On the road: changing trends in equine mobile practice

The means of transportation for a country practitioner was preferred in the order named; horse or team and buggy; horse and road cart, a two-wheeled vehicle with a simple and very hard board seat on which no cushion could be fastened; horseback; and finally just plain everyday walking it."

Such was the description of "mobile practice" at the turn of the century provided in the book, The Horse and Buggy Doctor, by Arthur E. Hertzler, MD, published in 1938.

This early definition of practice vehicles applied to veterinarians as well, though many horse owners were willing to transport their animals to the livery or vet clinic when sickness and lameness did not prohibit travel. Still, veterinarians have been taking to the road and making their rounds for decades. The types of vehicles they use for practice have changed and evolved throughout that time, and recent developments seem to signal the beginning of another chapter in the history of mobile equine practice.

The mid-19th century saw veterinarians using medical bags or "grips" that could be stored conveniently in the large trunks of the cars of the 1950s and 1960s. The appropriate bag was simply grabbed from the trunk and taken to the field or stall to treat a colic or to suture a laceration.

The rapid expansion in medications and other pharmaceuticals in the 1960s, however, soon meant that practitioners had to carry a bigger inventory, so more space was required. Fortunately, automobile manufacturers were producing just such vehicles and veterinarians began to move from cars to station wagons and then to vans. Gasoline was cheap and plentiful, and the need for space and carrying capacity was paramount.

Inserts and 'vet boxes'

Automobile makers later dictated the next trend in mobile practice as the pick-up truck was perfected. This vehicle allowed the equine veterinarian a means of transport that was rugged, could deal with rough and occasionally uneven rural roads, could go out into pastures as needed (important in cattle and some horse practices), was relatively comfortable for the practitioner and still provided a large amount of room.

Because drugs and equipment (like newly introduced mobile radiographic units) had to be protected, a new industry emerged: The production of inserts or "vet boxes." These were cabinets, or boxes with sets of drawers, that could be put into various vehicles for organization, ease of access and protection of valuable inventory and tools.

In 1960, Dr. M.C. Bowie founded Bowie Manufacturing in Lake City, Iowa. He was frustrated with working out of his car when making veterinary calls and developed a mobile unit designed to make such calls more convenient and efficient.

Dr. R.J. Buzzetti, a large-animal veterinarian, and Jim Barber founded the company Porta-Vet in 1964 and began building durable and functional mobile clinics that fit into the back of a van. LaBoit Inc., of Gahanna, Ohio, is another company that began producing its particular cabinet clinics that fit into vans originally.

Porta-Vet was sold in 1972, and the new owner had a vision: A new mobile unit made out of an emerging material — fiberglass — and engineered to fit into the back of the increasingly popular pick-up truck. Bowie Manufacturing already was producing truck insert units since 1969, with the first such mobile clinic called the "mini," and these three companies (Bowie, Porta-Vet and LaBoit) provided the majority of practitioners' mobile units for the next 25 to 30 years.

But veterinary practice continued to evolve and the type of practitioner, the nature of practice and the environment and economy combined to trigger a new set of changes.

The modern trend

Actually many of these new changes probably began eight to 10 years ago, according to Jeff Blais, sales executive for mobile inserts for LaBoit Inc. "The trend away from larger vehicles and trucks toward smaller SUVs with more compact inserts probably has been happening for the last 10 years or so," he says. LaBoit Inc. (along with others) currently manufactures a number of different-sized cabinets and vet units designed to fit everything from station wagons and vans, which were the original units the company began with, to newer cabinets that can transform the biggest to the smallest of SUVs into a mobile veterinary practice vehicle.

"The desire for better, more fuel-efficient vehicles has been key in the move to more SUV-sized units," says Blais, "but the introduction of more women into the equine practice field undoubtedly has had an influence as well."

Dr. Lisa Eller from the Arthur Veterinary Clinic in Arthur, Ill., agrees, saying, "The current trend of vehicles is a result of more women equine veterinarians, plus a more fuel-conscious mind-set. We are all thinking more green."

