made changes to the import requirements for dogs entering the U.S. These changes will come i...

17/05/2024

https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/dogs.html

Animal Importation, importation of animals, importation of animal products, Traveling with Pets

15/01/2024

I want to thank everyone who asked about my hand surgery. It went great (5 weeks ago ) and i had immediate improvement and all healed……it’ll be 2 more weeks before i can do more strenuous exercise like weightlifting etc, but no problem with daily practice tasks! And no more hand pain!

13/01/2024

https://www.petmd.com/cat/seasonal/evr_ct_feral_cats_winter

Street cats, alley cats, wild cats, feral cats, homeless cats … there are a lot of different names we give to these free ranging felines. Most of the time, they take care of themselves, scavenging and hunting for their meals while also depending on the kindnesses of cat lovers, but things can get ...

29/11/2023

well its that time of year where i travel south to earn those continuing education credits required of all BC veterinarians. Itll be interesting, the main focus of the seminar is distinguishing abdominal problems as either medical management or surgical..... Thats a pretty common situation im confronted with in mobile practice. Ill be away from the office until December 7. Oh yeah, it doesnt hurt the conference is where liz and i have many friends and great memories, San Jose Del Cabo, baja......
If anyone needs prescription/diet refills or wants me to schedule and appointment when im back feel free to text or call and leave voicemessages..... 250 816 8387
thanks
DrTom

20/11/2023

https://apnews.com/article/dog-respiratory-illness-oregon-colorado-7495daf374ddb8179593b2276248da75

Veterinary laboratories in several states are investigating an unusual respiratory illness in dogs. Oregon, Colorado and New Hampshire are among the states that have seen cases of the illness.

15/10/2023

A little housekeeping: Alison will be going on her long-deserved vacation ( October 23-November 11) after this coming week, so be sure to check your diet and prescription supply so you don't run out! We just completed our 5th year anniversary in mobile practice here on the island and are excited to embark on year 6!

Thanks everyone!

07/08/2023

it’s been a whirlwind since back from fishing! Great time. Busy again this week, working holiday today and an extra day to catch up. Next week August 14 the mobile unit will be down for semi-annual service and inspections. Prescription and food deliveries remain operational. Thanks for being awesome fur baby parents!
drtom

08/07/2023

July housekeeping: I will be gone , the week of the 24th this month July......for, you guessed it, fishing! It will be nice to see Haida Gwaii again! We will still provide pre scheduled (1 week notice) med/food deliveries.
On another note- scheduling, Here's what i need. I can only schedule appointments from direct phone calls with clients. There are at least 5 forms of messaging, social media, and i cant schedule from that (i calculated that it can take 20 hours a week for scheduling this way and i cant do that obviously ).....so just call my phone 250 816 8387 and leave a voicemail. I clear my messages at least 2 times a day. Thanks, and always know how much i appreciate you all..... I love doing this and this little mobile practice is a way i can continue helping dogs and cats and their people that need help.
DrTom

14/05/2023

Great time fishing with my good friend Dr. Steve Spellman and the 40th annual School of Veterinary Medicine class of 83!
I told them all about my sweet practice here on vancouver island and all the great pet parents (really i did!)

Glad to be home and back at it tomorrow am!
Love
DrTom

10/04/2023

I want to wish everyone a happy Easter weekend! Im sure looking forward to a warmer Spring here!
In a about 2 ½ weeks (April 27 to May 15) I will be going to my 40th vet school class reunion. Please check your medication and diet supply in the meantime as we will have limited service for deliveries during my absence. I will have limited access to voicemail and texting (emails don’t work because of the communication lag) but in the event of an emergency please follow the directions on my voicemail greeting (250 816 8387).
I have been asked to deliver a 20 minute presentation at the reunion event, and rest assured I will showcase our lovely mobile practice here and tell them about my dear patients and their ‘support staff”!!
You all have contributed greatly to the one thing I am most proud of which is that every day for the last 44 years I have been grateful and honored to be a veterinarian and have the daily opportunity to prevent/relive animal suffering and help our pets and their people.
Thank you so very much……
DrTom

24/02/2023

Id like to talk about one area of vet med that can cause confusion with clients and that is prescribing drugs and in particular with controlled drugs. One of these controlled drugs is a schedule 4 drug - phenobarbital. We use phenobarbital along with others to control seizures that we see with epilepsy. A lot of times a dog might have one seizure and then no recurrence. Then again, they can become more frequent and we have to 'tailor' a protocol to gain control.

Here comes the 'art' in practice......it can take a few visits/conversations/blood levels to find this perfect balance. In addition, more and more licensed prescribers have to be aware that some veterinary drugs are being incorporated in illicit street drugs and we need to be vigilant. The types and volumes of controlled drugs that are prescribed for our pets (veterinarians) and their owners (by their physicians) are under intense scrutiny and as it should be.

