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Aaron Brisbane spends a lot of time on the phone in his “office.”

His office, being on wheels, takes him from one client to the next — mainly in the Northland around Kearney, Smithville and Liberty.

“I don’t mind it because I can get a lot of my phone calls done (while driving),” Brisbane said.

Brisbane is a mobile veterinarian making house calls daily to see patients.

“People are so busy these days, if I can get out to them and make it more convenient for them, that’s the ideal thing,” Brisbane said.

He’s got everything he needs in his pickup truck, including medicine, gloves, an X-ray machine and computer.

“I can do just about everything on the farm,” Brisbane said.

Brisbane mainly works with horses, sometimes cattle, and occasionally dogs and cats.

Brisbane, originally from Australia, knew this was something he always wanted to do. He came to the United States 17 years ago on a rodeo scholarship. He rode bulls until college at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he graduated nine years ago. He spent four years working in Platte City, then left the area for three years to work at an equine referral hospital. Brisbane and his family returned to the Northland two years ago.

“I love this area, so I needed to move up to this area … there’s a need in this area,” Brisbane said.

While Brisbane is always on the move for work, he does have an actual office set up next to his garage at home just south of Ectonville, between Kearney and Smithville. Most of his calls are within 25 minutes of his house, but he has gone as far as DeSoto, Kan., and Savannah.

“You just don’t know where you’re going. You could be going to this big, fancy place or someone’s backyard” Brisbane said. “That’s what’s fun about it.”

On Sept. 2, Brisbane was looking at a horse that had a little stutter in her back step. He had been out once before to look at the horse, but this time was taking X-rays. With a hand-held X-ray machine and a veterinarian technician helping, Brisbane was able to have pictures of horse’s bone joints within minutes. Brisbane said the visit takes a little longer to process it all on site, but it’s worth it.

“Once you’ve done it, you know the results right away,” Brisbane said.

For the horse — a 4-year-old quarter horse named “Hope” — things were looking up.

“Radiographically, she looks good,” Brisbane said.

But Hope, used in riding competitions, still had an abnormal “bunny hop” in her back legs. Brisbane fears osteochondrosis dessicans, or a hereditary OCD. After a 10-minute sterile scrub on her back legs, Brisbane sedated Hope. He then drained fluid from her joints and injected some healthy fluid back in.

At the next stop that day, there was significantly less work for Brisbane. He just cleaned up and removed stitches from a wound on a horse he had treated two weeks earlier.

Brisbane also handles emergency calls.

“You really can’t say ‘no,’” said Kina Klarin, Brisbane’s vet technician.

But Brisbane is usually up for a challenge.

“He’s so much fun to work for because he likes challenges and new things,” said Jackie Babcock, who stays behind in the office each day to take care of the paperwork. “He’s very high energy.”

When he’s not on calls, Brisbane spends time with family and his hobby of competitive roping.

Brisbane Veterinary Services

• Cell phone: 898-8852

• Office/fax: 792-8852

• E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

• Web site: www.brisbanevetservices.com

Open House/Customer Appreciation Day

• When: noon Sunday, Oct. 4

• Where: JKC Arena, 13111 N. Stark Road in Liberty

Kearney Editor Kevin M. Smith can be reached at 628-6010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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