Home Visit Veterinarian

30/09/2022

Dr. Mac Menamin will be retiring soon. We are looking at options for another Veterinarian to take over the house call practice. As of this time that has not been confirmed but should be in the next couple of months. While Dr. Mac Menamin will be away for the next few months, we will be able to refill medications as before, but since there will be nobody monitoring the regular office phone, we ask that you email Dr Mac to arrange medications. The email address is [email protected] Please allow some extra time to get your medications mailed. Some medications may be available for pick up for clients that have availed themselves of this process. Again, email Dr Mac and allow extra time to get the meds prepared and ready for pickup.

We hope to have a smooth transition to the new Veterinary House Call practice early in the new year. During the transition Dr. Mac will be available on a limited basis for visits and introduction of the new veterinarian.

We sincerely thank all of our long term clients, some have been with us from the very beginning over thirty years ago.

Should you need your records forwarded to another Veterinary facility, please ask them for their email address before contacting Dr. Mac Menamin.

27/04/2020

Still only doing emergency visits to homes, also doing Telemedicine consults. Call to arrange, 631-589-2967.Starting a Wait list for routine annual checkup and vaccinations, When you call for these services, ask about being on the wait list, we will call or email you when we are able to do routine visits.

18/04/2020

Have been doing some Telemedicine consults, so far Facetime has been more popular than Zoom. While the American Veterinary Medical Association has lifted the restriction on having a prior "Client patient relationship", in practice any new patients would need to live within a reasonable distance of Sayville. This is to allow easy pickup of medications and also able to perform visits for emergency treatments.

21/03/2020

It has been quite some time since I posted anything on this page. With the current Covid19 pandemic we will be trying to restrict visits to your home for non emergency issues. We will however start doing some telemedicine consults starting on Monday March 23rd. If you have Facetime or Zoom capabilities on your phone or tablet, we can see your pet and discuss the problems you are having. In some cases we will be able to prescribe medication for you to pick up from my home or a pharmacy. We can also determine if a visit is necessary for blood testing or other treatments.

This service is only permitted for established clients and pets that have been seen my Dr Mac. Depending on the Doctor's schedule, we may be able to do the remote consultation when you call, or we can schedule a time for Dr. Mac to get back to you.

Veterinarians have been declared to be essential services, so home visits can be performed for emergency or critical cases. However if you are currently experiencing any symptoms that may be associated with Covid19 or you have been exposed to someone that has symptoms or tested positive, these visits may not be able to be accommodated, as it will be impossible to create an isolation situation in your home.

28/06/2017

2017: The Worst Tick Season In Years And What It Means For Your Dog - Dogtime

There is never a good year for ticks, but 2017 is looking particularly bad. Fortunately, there are some effective preventatives for dog

http://dogtime.com/dog-health/flea-tick/51191-2017-worst-tick-season-years-means-dog

The CDC predicts that the 2017 tick season will be one of the worst we've had in many years. This is especially important for us as dog owners.

23/05/2017

Home Visit Veterinarian's cover photo

23/04/2017

A Different Kind of Rescue Dog

A different type of working dog

As the story goes, an ancient sailing boat crewed by 150 sailors was in an epic storm, every drenched man feverishly pulling ropes and unfolding sails to stay afloat. A huge wave crashed on to the deck, and to the horror of the crewmen, one of their own was washed overboard.  The feeling of helpless...

17/04/2017

Great weather is wonderful for all of us. Unfortunately, the fleas and other pests like it too. Make sure you are keeping up on your preventatives and if you need more call to set up an appointment.

12/02/2017

Routine checkups, don’t sound very exciting, but they can safe your pet’s life.

One such dog we shall call George, who is about 8 1/2 years old and has a thyroid problem. Since he is on medication we check him regularly, and at his last checkup, we noticed that his weight had dropped some since the previous visit. This can be a good thing as dogs with under active thyroids tend to be overweight.

However during George’s exam I noticed a mass in his belly, that was not there six months earlier. Suspecting a growth on his Spleen, I suggested that George get an ultrasound exam. This exam confirmed the suspicion of the splenic growth, the scan also showed no sign of spread. Usually this type of tumor has spread to other organs by the time the dog is feeling sick, and this reduces the chance of a good outcome. By finding it during his routine exam, before he became sick, we certainly can give him a much better chance of full recovery.

George had surgery to remove the cancerous spleen and made a good recovery. This of course could not be done in his own home during a house call, but George spend a couple of days in hospital for the surgery and recovery, then continued his recovery at home. As an additional precaution, George is seeing an oncology specialist and receiving Chemotherapy to ensure that there were no hidden or very small metastatic growths.

