Two veterinarians who grew up out-of-state fell in love with the local community and started a business that provides on the road services 24/7 for both large and small animals.

Red Barn Mobile Veterinary Services was launched in August by co-owners Dr. Kathryn Kammerer and Dr. Tasha Bradley. The name of the business was inspired by the different red barns in the Palouse.

Kammerer graduated from WSU in May 2019 with a doctorate in veterinary medicine. She grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and worked as a small animal veterinary nurse for VCA Cottonwood Animal Hospital for about 10 years. She also volunteered at Wasatch Veterinary, which is a mobile clinic.

Bradley interned with the WSU Animal Disease Biotech Facility. She is from Lake District, England. After graduating in 2017 from the University of Nottingham in England, she moved to the Palouse for a farm animal medicine and surgery internship with WSU where she met Kammerer. She is currently working on transferring her veterinary license to the U.S.

With the service, they wanted to meet the community’s need for mobile veterinarians for small and large animals, Kammerer said. They want to treat animals where they are most comfortable. This helps alleviate the stress on the animal and the owner.

“I think there is a huge need for a mobile service— the vets going to the farm, the ranch or the stables—because loading a sick animal into a trailer can be really stressful for both the animal and the owner,” she said.

Kammerer said their service emphasizes compassion and honesty. They want the experience to be positive for the animal and the client. They also keep their prices competitive. A 10 percent discount is given to college students, senior citizens and ex-military individuals.

The service covers a 100-mile radius within the Pullman-Moscow area and runs 24/7, Bradley said. Their Red Barn Mobile truck has a variety of tools including a refrigerator, a heater and medical supplies.

Kammerer said they provide a variety of services including blood work, ultrasounds, vaccines and behavior consults. They do not perform surgeries that require anesthesia. Their website provides a detailed list of their services.

They find the job very rewarding even though it is challenging and time-consuming, Bradley said. They received three emergency calls Friday night and did not get home until after midnight. She said the people make their work worthwhile.

Being available to their clients is at the core of their service’s philosophy, Bradley said. Sometimes clients do not have the means to take their animals to a clinic. There are also not many large animal veterinarians in the area who are able to provide at-home services for clients.

“Some people don’t have trailers, or they don’t have the means to be able to get them into a trailer,” Kammerer said. “It just works out better if we’re able to go to them, especially if it’s an emergency and they can’t get the animal loaded.”

Bradley said serving their clients at their homes or ranches gives them an opportunity to develop relationships with their clients and make the visits more personal.

“If they have a good relationship with us, then they can feel like they can ask us questions,” Kammerer said. “For us to be able to have a good communication and relationship—that’s part of why it’s so important.”

During their visits, they make sure to help educate their clients about animal health and care, she said. They also do various community outreach projects to help educate the community.

“Part of our mission statement when we started Red Barn was that we wanted to help the community make educated decisions about how to take care of their animals,” Bradley said. “Yes, we’re running a business, but we’re passionate about inspiring the next generation, educating people in the community, and how to look after their animals.”

She said they are grateful for the community’s acceptance of them and their work. They are happy to run their business in the area because people have been supportive.

“Just being out on farms, getting to meet people and become a part of their lives really is fun,” Bradley said. “That’s why we wanted to do this. It’s kind of a new adventure every day.”