Housecall Veterinarian, LLC

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My full name is Dr. Melora Wittig-Estredge, but most of you know me as Dr. Melora.  I graduated from Colorado State University's School of Veterinary Medicine in 2000, and I have been a veterinarian in the state of Colorado ever since.  While I have enjoyed my time working in a few different clinics in northern Colorado, from Lyons to Longmont to Windsor, my true passion is my housecall practice.  Inspired by my own cats' intense dislike of travel, I started my mobile veterinary practice a few years ago. I love driving around beautiful Northern Colorado, and my clients provide me with an excuse to visit such diverse locations as Carr, Thornton, Estes Park, Lyons, Jamestown, Allenspark, Boulder, Milliken, La Salle,  Drake, Mead, Wellington, Fort Collins, Greeley, and Loveland, as well as staying right here in Windsor.

While I see dogs and cats for a lot of routine reasons, such as wellness and geriatric exams, vaccines, heartworm tests, and such, I strive to give every pet a complete and thorough physical examination.  I am a huge believer in preventative medicine, and I think we can save our pets from a lot of potentially painful and disastrous disease conditions by having them seen by a veterinarian twice a year.  Since our pets age a lot faster than we do, 6 months is the equivalent of a few years for us.  I also believe in screening bloodwork for all "mature" pets (usually 8 or more years of age), in order to detect problems that they can't tell us about and are excellent at hiding.

I can understand the reluctance of many of you to drag your pet(s) into a veterinary clinic, especially when they yowl or release various bodily functions on the way there.  My mobile services enable regular, routine veterinary care without the hassle and stress of shoving the pet into a carrier or just a car, and bringing them into a clinic where you may sit and wait for quite a while with your frazzled pet and busy schedule.  I can provide both convenience and comfort by coming to your house, and I have flexible hours for scheduling. Moreover, I have a gentle, compassionate touch with dogs and cats, and pride myself on making every visit as pleasant and painless as possible for you and them.

If you'd like testimonials from current clients, or if you have any questions or comments, please email me or call me at (970) 217-2894.  To make an appointment for your dogs and cats, I will respond more quickly if you call me, but if it's not that urgent, feel free to email me.  Email goes right to my cell phone, so I check  several times a day.  If you ever call me or email me and do NOT get a response by the next business day, PLEASE try again!  Every once in a while, email or voicemail disappears into space somewhere!  Thanks for checking out my website!  And continue down the page for the latest newsletter...

Safety Reminder: As we enjoy the weather and some activities with our dogs, you may want to pack along a First Aid Kit, just in case you're not right next door to a vet clinic when something happens! I do have a First Aid Kit available for purchase for my clients, pictured below.  Please call or email me if you're interested in ordering one, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else.  Birthdays? Christmas gifts? New puppies or kittens?

And if you do have an emergency, especially one that's a little beyond first aid, feel free to call me, but you can also just go right over to the nearest trustworthy veterinary hospital.  During the day in the Fort Collins/Loveland/Windsor areas, try the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Fort Collins Veterinary Emergency Hospital, or Peak Veterinary Specialists. 

If the need arises over the weekend or after business hours on a weekday, all the emergency clinics should be open and available. So check this site (under "Contact Dr. Melora," there is a page called "Help! In Case of Emergency") or your local phone book for an ER near you.  And remember, it's always a good idea to call in advance so they can prepare for your arrival.  Hopefully, everyone will be safe and sound, but just in case...

On a lighter note, please feel free, as always, to email me any cute photos of your dogs and cats, and I will upload them onto this website, or maybe onto Facebook... ;)

We are continuing to see a bunch of mosquitoes, so REMEMBER HEARTWORM PREVENTION!  Also, if you're seeing a lot of wildlife coming into your yard, or planning some hiking/camping trips, please talk to me about risks and disease prevention needs.

Also, I'd like to remind everyone to keep their dogs and cats up to date on wellness exams, vaccines, dental care, etc.  Remember that old, tired expression about an "ounce of prevention"?  It's still true.  The best long-term health is a result of good preventative health care, and since our dogs and cats age so much more quickly than we do, semi-annual checkups help keep them in tip-top shape! :)  And for everyone who thinks indoor cats don't need vaccines, I can tell you the stories of a few of my clients in recent years who have had BATS fly into their homes, and had their cats grab those bats! :(  Scary, especially since bats are the number one source for rabies in Colorado!

OK,  here are the Halloween photos of my dogs, Badger and Foster!! :)  (some of them, anyway)

(so true)

 Badger as the She Devil

Banana Foster (ha ha) 

"Why, mom, why?"

 "Yup, I'm a pirate!"

 "OK, we were good, now where's our reward?"

***NO DOGS WERE HURT DURING THE PHOTO SESSION, AND THEY DID GET CHEWIES AFTERWARDS!***

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  SPIDER:

On another personal note,  two years ago I diagnosed my (now)11-year-old tuxedo kitty, Spider, with chronic renal (kidney) disease.  For those of you who have been putting off senior bloodwork for your own dogs and cats, my kitty is an example of why we test all seniors (8 years and older).  He was acting normal, eating, nice coat, good teeth, etc., and he lives with a vet!  He had gradually lost a little weight, which was really the only sign that something was going on, but since his housemate (an orange tabby) is a LITTLE pushy about food, I didn't think much of it.  This has been a valuable reminder that our cats and dogs are EXCELLENT at hiding disease.  However, the sooner we find a problem, the better our chances of giving the pet a longer, happier, more normal life.  Just to keep everyone updated, Spider has gained 1.5 pounds since we discovered his chronic kidney disease, and is doing great on  Hill's Feline K/D food, a potassium supplement, and a phosphate binder.  For more information on feline kidney failure, please check out a helpful website, www.felinecrf.com.

This is Spider inside a table runner-- his choice, not mine! ;)  But he's SO photogenic, isn't he? :)

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On a sad note, I just wanted to take a moment to mark the passing of Jodie.  For the 13 years that she spent with her adopted human parents, she was a very lucky dog.  She was a much loved member of the family.  Although I knew her for only about 5 of her years, I feel very lucky to have met her and cared for her.  I loved her like one of my own, and I will miss her "stinky kisses," her wildly wagging little whip of a weiner dog tail, her enthusiastic shaking of her pink pet pig toy, and her crooked little sideways run.  Wherever she is now, she no longer suffers, but all of us who knew her will always have a little hole in our hearts without her daily love and affection.  I will always remember her incredible strength of spirit and will to live, and I hope she knew just how much we all loved her.

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