An occasional chewed up shoe or clawed sofa notwithstanding, most pet owners agree their furry friends make life better. Taking care of those pets, however, from feeding to vet care to cleanup, can be a lot of work. We’ve found a few local companies that bring in-demand pet services straight to your door to make pet lovers’ lives a little easier, too.
The Pet Pantry
Ever find yourself wishing pet stores were open at 11 p.m. so Kitty could have breakfast in the morning because you forgot to stop at the store on your way home? Let the food come to you and this problem will be one of the past.
The Pet Pantry owner Thor Wendland shows off the wide variety of house-brand holistic food.
The Pet Pantry, founded in 2005, carries a selection of national brand treats, toys, cat litter and other animal care items. Its unique dog and cat food, however, is a house line of holistic options produced from human-grade ingredients at a facility in Ohio. It travels to a climate-controlled warehouse in Apex, where it’s stored, packaged for transport and delivered, usually within about four weeks of production. "The only time it’s not temperature controlled is when it’s at your front door," said owner Thor Wendland.
“We don’t use byproducts, corn, wheat, soy or artificial colorings,” he noted. Wendland says The Pet Pantry’s foods are better than varieties available at retail stores and encourages customers to compare nutrition labels. Varieties range from no-frills kibble to weight management formulas, senior health blends and even Opticoat for dogs with allergies or tear stains, among others. Bird and small animal food are also carried, and special orders can be accommodated.
Before purchasing, clients are offered a sample of four pounds of dog food or one pound of cat food. A flavor can be selected, or The Pet Pantry will choose a recommended variety for a particular pet based on a series of questions.
Food and other purchases are delivered for free in the Triangle and Triad by The Pet Pantry’s drivers. “Our guys will carry it wherever it needs to go,” Wendland said, even if that’s down a flight of stairs in the basement. Paid shipping is available elsewhere.
If quality food and great service aren’t enough reason to buy, The Pet Pantry customers can select from a list of more than a dozen local animal-related charities at the time of their first order. The H.E.A.L. program, “Helping Every Animal Live better,” will donate 7 percent of each dollar to the group and continue the donations for all future purchases.
For more information on The Pet Pantry, visit www.feedyourpets.com/ or call (919) 303-1990.
Mobile Laser Veterinary Services
While some dogs get excited about the wind in their fur and the sights, sounds and smells associated with a car ride, others find the experience a bit traumatic and prefer to stay at home in the comfort of their own yards. And for cat owners, the ride to a vet’s office might be a good reason to stock up on bandages.
Regardless of the pet’s perspective, any owner can benefit from the added convenience of a full vet clinic simply pulling into the driveway.
Raleigh-based Mobile Laser Veterinary Services brings Dr. Janine Sagris to homes or other locations in Wake County and surrounding areas to perform everything from general wellness care, immunizations, microchipping and dental care to nutritional counseling, surgery including spay and neuters, radiology, euthanasia and pain management services. The only thing the mobile clinic can’t do is orthopedic surgeries or other surgeries that require an overnight stay.
Mobile Laser is unique from the other 8–10 house-call vets in the Triangle in that it uses a CO2 cutting laser in all surgeries that seals the blood vessels and the nerve endings as it cuts through tissue. “There is little to no bleeding, little to no swelling, greatly minimized pain,” Sagris said. “Routine laser surgeries do not require external sutures, so the animal has nothing to chew. The pets return to normal activity much faster than with scalpel surgeries.”
Sagris advises owners to schedule appointments two weeks in advance for surgeries and dental work, and one week for vaccines. Same- or next-day appointments can be accommodated for sick visits. Overall cost is comparable to brick-and-mortar facilities, with services prices being on average a bit cheaper, plus a small per-visit house-call fee.
The clinic is in service Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information on Mobile Laser Veterinary Services, visit www.mobilelaservet.com/ or call (919) 789-1109.
Doody Calls
Healthy, well-fed pets provide endless companionship, entertainment … and poop. While it might not be fun to think about, waste cleanup is a fact of life for pet owners.
David and Galya Mann hope to take a bit of the ick factor out of the mix for dog owners with their franchise of national chain Doody Calls. The husband and wife team opened the franchise 3.5 years ago after moving to the area. Galya handles office work and accounting, and David visits homes and neighborhoods in Wake and parts of Johnson counties to clean yards of pet waste.
The cleaning process involves David Mann walking the entire yard twice in a pattern to ensure all waste has been collected. Waste can be double bagged and placed in the pet owner’s trash, or Doody Calls can carry it away and dispose of it for a small additional fee.
“I scoop six days a week, rain or shine, snow heat, everything,” David Mann said. “If I can get there, I do it.”
Prices start as low as $12 per cleaning. About half of residential customers choose service once a week, with the most additional customers opting for every other week. One-time cleanings are also available. Galya Mann notes that customers receive discounts for prepaid services to the tune of 5 percent for three months, 10 percent for six months or 15 percent for an annual prepaid plan.
Homeowners associations and property managers also take advantage of the pet cleanup service.
A cat box cleanup program is being tested at select other Doody Calls locations, and David Mann says when the kinks have been worked out of that system they will offer it as well.
Owners do not need to be home for Doody Calls to clean the property, and well-behaved dogs are free to roam the yard while Mann cleans.
For more information on Doody Calls, visit www.doodycalls.com or call 1 (800) 366-3922.
