Pig House Calls

Given the difficulty in transporting large pigs, Dr. Kellar is now offering house calls on pigs. One day per month (either a Thursday or a Saturday); the date of each house call day will rotate based on the availability of our support staff. 

Please call Safe Harbor Animal Clinic to schedule an appointment, (941) 242-0033.  Appointments will be made in the morning. Due to the inexact nature of both pigs and house calls, appointments will not be made for a specific time, but rather for a time slot: e.g., "between 9:00AM and 11:00AM," "between 11:00AM and 1:00PM," etc. Owners will need to be available during that time, or you’ll need to reschedule your appointment.     

Appointments will be for wellness only. Exams, vaccines, hoof trims and tusk trims will be performed on-site. Sick or injured animals will still need to be transported to the clinics by their owners. On occasion, for minor and non-urgent problems we may take samples back to the clinic for diagnostics, but that will be at the doctor’s discretion.     

Because pigs are large, powerful, and very dramatic (even the sweet ones), sedation will commonly be used for exams, and will be required for hoof and tusk trims. This is part of why exact appointment times will not be made: different animals recover from sedation at different rates, and we will not leave until the patient is fully recovered.     

Owners will need to be aware that all activities will be performed outside; that the pigs will need to be ready in a confined area when staff get there; and that masks will be required to be worn by all parties at all times. Pigs should also be fasted for 12-24 hours prior to their appointments in case sedation is needed.