The standard of care in BC for a veterinary client/patient/doctor relationship is at a minimum annual contact/exam with possible blood work, drug level assessment etc. to appropriately prescribe. Some cases need more frequent contact and monitoring to maintain patient safety and good practice standards.

Some of our dogs and cats don't need anticonvulsant therapy if the seizures are mild, and current recommended consensus is if theres less than 3-4 short (less than a minute with quick recovery) episodes annually. We want to avoid a pet being on a lifetime of medication when its not needed. And its also important to monitor drug levels with blood testing so we aren't giving toxic doses (that the liver can't detoxify) while we attempt to control the seizures.

I am always more than happy to talk to clients about these issues.....but sometimes its more digging than just "I want one visit a year and get me a years worth of meds Doc!" Its usually fine with flea control, not so with some other medications.

thanks for reading

25/12/2022

Merry Christmas everyone!! Back on the road….what a relief!

21/12/2022

Well its been frustrating to say the least. Seeing as the mobile unit is only 2 wheel drive i can negotiate flat slick spots but cant move this 9500 pound beast up/down inclines safely, even with chains, in the current conditions (slides sideways). We are getting meds to urgent cases weve seen and i have even taken our ATV to make sure a vaccine booster was done on time. Your patience is appreciated. Trust me, as anyone who knows me, id rather be seeing patients right now.
thanks
drtom

02/10/2022

Just an update for fall 2022, I wont be scheduling appointments for the week of October 17 for family matters and again for the first week of December for continuing education. Thanks. Feel free to leave voicemails, i will return them when back after each absence.

31/08/2022

31/08/2022

Hi all! Great
Time fishing and back to work now….scheduling for next week……Thanks!

23/08/2022

Having problems picking up my voicemails and texts from this remote area, until I can get this sorted out, call my tech Alison at 250 879 0746 , or email me at [email protected] if you’re a client and it’s urgent prescription issue. Thanks

18/07/2022

Well it’s summer, the trout are calling! hopefully 3rd try is the charm! I’ll be gone fishing the week of august 15 until home the last week of august.
We’ll still have delivery service on urgent basis.
I’ll post pics!

10/05/2022

The mobile unit will have a 'spa week' the week of may 23 (victoria day). We'll be back on the road may 30, in the meantime Alison will maintain our awesome delivery service but i suggest you put your order in early because she'll be busy. For anyone that has a pet in our vaccination process, remember we want boosters at 2-4 weeks from the previous booster.

Liz and I hope to take a little road trip during spa week and we look forward to seeing Chris Botti in concert at the Mount Baker theatre on that friday.

Again, i want to thank all my wonderful clients......We really love you guys and we love your babies very much also....thats why we do this.....I haven't had to work a day since i decided to go to Vet School because now i do what i love and that's not work. Looking back at 40 years of practice I know Im very lucky.....i wake up and get to help pets and their people.....who would have figured?
Love, DrTom

03/11/2021

I won't be scheduling appointments for the week of November 29 - December 7 because I will be at a veterinary continuing education meeting out of the area. To facilitate timely response to prescription refills please keep this in mind as there will be a bit of an increase in lead time to get these requests filled. The conference will be focused on new management of common problems seen in small animal practice so that will be interesting. Thanks, DrTom

04/08/2021

I'll be out of town August 27-September 6 fishing the elk river in Fernie. Liz (flyfishingmaven extraordinaire) will be gracing me with her presence and regaling all the old dudes in the fly shop on how she stalked the wary rainbow trout!

So get your Rx's in beforehand. Prescription delivery will be available during that time period on a limited/emergency basis (check your supply). Thanks all for a great year......I'll take photos.....
DrTom

31/07/2021

Just an update on euthanasia services:....
Mobile practice is ideal for 'at home-end of life' procedures. I have found that since covid probably for the foreseeable future, complying with covid protocols, workplace safety, insurance issues and veterinary medical best practices it has been difficult to provide these services to clients and most importantly their pets at a first or even second meeting.

i have been providing these services not only to the great clients I've come to know well over the past 3 years but also to first time 'word of mouth' clients and all those clients that have been referred by the local facility and emergency practices in the area.

Everyone knows how busy vet med has been, in 40 years I've never seen it this busy (and i can remember the big parvo pandemic in 1970's.....as a child!). As a result, in order to maintain the standard of care I believe our communities pets deserve, going forward I will only be providing euthanasia services for my clients (present and future) that I have a understanding of their pets health condition over time.

Feel free to contact me for any clarifications or concerns.

