This doctor makes house calls

MOSES LAKE — It’s the rare doctor these days that makes house calls.

But Jesyka Morrison is one of them.

She won’t see you, though, or treat you for what ails you — aches, pains, or give you a shot — but she will see your pet.

So if you see her big white van out and about — she bought it second hand from a veterinarian in Portland — you know that Morrison and her crew are out to give the best care they know how to a cat, dog or -increasingly - to a cow, a sheep or even a horse.

“I love the people. I love the animals. I love going to people’s houses,” said Morrison, a long-time Moses Lake veterinarian. “People just love to tell us their stories.”

Morrison is no stranger to treating sick or injured animals. As an on-call veterinarian at a veterinary practice in Moses Lake, she was responsible for providing immediate care to Moses Lake Police dog Chief after he was shot in the eye by a fleeing suspect in March 2020. She even stayed with the injured K9 officer as he was airlifted to Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Pullman.

Chief survived and recovered from his injuries but has since retired after losing an eye in the incident.

So for a veterinarian, Morrison knows a thing or two about being on-call and life-or-death situations.

“I like the fast-paced work of being in a fast-paced hospital, but you miss out on that connection as well,” Morrison said. “And when you're actually going into their home, (you) really get that connection. You work with them on a one-on-one basis and really connect with them.”

That personal service is a part of what makes the job satisfying, she said.

“It’s just a neat connection,” she added.

Morrison and her staff — Ashley Winn, Jessica Joslin and Jennifer Villanueva — have partnered with Basin Feed & Supply in Moses Lake to be the home base for the mobile veterinary van. The van is fully equipped to do surgery and lab work, and Morrison said she is planning on being able to do X-rays as well in the next month or so.

“We do home visits,” she said. “We do surgeries, dental cleanings, spays, neuters, and vaccines.”

Morrison said animals are often more comfortable at home, in familiar surroundings, and sometimes owners cannot get around easier either.

Chase Sidwell, whose family owns Basin Feed & Supply, said he needed to partner with a veterinarian because even though he’s a licensed pharmacist, he can’t prescribe. And tighter restrictions on the use of animal pharmaceuticals mean everything, including antibiotics commonly used in animal feed to promote growth, will require a veterinarian’s prescription.

“Because by the end of this year, every antibiotic over the counter will be a script,” Sidwell said. “If you’ve got a cow-calf operation, 500 head, and you use antibiotics, and you got pneumonia going through, you can’t just get it over the counter anymore.”

Sidwell also believes it’s unique for a feed store like his to offer an on-call veterinarian.

“That’s almost like making history,” he said. “The first feed store probably in the United States with a veterinarian inside.”

While most of Morrison’s experience is with cats and dogs — she pointedly noted she does not treat exotic animals — she said she’s just learning to deal with bigger, livestock animals.

“I have horses. I have cows. I have goats. I have chicken. That’s a hobby farm,” she said. “So I’m used to handling them, but not necessarily treating them.”

For example, Morrison said she knows when her horse gets colicky, but she’s never treated her horse for colic. And that’s what she is learning how to do now.

“I can read it all in a textbook, but it's different when you actually have to put your hands on that animal and go through that procedure and prescribe the medication,” she said.

It helps that assistants Winn and Joslin both grew up on ranches with lots of animals and a frequent need of veterinary care.

“I own horses. Lots of them, more than I need. And my kids rodeo now,” Joslin said. “I’ve lots of experience with large animals. So that’s kind of why I joined her.”

“It's definitely a learning experience. It’s a lot different than dogs and cats,” Morrison added. “It's not so much the handling as it is different medications, different treatment options, different disease processes.”

A basic visit is $97 for a small animal, Morrison said, though the fee for larger animals will vary depending on the animal.

And so far, despite only being in business a short time and only originally conceiving of the mobile veterinary van as a side gig, Morrison said she’s been booked and busy. Bookings are available by calling 509-770-5704.

“The support has been amazing. We’ve been busy,” she said. “I mean, it just exploded more than I could ever imagine. It really is taking off and I’m just so grateful.”

“It’s going to be huge,” Sidwell added.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com