So far George is home and happy, check back periodically to follow his treatment reports

16/01/2017

Some time ago I posted some discussion about stem cell therapy in our pets. Now it will become a reality, as I have become an Accredited Stem Cell Practitioner at the Moriches Hospital for Animals.

This therapy is especially geared for pets that have Arthritic changes in any of their joints. It can also help with conditions related to Hip Dysplasia.

If you currently have a pet that is on ling term medications for Arthritis and would like to hear more about the Stem Cell therapy, call for an appointment to see if your pet would be a good candidate

08/12/2016

It seems that every year around this time I find that many pets are not being protected from fleas. Owners are frequently surprised that their pet has fleas, especially if they never go out, or they had used some flea control during the Summer.
Fleas are still active, don't be caught out.!

22/04/2016

Home

Fans of Shark Tank may have seen this product on the show recently http://www.petnostics.com/ it is a home urine testing kit.
The concept is a good one however if you look through their web site it seems that they are overly optimistic on what a urine sample can detect.

It would be a great way to monitor your pet if you know that they have Diabetes or Kidney disease. It would also be a useful tool if you have concerns about your older pet that there could be something starting to go wrong. If you get any positive signs of a problem then you need to get to your veterinarian as soon as possible. If you get all negative results, it does not mean that everything is OK as many conditions require blood testing and more extensive urine testing to diagnose. Older pets just like older people need more frequent exams and testing.

Petnostics - Check your pet's health. Instantly.

28/03/2016

With the recent finding of a Racoon that tested positive for Rabies the Health Dept has issues the following warning and recommendations.

Verify that their pets have current rabies vaccination, including dogs, cats, ferrets, livestock and horses.
Keep domestic animals (dogs, cats, ferrets) on a leash to prevent encounters with wild animals.
Never touch or have contact with any animal other than your own.
Never touch dying or dead animals. If you must move them, use a shovel, wear heavy rubber gloves and double bag the carcass.
Advise their family against approaching any unknown animal -- wild or domestic -- especially those acting in an unusual way.
Instruct their children to tell you immediately if they were bitten or scratched by any animal.
Notify the Health Department if a bat is found in a room where adults or children were sleeping, or if an adult enters a room and finds a bat with a child.
Never feed your pets outside.
Never feed unknown animals and discourage them from seeking food near your home.
Keep garbage cans tightly covered and avoid storing any food outside.

If your pet's Rabies is not up to date, please call to get this important vaccine done.

30/10/2015

Tuesdays are getting to be popular visiting days. Give us a call to secure your visit.

21/10/2015

Due to some schedule changes at the Animal Hospital, I am now available for House Calls on Mon, Tues, Wed and Fri.

16/09/2015

Happy 20th Birthday Ricky! Glad I could help keep you healthy.

05/06/2015

This was a sad week, one of my long term patients Zeke finally had to go the Rainbow Bridge. Zeke, I had written about in the past. When I first saw him many years ago, he had no hair on most of his body. He had been on steroids so long before I saw him, that he developed Diabetes, which then led to cataracts which responded very well to surgery.

Over the years his hair coat returned (He was allergic to certain foods and many pollens) and at the end his hair was totally normal.

However recently Zeke developed a serious liver problem, and the ultrasound showed a very large gall bladder stone, which was causing him a lot of pain. He would not eat, and when faced with yet another surgery, his owners decided that he had had enough. It took him a long time to recover from his previous surgeries, and now he was much older. With a heavy heart we together decided it was time for Zeke to be relieved of his pain.

I will leave this with a funny incident. After treating Zeke's skin problems for quite some time, his mother called my to see him because he had hair falling out in clumps. When I got to see him that visit, he was shedding totally normally. His owners were so pleased to find that this was normal because he had never had enough hair to shed before.

My sympathies go out to all the people that were enhanced by the time Zeke spent with us, we will miss him greatly.

20/05/2015

I see amazing cases all the time and the House Call yesterday needs to be shared. The client Cat was frequently visiting the litter box and straining to urinate. I at first thought it would be a UTI type problem. However, when I examined the cat I felt a golf ball sized mass in her groin area, which felt like it might be full of fluid. When I put a needle into it, I got urine out!

The issue; the bladder recently slipped through a hernia. The hernia has probably been there for 15+ years but caused trouble now. Surgery would be the best cure for this problem, but due to her age and other problems, she would not likely survive the surgery.

