From full comprehensive exams to annual wellness checkups, a new veterinary clinic provides affordable pet care services to San Marcos pet owners.
Opened on Sept. 8, Mini Vet Express Veterinary Clinic is a limited-service veterinary clinic that offers low-cost pet screenings, vaccinations, exams and treatments.
Dr. Natasha Idom Allen, practice owner and vet of Mini Vet Express Veterinary Clinic, said the idea behind Mini Vet Express developed during her time as a relief veterinarian after seeing the struggles with finding low-cost pet care clinics that many pet owners shared.
“They [Pet owners] had this strong desire to take their pet to the vet, and they would often ask, ‘Could their pet be seen for other reasons, other than just getting the vaccines?’ And I’d have to advise them that, unfortunately, the vaccine clinics are strictly for healthy pets,” Allen said.
Allen said although Mini Vet Express is not a traditional full-service veterinary clinic, it works with primary care vets for advanced treatment and is focused on preventative and minor health concerns.
“[Primary care vets] just want to make sure that their pet is still healthy, and when we screen and if we did find something, then we would be willing to partner with [pet owners’] full service vet with that care,” Allen said. “Then they know what we’ve done so far, and what care the pet parent is seeking and what the pet is in need of, so that they follow up with their full service to get that care.”
According to Allen, a full pet examination costs $50; however, prices can go up to $180 depending on other testing services.
Sarahi Rico, former San Marcos resident and veterinary technician in New Braunfels, said low-cost clinics make a big difference for pet owners who feel they have run out of options to provide their pets the best care.
“If [pet care] cost could be reduced to something more appropriate, then I think a lot more people would feel like they have a better option of ‘Okay, I can prevent this many litters or, you know, XYZ,” Rico said. “A lot of people have compared vet med expenses to also just being like human healthcare, which I can to an extent agree with, on that things are just constantly going up,” Rico said.
Apart from vaccinations and regular checkups, Mini Vet Express also offers additional services such as nail trimming, microchipping and weekend vaccine clinic events.
Allen said during Mini Vet Express’s weekend vaccine clinics, prices for vaccines are lower than full business hour prices, with pet owners able to choose between different vaccine packages curated based on the pet’s age.
“We don’t do exams on the weekend at vaccine clinics. We do what’s called a visual exam, and if the pet is visually healthy and has not had any vomiting or diarrhea over the past 48 hours prior to them coming to see us, and they’re eating and drinking, then we just give them the vaccine,” Allen said.
For older dogs, pet owners can choose between the complete annual package costing $84 or only vaccinations costing $70. For older cats, pet owners can choose between two vaccine packages costing $70 or $110 for the addition of a Feline Leukemia Test.
Starting at 7-10 weeks old, puppy vaccine packages cost $45 up to $75, while the kittens’ vaccine packages cost up to $45 to $68, which are spread out between three visits.
Allen said Mini Vet Express does provide male cat neuter services, but due to the length and needed resources, they are unable to perform any spay and neuter services for female cats or male and female dogs.
Carly Decker, San Marcos resident, said as a foster dog parent, she has found emergency care and surgery services to be the most expensive and resorts to traveling out of town to pet clinics.
“The vet I use is in Wimberley and [it’s] the vet that I take a bunch of rescue dogs to,” Beth said. “But of course we have a problem with overpopulation in Hays County, and part of getting that or trying to get that under control is spay and neuter, and it isn’t always easy to do at all.”
Rico emphasized the importance of looking at alternative forms of affordable pet care, such as Emancipet and Pet Prevent a Litter of Central Texas (PALS), to better understand the best options for your pet.
“A lot of people feel like ‘Oh my God, I want a cat, but I can’t afford it!’ and that’s totally cool, you know, be mindful of your situation,” Rico said. “Although the world can be very cruel, there are plenty of people out there who are willing to help you. You just have to ask, and you just have to put it out there.”
Although renovations to the clinic’s treatment area are still underway, the clinic is currently open to the public and accepting new clients.
Mini Vet Express Veterinary Clinic will hold its ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 6.
