Primary Care

A vet who knows your pet over time.

In-home visits for checkups, ongoing concerns, and care that builds a real picture of your pet — where they actually live.

Book a Visit → What's included
Same vetEvery visit
From $275Annual wellness
At homeNo waiting room

What primary care covers

Most of what your pet actually needs.

Routine and ongoing veterinary needs — handled at home. Clinic visits only when a higher level of care is genuinely required.

Wellness exams

Annual and bi-annual wellness visits covering full physical examination, preventive health discussion, and care planning tailored to your pet's age and history.

Vaccinations & preventives

Core and lifestyle vaccinations, parasite prevention, heartworm testing — calibrated to your pet's actual exposure and risk profile, not a one-size-fits-all schedule.

Lab work & diagnostics

Blood panels, urinalysis, fecal testing, and cytology samples can be collected during the home visit. Baseline labs become valuable as your pet ages.

Ongoing conditions

Chronic skin and ear conditions, digestion and weight management, behavioural changes, pain management, allergies — followed consistently rather than reassessed from scratch each visit.

Prescriptions & medications

Medications prescribed and renewed as part of your pet's ongoing care — short-term treatment, long-term management, or adjusted as your pet responds.

Records & continuity

Full records maintained visit to visit, with context that travels through your pet's life. When referrals are needed, we communicate directly with the specialist.

What tends to change with age

Different stages, different focus.

Many medical changes begin gradually and are easy to miss. What we pay attention to — and what visits tend to focus on — shifts as your pet moves through life.

0–2 years

Early life moves quickly. Eating habits, behaviour, digestion, and routines are still taking shape — small problems can become longer-running ones if missed early.

What you might notice

  • Changes in appetite or digestion
  • Chewing, scratching, or skin sensitivity
  • Unusual energy highs or lows
  • Reluctance to walk or play

What we pay attention to

  • Growth and joint development
  • Skin, digestion, and immune response
  • Early socialisation and temperament
  • Breed-specific risk factors

What visits often focus on

  • Exams and vaccinations
  • Parasite prevention and nutrition
  • Adjusting care as they mature
  • Early behavioural guidance
2–8 years

Adult dogs often seem steady, which is part of why this stage matters. Small changes in energy, weight, skin, or behaviour can be easy to dismiss.

What you might notice

  • Itching, licking, or recurring skin issues
  • Gradual weight gain or loss
  • Changes in coat or energy level
  • Recurring ear or anal gland issues

What we pay attention to

  • Weight and body condition
  • Recurring conditions and patterns
  • Dental health and oral disease
  • Breed-specific disease screening

What visits often focus on

  • Routine exams
  • Baseline lab work when appropriate
  • Managing recurring conditions
  • Dental monitoring and referral
8+ years

Later years bring more defined changes, even when they happen gradually. The focus shifts toward staying ahead of discomfort and adjusting as needs change.

What you might notice

  • Hesitation with movement or stamina
  • Appetite or weight changes
  • More sleep or reduced engagement
  • Confusion or disorientation at times

What we pay attention to

  • Pain and mobility
  • Organ function and lab trends
  • Chronic conditions and comfort
  • Cognitive and behavioural changes

What visits often focus on

  • Managing ongoing conditions
  • Regular lab monitoring
  • Mobility and comfort care
  • Quality of life conversations

How this works over time

Once we know your pet, visits work differently.

There's already a sense of what's normal, what has changed, and what's been tried before. That changes what a visit can actually do.

🩺 Urgent situations have context.

When something urgent comes up, we already know your pet's baseline. Decisions are faster and better grounded — no starting from scratch.

📋 Small changes don't get missed.

Shifts in appetite, energy, or behaviour are easier to spot when tracked over time. Less time retelling the story, more time on what's actually changed.

🏡 The visit itself is more predictable.

Same person, familiar setting. Exams, blood draws, and treatment are often less disruptive when your pet isn't meeting a stranger in a new place.

