Richard Goldstein”™s business is of the mobile kind ”“ only without the iGadgets and the apps.
Instead, the 20-year veterinarian operates his practice out of a 26-foot-long vehicle designed by La Boit Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, a manufacturer of mobile medical, dental and veterinary clinics.
The New Rochelle resident crossed paths with La Boit at a trade show and called it his “light bulb moment.”
“I thought it was something people would respond to,” he said.
For starters, the fact that “dogs and cats hate the car” ”“ especially en route to the vet ”“ is “universal.”
“They”™re miserable the minute they see what they”™re getting into,” Goldstein said. “Our target is people who have busy schedules who can”™t necessarily get to the vet during the day, stay-at-home parents who don”™t want to pack up the kids and the dog and go to the vet and seniors who can”™t get to the vet because they don”™t have transportation.”
Goldstein also works with animal shelters and rescue organizations since “those animals are already under a lot of stress already.”
The mobile veterinary clinic comes fully equipped with the standard equipment you”™d expect from a traditional operation.
Goldstein said there is a fully functional surgical suite and digital X-ray machine.
“I can do pretty much everything I can do in a stationary office,” he said.
Referrals would be made in an instance where “a critical case or intensive care” is involved.
According to the La Boit website, a full-service mobile vet clinic built on a Ford E-450 frame ranges in price from $1,700 to $3,000 per month when a seven-year finance plan is used.
So far, Goldstein”™s business has picked up every week since the spring launch of the Mobile Vet Squad.
“I think Westchester just fits the demographic,” Goldstein said. “People are busy here. A lot are on the go with commuting.”
As for adding vehicles and expanding his tri-state reach, “we get a lot of referrals. When people are walking down the street and they see a giant cat and dog on the side (of the truck) they wonder what it is.”
