Woodlake Veterinary Housecall Service Inc.

26/08/2025

Did you know that you can quickly and easily verify that someone is a legitimately licensed Veterinarian? House call Veterinary services are a popular option for many reasons, but unfortunately, this type of service is also at an increased risk of fraud by unlicensed individuals posing as Veterinarians. The pet owner is not driving to a physical clinic location, so it can be hard to tell if the person showing up at your home is a legitimate Veterinarian. This leaves pet owners potentially paying a fraud for Veterinary Services that they are not competent to perform (including everything from vaccines to euthanasia services) and leaves the pet without adequate care or worse, suffering at the hands of someone who is not qualified.

All Veterinarians and Veterinary clinics are required to maintain a Vet license (individual person) and premise permit (clinic) in California, including mobile and housecall practices. Anyone who is diagnosing, treating, or prescribing medication to animals must be a licensed Vet. Some limited services can be provided by a non-Vet who is working under the license of a Veterinarian (they should be able to provide the license number!) and Registered Veterinary Technicians can also provide some limited services without supervision by a Vet so long as they are under a contractual agreement with a Veterinarian (again, license should be available for both the RVT and DVM if asked for it). Here is a link to frequently asked questions regarding what it means to practice illegally without a Veterinary license.
https://cvma.net/advocacy/illegal-activity/illegal-practice-questions-answers/

You can quickly verify a Veterinary license by name or license number. On the CA department of consumer affairs website (link below) choose "Veterinary Medical Board" under boards and bureaus OR choose "Veterinarian" under license type, and then enter the name or license number of the person you are trying to verify. The same can be done to verify Veterinary Clinics under the "business name" section.
https://search.dca.ca.gov/

If you have unfortunately already paid a fraudulent person for Veterinary services, or if someone is advertising Veterinary services or posing as a Vet and you can't find their license number, or they refuse to provide one to you when asked, please REPORT them to the Veterinary Board using the link below. Click the blue box "file a complaint" and then choose Veterinary Medical Board and "unlicensed individual". The link to report is here:
https://www.breeze.ca.gov/datamart/loginCADCA.do

Please don't become the victim of an unlicensed person posing as a Vet. Your pet's health, comfort and care depend on it!

04/09/2021

Wow, what a fantastic article. Anyone that has dealt with loss of a pet knows how true this is. Our society treats pet loss like it is something you should just "get over". Anyone who has lost a close pet knows different. It is OK to be sad over the loss of a pet, it is OK to cry and to mourn for a long time. Our pets are a huge part of our lives.

When my yellow Lab died last spring, I was flattened by an overwhelming sadness that’s with me still. And that’s normal, experts say, because losing a pet is often one of the hardest yet least acknowledged traumas we’ll ever face.

13/01/2021

On Saturday the state of California reclassified Veterinarians in schedule 1A for Coronavirus vaccination along with other medical personnel. Yesterday afternoon I received my first dose of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine! I do have a pretty sore arm, but that is a very small price to pay to help keep my clients safe from Corona virus. I hope you will all consider getting this vaccine when you are able to so we can kick this virus in the butt and get back to normal!

05/11/2020

I haven't posted in a while, but I'd like to take a moment to talk about one of the health issues I see the MOST in house call practice, which is overweight pets. Keeping your pet lean is honestly one of the most important things you can do to help lengthen their life and the comfort level of their life. Dogs (and cats) that are overweight are much more likely to suffer from arthritis, torn cruciate ligaments in their knees and overall wear and tear on their bodies. I have attached the Purina body condition score sheet to help you gauge how your dog is doing. There is a similar sheet available for kitties. A dog or cat in good body condition should have easily palpable ribs, this means you can feel each rib independently like the bones in the back of your hand with minimal fat covering them. They should also have a well defined waist when viewing them from the side or top. Our opinions of how dogs should look has changed over time, as overweight dogs have become the norm, we start to think healthy dogs are actually too skinny looking! Some dogs, like bulldogs, tend to have a more compact body, but the same rules still apply! If you can't easily feel ribs, your pup is too chubby. If your dog is severely overweight but you really feel they aren't getting that much food, occasionally low thyroid hormone can be to blame. Spring is right around the corner, lets work on those beach bodies and creating healthy, happy pets!

18/06/2020

The Fourth of July can be a super scary time for our pets. Dogs and cats with noise phobias are often highly disturbed by fireworks and other loud noises from outside the home. Signs of noise phobia includes shaking/trembling, hiding, and changes in behavior such as being extra clingy or an unwillingness to eat. Dogs and cats that have noise phobias are more likely to panic, run away from home and become lost during holidays like Fourth of July. There are a few things you can do to help your pet if they have issues with loud noises such as calming natural products or sedation medication. In addition, making sure your pet is microchipped and wearing a collar with your contact information before the holiday can ensure they do make it back to you if they happen to get out. If you think your pet may have a noise phobia, or if you need a microchip for your pet, please make an appointment so we can discuss options to help make this holiday a little more enjoyable for everybody! 559-769-3666

25/04/2020

Interested in feeding a home cooked diet to your dog or cat? Many Veterinarians shudder when they hear a pet owner say they feed a home cooked diet. This is because home cooked diets can be super deficient in vitamins and minerals and can be unbalanced from a protein, carbohydrate and fat perspective, but they don't have to be! Check out this neat website that helps you balance a home made diet using a variety of meats, grains, fats, fruits and veggies. You can also purchase a suggested vitamin and mineral supplement based off your diet creation to round out the nutritional profile and ensure your pets are getting the micro and macronutrients they need.

11/02/2020

February is National Pet Dental Health Month! The majority of dogs and cats over the age of 5 (and many under 5) have some degree of dental disease. Many pet owners are unsure of how to prevent dental disease or the importance of getting dental care for their pets. Regular tooth brushing is the absolute BEST way to help prevent dental disease and most dogs and cats can be taught to readily accept this practice. Brushing helps keep dental disease away and helps save you money by reducing the number of dental cleanings an animal needs under general anesthesia in it's lifetime.

Although I am not able to perform dental cleanings under anesthesia in a house call setting, I can teach pet owners how to brush teeth and how to gently introduce brushing so that their pet will accept it. Most dogs and cats will allow me to complete a thorough oral exam and assess the degree of dental disease as well as determine if any teeth look diseased or broken. A complete dental cleaning under anesthesia with an ultrasonic scaler (including dental X-rays) will still be necessary care for many pets. I can point you in the right direction to get you the care you need at a brick and mortar facility near you. For those animals that have severe anxiety about going to a Veterinary clinic, I can provide sedation to help make the journey less frightening so that your pets can get the dental care they need with out all the stress!

Take a look at the American Veterinary Medical Association's website highlighting pet dental month. It has great information on brushing teeth, the importance of routine dental care and it discusses why general anesthesia is so important when your pet needs a more thorough cleaning with an ultrasonic scaler.

Don't turn your nose to your pet's bad breath! That odor might signify a serious health risk, with the potential to damage your pet's teeth and overall health.

27/12/2019

We finally received our official Veterinary premise permit this week after an 8 week wait! Only a few more steps and we'll be out on the road seeing patients!