Vet At Your Door founder and CEO Deirdre Frey holds her dog Nellie. Submitted Photo
FARMINGTON — Vet At Your Door, an at-home veterinary care service for towns across several counties, has recently added Farmington to its area.
The business offers wellness and preventative care, sick visits, hospice care and in-home euthanasia. Its team of veterinarians and assistants travels to towns within Cumberland, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, Kennebec, York, Franklin and Somerset counties. They can handle just about any animal as patients, from cats and dogs to horses and goats.
“We decided to enter into Farmington because it seems like there’s a great need for veterinarians in the Farmington area,” founder Deirdre Frey, VMD, said in a phone interview.
Started by Frey in 2015, Vet At Your Door’s goal is to reduce stress for animals while making access to care easier for rural communities. Since starting the business, Frey said the reaction has been “wonderful” from her clientele.
“It’s definitely a paradigm shift,” she said, from the traditional brick-and-mortar veterinary practices. “I mean, house calls have been around for hundreds of years.”
Frey said the practice allows her team to engage with animals in their natural environment, which helps reduce stress and makes a better experience for the animal and the veterinarian.
Vet At Your Door veterinarian Julie Greenlaw holds a pet. Submitted photo
“We get to see them in their natural environment and pick up on things that we might not otherwise at a veterinary office,” Frey said. She said Julie Greenlaw, who has a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine and science, is doing most of the legwork in the Franklin County area while she handles the business side.
Originally a software engineer, Frey received her bachelor’s degree in operations research and industrial engineering from Cornell University in 1999. In 2008 she fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian when she obtained her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Pennsylvania.
Frey came to Maine in 2011 after completing her internship at the New England Animal Medical Center in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts.
She employs six vets, each with an assistant, who consistently work together to create a better bond with their clients. Calling it their “one team approach,” each client will receive a dedicated team comprised of a veterinarian, veterinary nurse and client liaison to better service their needs.
“So you really get to know not only one doctor, who really gets to know you and your pets,” Frey said, “but also the same veterinary technician goes along with that doctor.
“Additionally, we also have one dedicated client liaison or receptionist dedicated to that client,” she added.
Frey credits the approach as the primary factor for the growth of Vet At Your Door.
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