MILT THOMAS

Remember when doctors used to make house calls? Probably not, if you are under 55 years old. Then do you remember when veterinarians made house calls? Definitely not, unless you owned a farm.

That is one reason Dr. Kattis Stengard is not your typical veterinarian. Another reason is how she came to be a vet. Stengard was born in Sweden and spent most of her childhood there – except the many times her family came to live in the U.S. Her older brother suffered from severe allergies and doctors told his parents he needed to live in a warm climate. Their father was an engineer and had no problem finding work, so they moved to St. Petersburg.

“I first moved here as an infant,” says Stengard. “But spent my teenage years back in Stockholm.”

It was back in Sweden that Stengard first realized she was destined to become a vet. “I used to wash and walk dogs in my neighborhood from the time I was ten. Then, at age 12 I had what was for me a dream job, working summers with a large veterinarian practice – 15-20 vets.”

She came back to start college at Virginia Tech and ended up getting her degree at the University of Florida. It was during this time that she discovered Vero Beach. “I had gone to Key West for a vacation and decided to drive back on A-1-A. As soon as I got to Vero, I knew this is where I wanted to live.”

It was probably no accident that her first job out of school was an internship at Dr. Valerie Biehl’s East Coast Equine here in Vero Beach. She then had an opportunity to study at Tufts University in Boston. She would spend the next ten years in Boston even though she knew she would end up back in Vero.

“I had an anatomy teacher who used acupuncture on horses with amazing results. He was educated in China and I used to go to thoroughbred farms with him, so I looked into possible programs. The International Veterinarian Acupuncture Society had a training school, which was held in Tampa that year. So for six months, I flew down to Tampa once a month for five days. After writing a paper and doing required research, I received my license and started practicing in Boston.”

When Stengard received a job offer from local Vero vet, Dr. Dennis Scarpinato, she jumped at the opportunity. “He had been thinking of retiring, so he gradually had me taking over more and more responsibilities. When he finally offered to sell me the practice, I bought it.”

Stengard’s Vero Beach Veterinary Hospital still operates in the same location at 1905 43^rd Avenue, a block south of SR60. She surrounds herself with well qualified people, including Associate Veterinarian, John Clark, who was educated in England and Africa; office manager and veterinary assistant, Jeanne Talbott; head technician, Diane Fisher. Brooke Rimm-Hewitt, former zookeeper and vet tech.

Her practice offers all the typical veterinarian services and some that aren’t so typical, like acupuncture – and house calls.

“I started making house calls in 2005, especially when hospice end of life care is needed and a pet, especially large dogs, cannot be brought into the office.”

When the time comes to say goodbye to your pet, nothing compares with the ability to do so in the privacy of your home, in the pet’s familiar surroundings with family present.

Vero Beach Veterinary Hospital works closely with local shelters and offers discounted services to senior citizens. Stengard made the news last December when she performed successful eye surgery on a shelter dog.

They work on more than dogs and cats, too. Birds, reptiles and exotics are also treated with the same care. After all, Dr. Stengard has loved working in an animal hospital since she was 12 and she is now practicing where she always wanted to live. And she makes house calls.