HousePaws Austin Mobile Vet

22/07/2025

We have been working through our waiting list and will likely open to new clients in the near future. Many of you have mentioned you have family members, friends, and neighbors that are interested in our services. If they still are, let us know, we should have limited availability in the near future.

07/07/2025

The flooding this weekend has resulted in so many tragedies. So many innocent lives lost. On Friday, the Georgetown Animal Shelter was evacuated and all the animals were taken to the Williamson County SPCA due to flooding at their facility. And now, the Lampasas animal shelter is being evacuated to the Williamson County SPCA as well. If you ever were interested in volunteering at the shelter or signing up to be a foster, this would be a great time.

09/01/2025

I've had some questions about bird flu and thought I'd give you some information. Right now, it seems to be carried by migrating birds, which infect cows, and other birds as they travel through areas. Cows are passing it to humans through their raw milk and raw meat. They have not found bird flu in pasteurized milk or cooked meat. Cats seem to be getting it from contact with raw meat, raw milk and for outside cats, wild birds that they catch. Dead birds in North Austin have tested positive for bird flu. I want to be sure those of you that have indoor/outdoor cats are aware of the risks of contact with birds when they are outside. https://www.austintexas.gov/news/state-agency-confirms-bird-flu-detected-wild-bird-within-austin-travis-county Cats seem to be more at risk than dogs. But here is some additional information about cats and bird flu. If you have an indoor/outdoor cat that hunts birds, it would be a good idea to keep them indoors for awhile. If you have backyard poultry, try to protect them from exposure to migratory birds. And be sure to wash your hands after contact with poultry. Feeding raw meat and raw milk increases their chance of exposure. I'll share more information as it comes through. https://sph.umd.edu/news/researcher-warns-pet-cats-risk-getting-bird-flu-and-possibly-infecting-people

AUSTI

26/08/2024

Last year, I posted some information about Kissing Bugs here in Central Texas. I found 5 dead ones my porch. Kissing Bugs carry a parasite called Trypanosoma Cruzi. That parasite sets up in the heart and eventually causes right sided heart failure and death with a disease called Chagas. I currently have 3 dog patients that are positive for Chagas. There is no treatment and all we can do is treat the symptoms of right sided heart failure. Today, as I went to my first appointment, I found a dead Kissing Bug on my client's porch. Fortunately, she only has indoor cats. It is a good time to remind you to watch for these bugs on your porch etc. There are look alike bugs, so if you aren't sure if you found a kissing bug or not, you can send a picture to the Chagas research lab and A&M and they will help you identify it. Also, if you find a bug, you can send it to A&M to have it tested for Chagas. 3 of the 5 bugs I found last year were positive for Chagas.

Texas A&M research on kissing bugs and chagas disease in the United States with the help of citizen scientists to uncover the distribution of different species of kissing bugs, their infection prevalence over time, and their interactions with host species.

08/04/2024

I am slowly starting to see some appointments. Last week, I tried to stay close to home, and see very simple appointments. I ended up having to cancel afternoon appointment on 2 days and still ended up in the ER on Thursday night. UGH! But, I feel better this week and will fortunately, be 100% weight bearing on my surgical leg on Wednesday! Yay! Thank you so much for your patience. I'm trying to catch up as quickly as possible, but I also am trying to stay out of the ER this week. I have been blessed with a fabulous doctor with incredible technology, as well as great support from my family, and the absolute best clients ever! I am looking forward to getting back to seeing everyone soon!

16/03/2024

Thank you for all the well wishes. I am in a regular room now and hope to go home tomorrow. I have been blessed with a fabulous doctor that was able to remove the clots in my leg. He also used fabulous new technology that helped dissolve the clots in my lungs so my heart is already better today. I came to the right place and I have felt all the love and prayers. My recuperation will be longer than I hoped. But I promise to get back on the road as soon as the time is right. I have the best clients ever! I want to get back to seeing you and my patients!

14/03/2024

UPDATE: Dr. Hunt had a successful surgery. Was able to remove the clot that was from her ankle to her groin, in the Cath lab. Is still on blood thinners to continue dissolving the remaining clots in her chest. Her leg already feels better. Thank you to everyone for the prayers and well wishes! - from Dr. Hunt's family.