1

First visit: the whole picture

A thorough intake — full history, current health, home environment, your pet's temperament. We take the time because it shapes every visit after.

2

Ongoing: care that accumulates

Each visit builds on the last. Changes are noticed earlier. Context isn't lost between appointments.

3

Between visits: direct access

Questions after a visit, a new concern mid-week — your vet is directly reachable. No triage queue.

Most pets catch on pretty quickly — and it helps that we never really run out of treats.

The people you'll see

A consistent team, not a rotation.

In most cases you'll see the same veterinarian visit after visit. Your pet isn't meeting someone new every time.

Dr. James Liu, DVM

Primary Care Veterinarian

Dr. James Liu, DVM

Ojai & Ventura

DVM from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Leads primary care at Aluna. His background spans companion animal practice and extended work with the Turtle Conservancy — where monitoring health across a wild population over time gave him a particular eye for the small changes that matter.

Schedule a visit →
Dr. Teresa Schumacher, DVM

Medical Director

Dr. Teresa Schumacher, DVM

Ojai & Ventura

Background in emergency and critical care. She oversees clinical protocols across all Aluna services and steps in directly when cases within a primary care relationship grow complex or urgent.

Get in touch →

Pricing

Clear from the first call.

No surprises. Exact costs are shared before anything is confirmed.

Annual wellness visit

$275

Full examination, preventive care discussion, vaccinations if due, and a written health summary.

Includes

  • Full physical exam
  • Vaccines if due
  • Parasite prevention review
  • Written care summary
  • Direct vet follow-up line

Problem visit

$295

Assessment and treatment for a specific concern — new symptoms, worsening condition, or follow-up on an ongoing issue.

Includes

  • Focused clinical assessment
  • Medications on-site where possible
  • Lab orders if indicated
  • Written notes and follow-up plan

New patient intake

$315

For pets new to Aluna. Longer appointment — thorough history, baseline records, and care planning from scratch.

Includes

  • Full history intake
  • Baseline health assessment
  • Custom care plan
  • Medical record setup

Common questions

Things people usually ask.

Getting started

Yes. Vaccinations can often be handled during the visit. We still use that time to review history, examine your pet, and make sure vaccines fit their age, lifestyle, and current health.

Primary care is scheduled, non-urgent care — visits are arranged in advance. If something needs to be seen sooner, we'll let you know whether urgent care would be more appropriate.

No. We can work alongside your existing veterinarian or serve as your primary point of care, depending on what you need.

Yes. We can request records from your previous or referring veterinarian. Records are helpful, especially for ongoing conditions, but they don't need to delay scheduling.

What this covers

Both. Some visits are for a single concern, while others continue over time — allergies, chronic skin or ear issues, digestion changes, weight changes, medication review, or age-related conditions.

Yes. Many routine exams and lab samples can be done during a home visit. If something requires additional diagnostics, we'll explain clearly and guide next steps.

Yes. If medication is appropriate, we can prescribe or renew it as part of your pet's care — including short-term treatment, ongoing medication review, or adjustments depending on how your pet responds.

Follow-up & continuity

No. There's no required schedule or package. Some people book one visit at a time, while others continue because it's helpful to have the same veterinarian following their pet over time.

That depends on what we find. Before we leave, we'll explain what we're seeing and what the next step should be.

Yes. If something changes or you're unsure whether a symptom needs attention, you can reach out. We can help guide whether to monitor, schedule a follow-up, or consider urgent care.

Care model

Not entirely. Many routine, chronic, and early-stage concerns can begin at home, but some pets still need a clinic for imaging, procedures, or surgery. This is a different way of delivering veterinary care — not a substitute for everything a hospital does.

Primary care is for scheduled, non-urgent needs — checkups, vaccines, recurring issues, and early changes. Urgent care is for symptoms that are sudden, more severe, or changing quickly. If you're unsure, we can help guide you.

Ready to meet your vet?

Book your first visit. Your vet comes to you — same person, every time.

Book a Visit → Meet the team
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