Oregon veterinarian makes house calls for creatures great and small in Siskiyou County

An Oregon veterinarian and his wife are hitting the road, making house calls for animals in Siskiyou and Shasta counties during the pandemic.

Keaton and Andria Massie, who live in Medford, opened Massie Mobile Veterinary Services in November, one month after they were married.

They care for large and small animals living in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

“Horses are our largest patient base,” said Andria Massie, 46, a horse trainer and her husband’s business partner. “Large animals are Keaton’s passion: Horses, cattle, llamas, sheep, goats.”

He also makes house calls for cats and dogs, a service to help pet owners staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Andria Massie said.

Their practice is entirely on the road.

“We opened our truck doors on Nov. 1,” Andria Massie said. “It’s like the Old Days. That’s the kind of business we want to run.”

Their business offers an online pharmacy and horse wellness plans. The latter are monthly subscriptions for ongoing care, created because some owners wait to call a vet for financial reasons, she said. “People would put off calling (the vet) because they didn’t have money or were afraid of the vet bill.” Horse wellness programs are designed to catch early equine illnesses with regular checkups.

While he has only been a vet for two years, Keaton Massie, 38, has been working with animals throughout his adult life.

Caring for domestic animals is a far cry from his early jobs: Alligator wrestler and reptile zookeeper for Disney in Florida.

He also worked as a vet technician in the U.S. Army from 2011-2014, looking after military dogs in Italy and Germany.

Working in the military and on a Caribbean island — he attended veterinary school at Ross University on St. Kitts — taught him how to treat animals in all kinds of conditions, he said: Power outages, water issues, etc. Those skills help him adapt to different situations as he makes house calls.

Now that they own their own business, the couple plan to move to Siskiyou County in the future. “We’ve found really genuine community and heartfelt people everywhere we go in Siskiyou County,” Andria Massie said.

Cost for horse wellness plans, ones for show horses, pasture horses or a basic plan, range from $67-$200 per month.

For more information visit the Massie Mobile Veterinary Services website at www.massievet.com or call 541-636-1191.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and entertainment stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook.