Dr. Evan’s House Calls

05/01/2024

We love involving owners in their pet’s care, but today we took it one step further when their beloved piggy joined in!

24/12/2023

RVA Community Update:

We are open to receiving patients today, 12/24/2023.

Many have heard and are feeling the pressures of 24-hour veterinary ER hospitals hitting capacity. Being the new kid in town, we too felt it last night.

We are fortunate to have an incredibly dedicated team whose primary focus is to assist pets and pet families. Unfortunately, there does come a point when a team and hospital physically can’t take on more patients. We will continue to improve our processes so we can help as many patients as possible.

We also want to pass on some tips that will assist you and the surrounding hospitals:

❤️ Please call before coming to the hospital (any hospital) – this helps the team establish the severity of the patient through our Triage Process.

❤️ Don’t wait – if you are concerned, act sooner rather than later.

❤️ Have a list of all veterinary urgent cares and 24-hour hospitals readily available – know your options. We have compiled a list that is in the comments.

❤️ Understand that teams are doing everything they can to assist as many patients as possible. Be kind to them.

❤️ Keep all sweets, decorations, and human food out of “paws” reach. We saw multiple chocolate toxicity cases this past evening.

❤️ With an influx of friends and family in the home – be mindful of where your pets are at all times. New pets visiting can lead to injury.

From all of us at Partner – we thank you for your support and we look forward to continuing to serve the community. ❤️

To the Partner Team - thank you for giving your all to our communities, you are deeply appreciated. ❤️ - Christine & Katie

04/12/2023

Hearing about new upper respiratory illnesses in dogs? NPR recently provided excellent coverage on it. Click the link below to read more!

Reports of an "outbreak" of some as yet unidentified canine respiratory illness are scaring dog owners. But veterinarians and researchers aren't panicking.

23/11/2023

Happy Thanksgiving from Copper, who is thankful for comfy pillows while cheering on the American Foxhound at the National Dog Show! What breed are YOU rooting for?

22/11/2023

Have a puppy? Or an adult dog new to your home? Our friends at the Richmond SPCA are hosting a crate games (crate training) workshop in December. This is an excellent way to build positive association with the crate while having fun with your dog! Click the link below for signup info.

Crate Games Workshop Tuesday, December 5, Thursday, December 7, & Tuesday, December 12, 20236:00 – 7:00 p.m. Instructor: Julie W.....

01/11/2023

Pancake and CC performed a thorough quality control check before allowing Dr. Evan to vaccinate them today.

06/10/2023

Please join me (Caitlin) in wishing Dr. Evan a very happy birthday! I was kind enough to give him the gift of running the practice by himself today while I attend a wet lab at school 😂 If your pet has an appointment, please be sure to send your beloved veterinarian some extra good birthday wishes. Here’s to many more! 

27/06/2023

We love seeing all dogs, but especially Bonez. While he looks tough, he’s about the sweetest pup you’ll ever find. ♥️

08/06/2023

It’s been scientifically proven that you cannot have a bad day when it begins with 14 Irish setter puppies. Also, try spotting the veterinarian under that dog pile 😆

26/05/2023

New veterinary urgent care facility opening soon in Short Pump. Carytown and Midlothian locations to come as well!

URGENTVET Short Pump is coming soon. Please take note of our days and hours of operation. We are so excited to be a member of your community.

17/05/2023

The good folks of Jones Veterinary Care PLLC are teaming with RACC to continue offering free DAPP (distemper/parvo) vaccines to help prevent further outbreaks in our area. Please share far and wide!

Free vaccine Wednesday starts tomorrow! We are partnering with our friends at Jones Veterinary Care PLLC to offer free parvo vaccines for dogs on Wednesdays from 2:30-4:30 at their location 1217 W Leigh Street. Please share with anyone you know and take advantage of this amazing offer. And reminder that we will continue to offer free distemper/parvo and rabies vaccines for dogs and cats at RACC on Fridays from 12-1 for city residents

29/04/2023

Many of our clients have asked about non-medical services such as nail trims. While we unfortunately do not have time to make a separate visit just for nails, Caitlin has started to offer this service outside of our normal business hours. Contact her directly if you’re interested!

⭐️ Calling all Richmond pet parents! ⭐️

Is your dog or cat in need of a nail trim? What about your rabbit, bearded dragon, guinea pig, or other pocket pet? If so, you’ve come to the right place! I am now offering IN HOME nail trims for you and your beloved pets - yes, you read that right, I come to you! As a veterinary professional with nearly a decade of experience, I have branched out into providing a service many folks are unable to perform themselves.

