Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 13, 1993 TAG: 9301130078
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
THE DOCTOR'S . . . OUT
Vanessa Rolfe is no ordinary doctor.Some of her patients have feathers, others have fur or scales. And when they're feeling under the weather, they don't even have to worry about flying or slithering their way to a stuffy doctor's office.
This veterinarian makes house calls.
"An animal reacts much better in a home environment," Rolfe said.
Rolfe, who graduated from the Virginia-Maryland Regional School of Veterinary Medicine in May 1991, has been practicing veterinary medicine out of her 1991 Nissan Sentra for about six months.
She said her business, Avian and Exotic Veterinary Services, doesn't serve just Blacksburg or the New River Valley.
"I cover a very wide distance," she said. "I've been as far north as Alleghany County and as far south as Marion. I'll really go anywhere in Virginia if someone wants me."
Unlike those of many veterinarians, Rolfe's patients are not typical house pets. She said she sees everything from tropical birds and exotic mammals to poisonous snakes and spiders.
"Typically, my main patients have been birds and reptiles, but I see all sorts," Rolfe said.
All sorts, that is, except your average mutt or tomcat.
"There are plenty of other veterinarians in the area who will see cats and dogs," she said.
Rolfe, who describes herself as a "transplanted Yankee" from Long Island, N.Y., graduated from Floyd County High School and did her undergraduate work in biology at Virginia Tech.
She said she had wanted to be a veterinarian for birds and exotic animals since she was a child, when her pet bird died soon after she brought it home.
"I think that sort of pushed me into this field, at least subconsciously," she said. "I didn't realize until my undergraduate work that veterinarians could see anything other than dogs and cats."
Rolfe said in her first three years of vet school, she attended extra lectures, read books on the side and did "everything possible" to study animals other than typical house pets.
During her fourth year, in which vet students do their work in the laboratory, Rolfe went to hospitals and laboratories in New York, Florida and California to learn more about the care of exotic animals. She said she would rather prevent animals from becoming sick than see them when their lives may be in danger.
"I'm really trying to promote the idea of preventive medicine," she said. "Exotics don't show signs of disease until they are well into their illness."
Rolfe said by the time the animal is showing signs, it makes it difficult for the animal to survive. To stress the importance of preventive medicine, she said she tells all her clients that their animals should receive yearly medical checkups.
"I'd like to make sure the person has a companion they want and who will last with them for many years," she said. "I would much rather see an animal sooner than later and have a better chance of saving it."
In addition to treating the animal, she said she likes to confer with the owner about the pet's proper diet, living environment and other aspects of long-term health care.
"I'm more than willing to spend as much time as I need with the owner," she said.
Rolfe said her typical fee for a house call is $25, not including trip expenses. She said fees can be higher, depending on how many animals she must see and what care they need.
For more information, call Rolfe at 951-9411.