DrTom 250 816 8387

29/07/2021

https://time.com/5670965/veterinarian-suicide-help/

"It's not all puppies and kittens." The people who care for our pets deal with pressures that makes the job unusually stressful

12/06/2021

Time to remind clients and potential clients (who's pets I have not seen or have knowledge of how they're doing recently) about one very special service i provide, that's the tough topic of euthanasia.
euthanasia is clearly a very difficult and emotional decision. and unfortunately i find there's so much information and so many questions that need to be investigated by owners that i feel veterinarians would do better to have a preparatory meeting with a client struggling with this decision.
When's the right time? is my pet suffering? how to tell if theyre in pain? does my pet have time left? should i have done this earlier? should children be present? what is the process?
see there are lots of things to become clear about.....and i dont feel i can do a good job with this on first meeting a client.....and then with covid it makes it even more difficult (can i hold my pet while you give the injection, can i be there, can you come in the house and do it on his favorite spot on the couch....What if its not appropriate to do this, then what, how much time do we have and what to do in the meantime? what if my pet has cancer versus old age, are the issues different ?.........the list goes on....
so for this reason i'm separating this process into 2 visits: first we schedule a meeting where all the owners questions are identified and discussed, we allow time for consultation with family, we sleep on it....we do this early enough in the process (if possible) so its not a drama, emotionally charged event. we prescribe tranquilizers for the pet so that there's less stress on that final day, when ever it will be. we will also discuss the 'funeral' arrangements.
then finally, there is the next visit, when its time....this is never easy but much less traumatic when thought out with the help of a veterinary health professional.
this is such an important decision, it deserves a little extra time spent. i know for myself, having been both the pet owner and the veterinarian on duty at the same time.....hardest thing i ever do and gets harder all the time......that's why i'm so committed to doing this with these priorities in order: 1) well being and relief of suffering for the pet. 2) clear thinking, honesty and support for the owner and family.
thanks for reading this
drtom

11/04/2021

This was my first mobile unit, in 2001. I discovered i loved mobile practice but also realized there had to be a better way to deliver high tech and keep it mobile......

16/03/2021

Found in ladysmith

14/03/2021

We will not be scheduling appointments for the week of March 29 - April 2. The mobile unit will be in for inspection and service maintenance. We will continue to have our prescription refill service.

As always, I want everyone to know how much I appreciate and value our relationship and your trust. I know how much your pets mean to you as all I have to do is think how much mine mean to me....that's why I became a veterinarian.

21/02/2021

I thought i might give a bit of background to how i manage calls etc.
For years in practice, a client would call my clinic and a receptionist would answer the phone, and make an appointment or take a message and sometime a veterinarian would call back but more often they would tell you that you'd have to make an appointment to talk to the dr. And you might often not get to see the same doctor and that is increasingly true now with the corporatization of vet med. My process being mobile is different.

Firstly, I cant effectively or safely answer the phone and make notes while I am driving. So i let my messages go to voice mail. I check my messages often throughout the day. If there's an emergency call that i need to handle i do that, but i will not interrupt an appointment with a client/patient but rarely....its their time and they need my full attention. During the day I am driving or seeing patients or doing surgery. As i monitor my calls i am triaging mentally....who needs to be called now, who can wait until the end of my day when i can sit down and make appointments and discuss. (remember i am also the receptionist...i don't have one because only i know how long stuff takes and where i am at any given time...).

This also allows me to review my calls and hopefully the voice mail directions were followed, so i can organize: grouping appointments by location of the visit, nature of the issue, the phone number. I do my best to call everyone back and most don't know but I'm also fielding calls (about 50%) from other clinics clients that can't get an appointment with their regular vet or folks that don't have a vet.
Everyday after my appointments/surgery etc i spend 1-2 hours doing calls. I usually call until i get that 'look' from liz that dinners ready. I will call kinda late sometimes or early sometimes but its always appreciated when clients are understanding.

Weekends: I will let calls that don't need to be managed immediately stack up over the weekend for the ability to put together by location. Mobile practice is ALL about this....You just cant drive from cedar to chemainus then to cassidy then ladysmith to chase river.....you have to manage logistics like your a field officer....
I only book appointments from voicemail messages. Reason is i cant keep appointment slots open waiting for a return message from facebook-text-messenger-facebook messenger-email- etc. Im fine with getting those messages and they help but to get an appointment, please call.

Time off/what are your hours?
One of the great things about being mobile is that i make my own schedule....During daylight savings i start earlier, during the summer i can work later etc. I can usually get some time off mid week but sometimes not. I used to work a lot on weekends but i do have a wife and farm and lots of animals and responsibilities etc. So i dont book appointments on the weekends anymore.....now if i have an ongoing case that i must see unexpectedly i will do that emergency if mobile out patient is appropriate medically.... it all depends.....its a flow one has to manage....

So there you go....the inner workings of why i didnt pick up when you called.....just know that im listening and working on it.

drtom