Mobile Vet Unit Brings Tucson Affordable Pet Procedures, Services

TUCSON, AZ – Starting next Monday, Sept. 9, a new, more affordable provider of pet procedures and services is rolling into Tucson. Coming from Phoenix, where it provided pet surgical services, vaccines and cost-efficient microchipping services, Dr. Kelly’s Mobile Surgical Unit will be making several stops in Tucson this month.

The mobile unit has been up and running in Phoenix since 2016, and is owned by Dr. Kelly and husband Doug Patriquin, former Phoenix Banfield Pet Hospital owners. The mobile unit is staffed by veterinarians with experience in traditional animal clinics and veterinary hospitals, who have previously performed the procedures the mobile unit offers too many times to count. Such services include mass removals, spay and neuter, dental cleaning and more. However, while the mobile unit’s owners complete the Tucson licensing requirements for such procedures on the mobile unit, they are focusing on wellness checks, vaccines and microchipping services at first.

Procedures not performed on the mobile unit, which won’t be making house calls, include diagnostic exams, orthopedic procedures and hospitalizations. Also only dogs and cats are treated, but not exotic ones. “Our main client base is people who don’t have a vet. They don’t go to the vet every six months and get blood work done. All they know is that for the last eight years their dog has been healthy and now his teeth are really bad, or now that mass on his side is really big,” Patriquin told the Arizona Daily Star.

That’s where the mobile unit services’ affordability comes in, particularly with most veterinary surgeries carrying a pricetag starting at $1,000 or more. “Every community is struggling to make up a thousand-dollar payment when it comes up as a surprise,” Patriquin continued. “Our mission is to help clients and pets feel better emotionally, financially and physically.”

The least expensive service currently is a $15 nail trim, while the most expensive is a leg amputation for $500 to $800. And mass removals are priced between $300 and $600, much less than the $1,000 at a traditional vet’s office, for example.

Dr. Kelly’s Mobile Surgical Unit will be docked outside Pima Animal Care Center on Sept. 30. To see several other Tucson mobile unit locations and days, go to Dr. Kelly’s website or Facebook page. Pet owners looking to schedule an appointment or find out more can email appointment@www.drkellysmobilevet.com or text or call 520-636-PETS. To read the full article, access the Arizona Daily Star.