Helping to make check-ups or treatment much more relaxing is a veterinary team that cares for animals in the comfort of their own homes.
Veterinary surgeon Suzanne Muirhead, registered veterinary nurse Will Townsend and receptionist Claire Pugh joined forces to start a West Midlands branch of Vets On The Meowve 鈥 a veterinary practice on wheels.
Covering a 30-mile radius of DY6, the team visits pets across Dudley, Wolverhampton and Walsall as well as parts of Sandwell and Telford.
Most of their patients are dogs and cats but they also care for rabbits and small furries such as guinea pigs, hamsters and ferrets 鈥 and have even tended to parrots.
The mobile practice is fully equipped with everything the team needs from X-ray and ultrasound machines to surgical equipment.
鈥淲e can do everything a bricks and mortar practice can do apart from offering emergency overnight care, but we work alongside a veterinary practice in Oldbury and we can transport the patient there,鈥 explains Claire.
鈥淓verybody is amazed when they see the van and what鈥檚 inside.
鈥淲e can do dental X-rays, ultrasounds and operations in the van 鈥 we just need to hook up for the electricity.
鈥淭he great thing about it is that if a pet needs a general anaesthetic, Suzanne and Will can give it to them when they鈥檙e inside the home and then take them out to the van to do the procedure when they鈥檙e asleep.
鈥淎fterwards, they can bring them back inside their home where they can wake up in their own bed with familiar smells and their owner waiting for them,鈥 she adds.
The trio, who on average visit eight patients a day, teamed up in January to start the West Midlands branch of Vets On The Meowve this year after working together at a local practice and becoming good friends.
鈥淰ets On The Meowve is a franchise that originated in Newcastle and was started by Christine Dixon.
鈥淭here are branches in Tyne & Wear and Teesside and we鈥檙e the third franchise,鈥 explains Claire.
Suzanne, who has a cat named Esme, has been working in small animal practice since graduating from Glasgow University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2010.
Spending time with animals was the driving force behind her desire to become a vet.
鈥淚 love all animals and my mum and dad wouldn鈥檛 let me get a dog so I think I decided I would work with them instead.
鈥淚 love looking after people鈥檚 pets and working with them to make sure they are happy and looked after.
鈥淚t feels so much easier in people鈥檚 homes because everything is more relaxed and the pets are happier because they are in their own environment.
鈥淒ogs that are friendly love it because they get lots of fuss and treats.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great for cats that get stressed travelling in the car because they don鈥檛 have to leave the house. If we do need to take them into the van, we can be in and out quickly,鈥 says Suzanne, aged 37.
Will, who has two Jack Russells named Daisy and Maisie, has been a veterinary nurse, working in small animal practice, for 12 years.
He qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2017 and became the head nurse at a busy practice in 2021.
鈥淚 always wanted to be a veterinary nurse. I started working in a practice when I left school.
鈥淚 love everything about it, particularly caring for the pets through their journey and talking to their owners.
鈥淲hat I love about home visits is that we get to spend more time with the pets and their owners and we can make it a more relaxing and calmer experience for them,鈥 says the 29-year-old.
Claire, aged 54, who has a rescue Staffordshire Bull Terrier, named Fonzi, has been working in the veterinary industry for five years.
Her duties include answering enquiries, scheduling appointments and organising the team鈥檚 diary.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been working really well and we鈥檙e a good team because we all have our different strengths.
鈥淚 love helping and talking to the owners and meeting the pets,鈥 she says.
Vets On The Meowve offers a pet health club for dogs, cats and rabbits, which includes annual vaccinations and health check up as well as other benefits. For details, visit vetsonthemeowve.com/west-midlands