• Issue: Fall 2018
  Tags: Alumni
  By: Carolyn Bernhardt

Sandra Soucheray, ’02 DVM, can treat three dogs in just one hour. She has spent the last three years driving across the Twin Cities to take care of dogs and cats at home. Soucheray worked in a clinic for 13 years before launching Dr. Soucheray’s At Home Veterinary Care, her own mobile practice. Now, she keeps all her equipment in her van and provides pet care in her clients’ homes. She has found that pets respond better to treatment in their natural environment”some don’t even have to leave their bed. 

“A lot of pets don’t like traveling in cars,” says Soucheray. And for many pets, hospitals and clinics can be overstimulating. Soucheray and her mobile team often end up offering their services to clients whose pets are long overdue for a vet appointment. Soucheray’s mobile service includes vaccinations, evaluations, blood work, treatments for many illnesses, and behavior and nutrition control. Being inside homes often gives Soucheray the opportunity to see how changing an animal’s environment can help with managing behavioral issues or illnesses such as osteoarthritis. 

The at-home approach also offers clients a more comfortable setting for end-of-life care. This year, Soucheray was one of 62 veterinarians around the world who were the first to be certified in hospice and palliative care by the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care. 

When Soucheray worked in a clinic, she tried to give families as much time and space as they needed during euthanasia procedures, but now she can offer families a more personal experience. Many families opt to have their pet sedated in their favorite place outside while saying goodbyes.