As some of you know, I had a meniscal root repair on my left leg 3 weeks ago. I have been non-weight bearing on that leg since. It started swelling yesterday and it turns out I have an extensive blood clot, throughout almost the entire leg. I also have multiple clots in my lungs, and hopefully will have a procedure this afternoon to remove the clot in my leg. Unfortunately, we will be closed for a bit more. I am trying to get back to work ASAP but need to work through these complications. Allison will be monitoring emails, and we will let you know when I can get back to work.

04/01/2024

If you know anyone interested in adopting 2 male 9 month old guinea pigs let me know. I can connect you with the owner.

20/12/2023

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to all our clients and patients. We have been blessed to help you keep your pets healthy this year. We will not be seeing patients Dec 23rd through Dec 26th to spend time with our families. I will be available by email the morning of the 23rd and 26th. We hope all of you have a joyous, restful, holiday.

18/11/2023

A pet food supplier in Texas has expanded its voluntary food recall including some Signature ( not Kirkland Signature) , and HEB Hill Country Fare pet food. Here is an article with the list. Be sure to check your bags for the lot numbers if you feeding these foods. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/tfp-nutrition-expands-voluntary-recall-dry-dog-dry-cat-and-catfish-food-due-potential-salmonella?fbclid=IwAR29DPD5NZPYBtSWL3J4ow3edz--rem1RmvedKgUwvHmk7VhEYTNNgdLKRo

TFP Nutrition is expanding their voluntary recall that was initiated to include all dry dog, dry cat, and catfish formulas manufactured in their Nacogdoches, Texas, facility. The recall of these production codes is being conducted due to the potential for Salmonella contamination.

20/10/2023

Update: I also am very thankful for my husband that works so hard behind the scenes these days to keep on the technology working, helps me load and unload each day, creates our SOAP sheets and enters all my invoices for supplies. Again, I'm blessed to have the 4 of them helping me each day.

This week is Vet Tech Week. I have been fortunate to work with so many wonderful vet techs that have a true passion to help animals. I am currently blessed to have Allison, Judy, and Jenn. Jenn is back after moving out of state. Allison has decided to keep working with us even though she recently purchased a home with her husband and has quite a commute. Judy is continuing on our limited Saturday appointments. They all work so hard to make our visits with your pet as stress free as possible. But they also work hard to keep me organized and efficient. I couldn't do it without them. Help me thank them for doing such a wonderful job.

07/10/2023

During the last 2 weeks, we have had 2 patients test positive for exposure to a parasite called Trypanosoma Cruzi. This parasite is carried in a specific bug called a Kissing Bug. Kissing Bugs have orange stripes on their body and long heads. The parasite is passed to dogs, and rarely cats, through the Kissing Bug's p**p. If the dog eats the bug, or has contact with the bug's p**p, the parasite enters the dogs body. The parasite, T. Cruzi, then travels to the dog's heart through the blood stream. Eventually, the dog develops right sided heart failure. There is currently no treatment for a T Cruzi infection, and a dog infected with T Cruzi will likely die from heart failure. They call that disease process, Chagas disease. One of my patients that tested positive was tested as a screening process for a clinical trial for a new drug at A&M. She has no symptoms of infection. This dog is very well cared for and lives in NE Austin. The 2nd dog was tested because I actually found 2 Kissing Bugs on my deck 3 weeks ago. I sent pictures to the Kissing Bug lab at A&M and they confirmed they were Kissing Bugs. I have sent the bugs to A&M for testing to see if they carry the parasite. They were dead, but as a precaution, I tested my daughters' 4 dogs as they have spent time on our property. 1 of my daughters' dogs has tested positive. That doesn't mean she was exposed here on our property, but it is a possibility. Most of the time we discover a dog is infected with T Cruzi and has Chagas after the heart disease develops, not before. So we are still looking at what the prognosis is for these 2 dogs. But I think it is very important that my clients know what a Kissing Bug is and keep an eye out for them. Here is a good webpage for more information and pictures of the bugs. The bugs I found were under a spider web ( THANK YOU spider). I never would have known they were there. If you find a kissing bug, don't touch it. Use a bag over your hand to collect it and put it in the freezer until it dies. I do recommend sending pictures to A&M for confirmation.

Texas A&M research on kissing bugs and chagas disease in the United States with the help of citizen scientists to uncover the distribution of different species of kissing bugs, their infection prevalence over time, and their interactions with host species.