Eller's vehicle choices parallel that of the industry as a whole. Starting practice from scratch, she chose a Ford Escort station wagon with a custom-made box insert as her first vehicle. Over the next 15 years, and after getting stuck a few times in muddy fields, Eller moved to a Ford Explorer and a veterinary insert. "I liked the size and room but the gas mileage eventually became a factor," Eller says.

When gasoline prices began rising, mobile practitioners saw both price and access affect their practice. Increases of almost 400 percent in the price of a gallon of gasoline over the last five to eight years began to make mobile equine veterinarians rethink their vehicle choices.

A large truck with a fully loaded insert gets roughly 12 to 14 miles per gallon or less (depending on the make, model and options). A mid-range SUV can push that to more than 20 miles per gallon; in a day involving 100 miles or more of driving, those savings can be substantial.

Many practitioners initially fought higher gas prices by going to trucks fueled by lower-cost diesel fuel, but the price of diesel has caught up and now exceeds that of gasoline, eliminating this choice as a money-saving option.

Even if practitioners don't have an issue with the high price of fuel, there is the occasional problem with finding it in some areas.

In the wake of hurricane damage to pipelines in Texas during September of this year, certain areas of the country faced dangerously short supplies of gasoline. Equine practitioners around Atlanta, Nashville and a few other eastern cities endured a gas shortage eerily reminiscent of the oil embargo days of the 1980s.

Gas prices during a roughly two-week stretch soared to nearly $4.50 a gallon, and the majority of stations simply had no gasoline to sell. Long gas lines were everywhere, and even the suspicion that a gas tanker would soon be arriving caused motorists to begin lining up and jockeying for position near the pumps.

Often veterinarians had enough fuel to make emergency calls on evenings and weekends, but had no way to be sure that they could find enough gas to get them home again. Almost all mobile practitioners left equipment at the clinic to make room for gas cans in their trucks.

Today's vehicle of choice

Gasoline prices and the uncertain economy were the final pushes that seem to have tipped the scale from large trucks to small SUVs.

"I was changing, and so was my clientele," says Eller.

More clients have stables with good wash stalls and working areas, making the need for portable water and hoses (long a stable part of the vet truck insert units) unnecessary.

More clients have accepted the concept of the equine hospital or clinic and are willing to haul in their horses. "I wondered why I ever went to a bigger vehicle and decided that I didn't need quite as much inventory," Eller says.

She switched to a Ford Freestyle that offers better mileage and a lot of versatility.

Additionally, SUVs offer another row of seats that can be reclined for vet storage use and then put upright and used for passengers, infant or child car seats and other personal needs.

"Being only 5'3" and working on horses has taken its toll on me," Eller explains. saying that's the rationale behind her choice of a fuel-efficient, more comfortable, smaller SUV. "I've gotten much smarter," she adds. "I no longer drive out into fields of mud."

What's next?

The longevity of modern veterinary inserts factors into responses given when company representatives were asked what advice they give mobile practitioners and their thoughts on the future of equine practice vehicles.

Almost all believe flex-fuel vehicles and alternate fuel sources will be part of the next chapter in practice vehicles. If fuel becomes less expensive or if alternative energy sources are found, then size and comfort will again be factors.

Newer equipment is being developed constantly, and high-end mobile practitioners already need room to carry digital radiography units, thermo-graphy cameras and digital ultrasound machines, with more gadgets and devices coming soon.

Going smaller may not be possible for everyone, and may not always be better, Blais cautions.

"Remember that a mobile veterinary insert can weigh close to 200 pounds. Add to that the weight of all the drugs and equipment, and it starts to add up. Smaller SUVs are not designed to handle that weight, leading to problems with the frame, wear and replacement of shocks, brakes and tires. That may make smaller a poorer choice," he says.

If the cost of the units are factored over their average life and the difference in maintenance offset against the cost of gasoline, then the decisions become a bit harder.

Still, the changing demographics of equine veterinarians and current economic conditions have likely closed the chapter on the mobile equine practice truck.

As we have seen, a new vehicle choice will be made and modern equine veterinarians will still ride the roads and make their rounds with a historical reminder that there is also, finally, "just plain everyday walking it."

Marcella is an equine practitioner in Canton, Ga.