No more bribing the pet to go to the vet: Mobile Veterinary Options brings the vet to the pet
Oct 02, 2025 01:06PM ● By Cassie Goff
River, the black dog seen in the middle of Dr. Swain (left) and Moseley (right), is happy he doesn’t have to go into a physical office for his vet check-up. No more having to wait in a lobby of nervous animals, Mobile Veterinary Options comes to you! (Photo courtesy of Mobile Veterinary Options)
Do you know where the closest veterinarian is to you right now? Or how you’d get your pet there? Sometimes, getting our non-human family members into see the doctor can seem like a daunting task. That’s where Dr. Kate Swain has Salt Lake County residents covered. Swain is the owner and operator of Mobile Veterinary Options: a mobile veterinary service. Yes, you read that right – a vet van.
After working in two clinics for over 12 years, Dr. Swain noticed how the animals that had bad experiences in the vet’s office wouldn’t come back. When dogs and cats would get panicked on the way into the vet’s office, they’d react based on their fear instincts.
“It’s also a lot of stress on the owners,” said Swain. “It’s stressful when you know taking your pet in isn’t going to go smoothly. It makes people just stop taking their pets in.”
"I would say we get a wide range of calls regardings pets who get stressed going to the vet, elderly clients who can’t drive, and behavior cases,” said Veterinary Technician Stacie Moseley. “Mobile clinics are designed to help with these things. It’s an incredible feeling when we get to help a normally stressed out pet during an exam.”
Dr. Swain wanted to provide better options for pet-owners as, just like with us humans, yearly exams are important for animal health.
Cheeto, the chihuahua, gives Dr. Swain and Mobile Veterinary Options two paws up. (Photo courtesy of Mobile Veterinary Options)
“We are trying to get ahead of diseases,” Swain said. “If animals can get in once per year, same as with people and our yearly exams, we can catch things early with bloodwork.”
Mobile Veterinary Options travels throughout Salt Lake County to visit dogs, cats, and horses outside of an office environment. During an appointment, Dr. Swain can either come into the animal's environment or walk the animal out to the van.
“Some dogs are protective of their own space; some do better when we come to them. It’s really variable,” she said.
Swain shared how visiting the animal’s environment can help to provide some insight into what problems may exist. For example, one of the top three issues she visits clients for is allergies. Peaking into the animal’s environment who is experiencing allergy symptoms can help her deduce if they’re suffering from food or environmental allergies.
“After being in the field for 20 years, it is still about providing the best care tailored to the human animal bond. That means sitting with clients as they make hard decisions,” Moseley said. “It means listening to clients explain every detail of what is happening to see the full picture. It's helping those who would sell their life to help their best friend. This job is about the animals, but it's also about their humans.”
Together with Veterinary Technician Stacie Moseley, Dr. Swain offers a variety of services for dogs, cats, and horses throughout the valley. They can conduct wellness, emergency, and qualify of life exams and mobile surgeries including dental surgeries, general surgeries, and spay and neuter. They’re also equipped and prepared for home hospice and end-of-life care services including quality of life examples, pain management, and euthanasia.
Dr. Kate Swain is dedicated to your pet’s pain management, and offers “at your home” acupuncture and laser therapy! These services are especially helpful for horses and their back muscles. (Photo courtesy of Mobile Veterinary Options)
“It’s just the two of us and we love it,” Swain said. “We get to go on beautiful drives. It’s, overall, so much better for my personal wellbeing to be out.”
Moseley grew up in Upstate New York and has been in the veterinary field for over 18 years. Her areas of interest include animal behavior and training, feline diseases, surgery, and pain management. She is a certified dog trainer, pet sitter, and gardener.
“Stacie is one of the best techs I’ve ever worked with,” Swain said. “I don’t know what I’d do if she quit. She’s irreplaceable.”
Dr. Swain studied veterinary medicine at Glasgow University for five years before returning to Utah to continue her education and career, and be close to her family. Her areas of interest include surgery, dentistry, acupuncture, and rescue medicine.
“When you find a special veterinarian like (Swain), it’s hard to imagine not working with her,” said Moseley.
Mobile Veterinary Options also offers their four-legged clients options for acupuncture and laser therapy services. Acupuncture benefits include relaxation, endorphin release, and response from tight muscles (especially in the backs of horses).
“Laser therapy is an option for animals who can’t have more pain medication,” Swain said. “It’s really easy to do without touching them.”
Mobile Veterinary Options has a class 4 laser that can penetrate to the bone - which can help with things like bone fractures, ear infections, and bladder stones.
Swain mentioned that chronic pain in animals is more common than many pet-owners realize. Chronic arthritis in older animals, as well as soft injury tissue in horses, is a common occurrence in their day-to-day life.
“When they see their dog or cat everyday, they just don’t see that their animal is in pain,” said Swain. “A lot of animals are living with chronic pain.”
Dr. Swain highly recommends for all residents with pets to invest in pet insurance.
“It’s super helpful for people to have pet insurance because we can do more for the animals,” she said.
In addition, Swain thinks we’re still catching up on spay and neutering, even in 2025. She would like to see more education throughout the County on spay and neuter.
This gentle giant (155 lbs.), Tootsie Bear, did amazing for his exam with Dr. Swain! Any guesses on his weight? (Photo courtesy of Mobile Veterinary Optio
Mobile Veterinary Options celebrated their two-year anniversary on Aug. 14. Dr. Swain’s and Moseley’s next big step in their business is to acquire a full body X-ray machine – which roughly costs $80,000.
Besides equipment, Dr. Swain has noticed a huge need for large animal vets in the area. About once per week, she gets a call about a goat, pig, or cow and has to decline. She’s also noticing an increasing call volume for chickens.
Mobile Veterinary Options is currently traveling to take appointments throughout Salt Lake County: between West Valley and the Pointe of the Mountain. Routine check-ups and exams can be booked out for about two weeks as Swain and Mosesly plan to leave room in their daily schedules for emergency calls.
“With the first two years up and running, we have seen so many. I have patients that I miss who have crossed the rainbow bridge. I remember them all and their stories… Being mobile really makes you feel like a part or extension of their families,” Moseley said.
Dr. Swain would like to give a shout-out to Teddy Miller, a chihuahua mix, who joined the many precious others in the doggy after-life on Aug. 16. “He was the most ridiculously lovely dog.”
Find information and news about pet-care through their socials on Facebook and Instagram at @mobileveterinaryoptions
To request an appointment through Mobile Veterinary Options call: 801-200-3607
Or visit their website at: www.mobileveterinaryoptions.com