→ Currently servicing the Greater Richmond area

→ Prices range from $20-30 per trim - this is variable on location and number of pets (I do offer multi-pet discounts!)

→ If you are interested in my services, please message me with your address and number of pets so that I may provide you with a quote as quickly as possible.

→ At this time I am already beginning to book up, so plan ahead if you think your pet may not be due at the moment but is likely to need a trim within the coming weeks!

→ Help me, help you! If your dog/cat/hamster/unicorn does not like nail trims, PLEASE let me know ahead of time! I am more than happy to work with your pet, in fact spicy cats are kind of my favorite! However, knowing ahead of time will help set everyone up for success. If your dog or cat has been prescribed medication by your veterinarian to help facilitate nail trims, PLEASE continue to give it as directed by your veterinarian! I would much rather have things go smoothly on the first try, than trying it without medication and be left with a negative interaction to make up (spoiler alert: that rarely goes well!).

→ Lastly, no negative comments please. I’ve had an overwhelming amount of positive response, but occasionally folks like to comment things like “$25 for a nail trim? My groomer charges $12!” Please remember that *I* am coming to *you* - not the other way around. The price includes my travel time and associated costs such as gas and car wear/tear. Your groomer can also probably crank out multiple pets within an hour, while I am often limited to one single visit.

→ I look forward to hearing from you and your beloved companion soon!

31/03/2023

Mark your calendars! Saturday, April 22 is the DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day. Click the link below to find drop off sites near you where you may safely dispose of prescription medications.

Please remember to NEVER flush old medications down the toilet or throw them in the trash - this is incredibly harmful to our ecosystem!

The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications fro...

22/02/2023

Another great microchip story!

10/02/2023

Promising research!

When Oscar, a 5-year-old Dachshund, developed partial paralysis from a herniated disc, he became the first dog to experience a new, non-surgical treatment option through a veterinary clinical trial at the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital.

The trial, being led by Dr. Nick Jeffery, involves injecting an enzyme to dissolve the herniated disc instead of surgically removing it. This method is faster and less intense than the traditional surgery, and is also much more affordable for owners!

Oscar's story: https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/press-releases/oscar/

For more information and to inquire about this clinical trial, please visit StudyPages: https://studypages.com/s/a-potential-new-treatment-for-acute-disc-herniation-in-small-breed-dogs-833176/

20/01/2023

Friday feel good - and reminder to microchip your pets!

Oliver here showed up near his caregiver’s house at the beginning of January and was assumed to be a stray. He was brought inside for some TLC, as he appeared to be comfortable with people. After a few weeks of acclimating, he presented to us today for a neuter. Upon further inspection, it was determined that Oliver was already neutered! This prompted us to scan him for a microchip as well, and… success! He was indeed microchipped! We then contacted his microchip company and, thankfully, his original owners had kept their registration information up to date. We were able to get in touch with his family quickly, who told us that Oliver had been missing since October 4th! Within the same hour, we were able to reunite Oliver with his family. They were so glad to have him back after he’d been missing and living on the streets for 3.5 months!

Oliver was strictly an indoor only kitty, and had inadvertently snuck out of the house. This serves as a good reminder that microchipping your pets, even those that are indoor only, is a valuable tool should they ever get lost. Collars with identification are great, but can easily slip off or break - microchips are permanent. And, if your pet is already microchipped, be sure to keep their registration information up to date - it is not uncommon to find a microchipped animal that does not have any information linked to it because the chip was never registered.

We are so thankful for both the good samaritans that took Oliver in, and for his family for doing their due diligence as pet owners. Happy endings like this make it all worth it!

29/11/2022

It’s a gaggle of Galgos! Also known as the Galgo Español or Spanish Greyhound, we had the pleasure of meeting these four today. While sweet Peaches was crafty at evading the camera, you can see half of her standing on her perch in the background 😊 We are pleased to report they all passed their cuteness test with flying colors!

(Psssst, interested in one of your own? There are currently over 500 in the shelters at https://galgosdelsol.org just waiting to head on a plane to the USA - three of these pups came from them!)

23/11/2022

How adorable is Rosie with her elephant? Don’t let her sad face fool you - she greets us with a wagging tail and copious kisses every time! Rosie had to receive an injectable treatment yesterday and hung with her beloved stuffed animal while doing so. We feel so fortunate to be a part of her care!

31/10/2022

We didn’t realize when looking at our schedule today that not only would we be seeing dogs and cats, but *also* a lobster and dragon! Time to brush up on our crustacean medicine 🦞

20/10/2022

You may remember we recently received our first shipment of Solensia, a new therapy labeled for arthritic pain relief in cats. We are very excited to say the results are in, and Meatball approves!

Meatball is a 17 year old cancer survivor (3 years in remission!), and also has a history of kidney disease, asthma, and osteoarthritis. Meatball in general continues to have a very good quality of life, however his diligent mom noticed that he seemed to be slowing down as a result of his arthritic pain. Meatball’s mom reached out to us to inquire about Solensia and we gave him his first injection 10 days ago. His mom recently emailed us with the following update:

“Meatball seems to be responding to the Solensia! He is moving around with less stiffness and last night he PLAYED—really played—with his rainbow wand toy… it made me a little teary, as I can’t recall the last time he engaged in play for that amount of time and with that much physicality.”

We are so happy to be seeing positive results with this new groundbreaking drug. Please contact us today if you’re interested in Solensia for your own kitty!

12/10/2022

“Just be kind to your veterinarians and their staff. We've had a really hard time over the past two years. The quitting rate and burnout rate in our profession has been bad.”

Dr. Evan Apotheker spent the past 10 years practicing in both small animal care and emergency medicine in Richmond. But in 2021, he made the decision to shift to house calls only.

06/10/2022

Cooper must have known today is Dr. Evan’s birthday and gave him the gift of being a star patient! We have been caring for Cooper for many, many years and it’s been an honor to now visit him from the comfort of his couch as he reaches his golden years.

03/10/2022

It's Monday and we are SO EXCITED!

Why, you ask? Because our friends at Zoetis have just released a revolutionary breakthrough in pain control for our feline friends... and we've gotten our hands on some!

When it comes to kitties, we are more limited in what we can safely prescribe for pain compared to their canine counterparts. We are very proud to be offering this new monoclonal antibody treatment (specific protein targeting molecules) created for the aid in osteoarthritic (OA) pain relief in cats.

Solensia is an injectable treatment that lasts an entire month - no daily pills! It functions like naturally occurring antibodies within the body, targeting nerve growth factor - an important mediator of OA pain. This also means that Solensia is gradually eliminated from the body with minimal involvement from the liver and kidneys, proving to be incredibly safe treatment option.

During research studies, 76% of cat owners reported visible improvement in their cats' mobility with monthly Solensia administration. Safety studies were also performed in which a group of cats were given 5x the normal dose for six months, and minimal to no adverse symptoms were observed.

As we mentioned, we have already received a tray of vials. If you are interested in Solensia for you cat, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We are incredibly pleased to add this to our toolbox!

12/09/2022

Looking for acupuncture, chiropractic, or other forms of integrative veterinary medicine in our area? Check out this new clinic!

07/09/2022

Attention clients with greyhounds! Here is a great opportunity to help out fellow colleagues, and your greyhound will love all the attention. A win-win!

IVAS Acupuncture and James River Greyhounds

October 2022 - February 2023

James River Greyhounds needs volunteers (hounds and humans) for an amazing fundraising opportunity!

The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society is holding their certification and training courses in Glen Allen, Virginia in October/November 2022 and January/February 2023.

IVAS will be making a donation to JRG as thanks for our participation!

We need lots of volunteers to simply let them pet your greyhound for two hours (and discuss acupuncture with their trainees.) NO needles will be used.

Limited Case Study appointments are available during which acupuncture will be performed on hounds presenting issues.

Find out more & sign up below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e45aaa629aaf94-jrgivas

16/08/2022

Sending out a quick alert to let our clients know that we are closed this week for vacation. We will reopen Monday, August 22nd at 9AM.

Dr. Bob Magnus will be providing coverage for any non-emergent sick appointments. Please contact (804) 937-9663 should you be in need of Dr. Magnus’s assistance. Our email will also be checked periodically every 24-48 hours, however please do not wait to seek care if your pet is sick.

If you have a life threatening emergency, please take your pet to your nearest veterinary emergency hospital:
* Partner Veterinary Urgent Care (Willow Lawn): 804-206-9122
* BetterPet Urgent Care (Mechanicsville): 804-442-2713
* VRCC, Manakin-Sabot: (804) 784-8722
* VVC, Carytown: (804) 353-9000
* VVC, Midlothian: (804) 744-9800
* VVC, Fredericksburg: (540) 372-3470
* Dogwood/BluePearl, Willow Lawn: (804) 716-4700
* Coastal Animal Care, Williamsburg: (757) 703-0199
* VETSS, Charlottesville: (434) 973-3519

22/07/2022

Brothers Boba and Tail have been the sweetest patients for their neuter today!