My solution; I emptied the bladder and when I squeezed the mass she urinated, then I was able to try to push the empty bladder back into the abdomen, where it belongs. I don’t know if it will stay there, but I am hoping, if not I will show the owner how to empty the bladder."

08/05/2015

storyful

storyful

Eight cute golden retriever puppies braved a Texas pool recently for their first swim!

Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXTl2Ou-j1I

21/04/2015

Starting in May house calls can be arranged four days each week, Adding Tuesday to the house call schedule.

17/04/2015

Some people have been asking about the recent outbreak of Influenza in Chicago. Here is the Cornell Press release on the subject.

18/03/2015

Dog Found Starving in Mexican Streets Has a New Life and New Look

a nice new story about a dog rescue. We wish every pet had as good luck and care.
http://www.ecorazzi.com/2015/03/17/dog-found-starving-in-mexican-streets-has-a-new-life-and-new-look/

Luna the dog, who was found starving to death in Mexico, is now healthy and happy, and looks a whole lot different -- which is a good thing.

04/02/2015

38 Unexpectedly Brilliant Tips For Dog Owners

A cute list, not perfect but fun.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/brilliant-hacks-for-dog-owners #.edj8pWo1x

Here are some tips and tricks to make the rewarding task of caring for your dog just a tiny bit easier.

28/01/2015

Puppies? It must be Super Bowl week - CNN.com

Superbowl puppies - well played Budweiser

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/28/living/feat-puppy-super-bowl-godaddy-budweiser/index.html

Forget about the Super Bowl, the blizzard and the woes of the world. Puppies make the world happy.

02/01/2015

Happy New Year

03/12/2014

Thursday (tomorrow, 12/4/14) is available for home visit's this week. It's a rare opportunity.

15/10/2014

Regular Home visits for pets arranged Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.

08/10/2014

I had a couple of people wondering if I was working on Columbus Day. Since I have no Italian in me, I have no problem working that day, so I will be taking house call appointments. If you have the day off and want to take advantage, please call for an appointment 589-2967

01/10/2014

Some of the limitations of doing house calls is that I have to actually be able to lay hands on your pet so that I can examine it. To facilitate this I ask all cat owners to please put the cat into the bathroom a short time before I get to the house.

Recently I had a call to see a "Feral indoor cat". When we asked the owner to place the cat in the bathroom, she declared she was unable to pick the cat up, however she would try to get it into the small bathroom. When I got to the house the owner came running out to tell me that the cat was not only not in the bathroom, but had burst its way out of the dormer window and was now on the roof of the house.

Sure enough the cat was sitting on the ridge of the roof looking down at me.

12/09/2014

If you are not using effective flea control on ALL your pets, you probably have fleas by now.

19/08/2014

Funny how perceptions can be so subjective. I was taking a history yesterday for a new (Very old dog) patient. When it got to the medications, he was on Deramaxx a pain med and had been for two years. Over the last 4 - 6 months he had also started taking various different Chinese herbal remedies, and the owner was absolutely sure that the pet had improved over the last week, because of the herbal remedies.

Upon further checking the medications, the owner said they had doubled the Deramaxx last week.!!

15/08/2014

Home Visit Veterinarian (631) 589-2967

People regularly ask me if I would go to their friends house to see their pet. Since I have not yet perfected the "Instant Teleportation" vehicle I have to place some restrictions on the areas I can visit. The following link is to my web site and shows the areas I regularly visit for house calls. http://www.homevisitvet.net/home/areasserved.html

I am always happy to get referrals from current friends and clients.

13/08/2014

Succession planning.

We never like to think that our loved ones will pass on, whether two or four legged. However realistically our pets only live 15 years on average. Many people don’t like the idea of being without a pet in the house and are worried about bringing a new pup or kitten into a house with a really old pet. There are many advantages to introducing the next generation while the current pet is still in good physical condition.

The older pet will often be a great help with house training the newcomer, while at the same time the youngster will reinvigorate the older pet, by encouraging more play. Since dogs on average are regarded as becoming “Senior Pets” around age seven, and most will have started to slow down by that time, this is a good time to think about the next generation.

Some people worry that the older dog will attack the new pup, however that rarely happens. Most dogs, like people, are programed to accept and give a lot of leeway to the very young of our species. Think about a neighbor’s two year old child playing in your cabinets, they get away with a lot, until you stop them when they get to the dangerous storage area. The same behavior from the neighbor’s teen would not be tolerated. So too with pets, the puppy gets away with tugging the grumpy older dog’s ears, for a while until older dog teaches some manners to the pup.