Biography

Photo of Dr. Adam BehrensDr. Behrens grew up in New York City and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. In between, he had many dogs, birds, and cats. He has always loved animals. But his dream to be a veterinarian started when he volunteered as a technician with a housecall veterinarian in Manhattan. He met a lot of interesting people who treated their pets as members of their family. People that realized our pets deserve the very best healthcare. The opportunity to help people and their pets, in the comfort of their own home, is the reason that Dr. Behrens became a veterinarian.

Ben and Pascal photoDr. Behrens has spent sixteen years in veterinary family practice in the Bay Area. He has provided emergency, medical, and surgical care for dogs, cats, and small mammals. He has also volunteered with Veterinary Street Outreach Services, providing free care to the San Francisco homeless population. His interests include internal medicine, behavioral medicine, and the human-animal bond. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the California Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and the American Association of Housecall Veterinarians.

Dr. Behrens lives in the Marina with his wife Elle, son Benjamin, daughter Katherine, and a most handsome Black Labrador Retriever named Iggy (He’s such a good boy!).

In Memoriam (May 27, 2014)

Pascal photoAdam rescued Pascal von Schmanski Behrens with the rest of his litter from a basement in Queens, New York sixteen and a half years ago. From a little ball of fluff with a pointy tail and eyes not yet open, Pascal quickly grew into an 18 pound scaredy cat.  When Adam slept, he always had a paw on him. But he would draw blood from anyone else that tried to touch him. Never seen by visitors, he showed his love by peeing on our possessions and never missing the carpet with his vomit.  The love of Pascie proved to be both a blessing and a curse!  Degenerative joint disease, chronic pancreatitis and fear of the unknown made him cranky.  His jovial brother, Buster, provided stark contrast.  Through it all, Pascal was a devoted companion.  With the birth of our son Ben, he took on the role of feline guardian and was often by his side.  In the end, pancreatic disease continued to take it’s toll and he suddenly took his leave from us today.  We will miss his special brand of love.  He was always a challenge but we loved him dearly and will miss him always.

Testimonials

Wandering Vet - Veterinary Housecalls

“He’s very thorough, quickly responds to emails and phone calls. Honestly, I can’t think of how he would be any better! He also seems to be a very caring veterinarian as well. I’ve already recommended his service to others in the area.”
— Pam H.


I can’t say enough good things about Adam!   I’ve been looking for a house-call vet for my cats ever since I moved back to SF from the peninsula 10 years ago.  One of my 2 cats is a rescue who is incredibly loving with people he knows but literally a cat out of hell with those he does not.  He was so scared that he actually a bit a previous vet who couldn’t figure out how to approach him.  Dr. Behrens not only had the good humor to help me disassemble my entire bed (so we could pull my kitty from his hiding spot in the boxsprings),  but he had the patience to hang out with the insane fluff ball while he calmed down enough to have a full exam and booster (his first in five years).   I was amazed and impressed.  He is definitely my family vet from now on!

I never post on Yelp but I want to make sure people find this guy!

— AJ B.


Dr. Behrens and his practice is a dream come true! We have 3 small children and a 65-lb dog who doesn’t get along with other animals, so finding the time and safe manner to get her through the lobby and checkout desk of a veterinary clinic is sometimes an insurmountable challenge! This home veterinary service has lifted a huge worry off our minds of how we can properly care for our pooch.

Dr. Behrens was very responsive by phone and email; it was easy to get an appointment in a timely manner which was convenient for me; he arrived promptly and did a VERY thorough physical exam. Because our dog was in her home environment, she was MUCH more relaxed, and Dr. Behrens could examine her in her natural state. She is 10 years old, and in my opinion had the most thorough and complete physical exam of her life with Dr. Behrens!

He really listens, takes a detailed history, quickly enters all the pertinent information in his iPhone, and was not at all aggressive about pushing tests or vaccines which might not be necessary for our particular situation. At my request, he performed phlebotomy for routine bloodwork, and emailed the lab results the next day with a detailed explanation of everything and guidelines for things to watch for in the future. A huge plus is that the invoice, history and vaccine certificates are made available on a secure website, making getting your records for boarding or license renewal so easy.

Really, he is a fabulous doctor, excellent manner with animals and people, very professional, gives top-notch service and uses current technology to streamline everything. Very reasonable prices given the service – not much more than we would have paid at a vet clinic. I could only wish that one day humans could receive such quality medical care!
— Lester N. 


Dr. Behrens is incredibly personable and knowledgable, and communicates his knowledge in a way that’s easy to understand. He has an amazing touch with animals. I have a german shepard that weighs in at 110lbs and he just put my dog completely at ease, so that my dog wasn’t overly protective. He’s just a wonderful guy. I’ve already recommended him to neighbors in my building. Another great thing is that he makes house calls and can bring with all sorts of equipment.
— Elysee P. 


I agree with other reviewers in giving this man the highest marks. He is gentle, honest, straight forward and caring. Our first experience was the unhappy occasion of having to put my beloved, first-ever, kitty to sleep. We were very nervous and upset. While still a painful experience, we were both reassured by Dr. Behrens. A good guy.
— Kathryn S. 


lThis vet is Awesome!!!!!!!!! I usually dread taking my cat to the vet because he hates it. He tends to get a little unruly and is mad at me for a week afterward. Why didn’t I have a house call sooner? I wasn’t stressed out, my cat wasn’t stressed out and the appointment was better than any positive expectations I may have thought I had. Dr. B is extremely gentle and thorough and took his time to talk with me about things such as proper diet and exercise that best suits the needs of my cat. I would HIGHLY recommend him to any pet owner. Even if I didn’t have a problem child at the vet’s office I would still consider his services.
— Sarah B.


I highly recommend Dr. Behrens. He is gentle, thorough and I wish my health care provider would take as much time with me as he does with our puppy. Dr. Behrens is also very helpful with advice or first time pet parents.
— Dan Z.


I am so happy to have finally found an intelligent, capable and sensitive vet that does HOUSECALLS!!! It really doesn’t get better than this. I have seen many vets for my dogs who have suffered from various aliments over the years. I have seen so many of them from Toronto, New York and now arriving in San Francisco, I am glad to have one come to me!
My initial concerns were;

1) Would this be more expensive?
After all it seems like a luxury to have Veterinary Doctor come to you, but when I compare the price of a house call to the gas, driving, car sickness, anxiety, time and parking it costs to go to a vet clinic and potential expose your animal to others with contagious ailments it is actually a much better deal. I couldn’t imagine the stress for me or them of bringing them into a vet’s office and lifting them onto a hopefully sterile table. No way! It is all on our turf- they feel much more comfortable as do I.

2) Would this vet be as capable and equipped?
Totally! He has everything with him you could imagine he would need and then some. He really is prepared for all situations and my mutts are high maintenance I am afraid. He is also very knowledgeable and explains the facts and options to you. I really appreciate this. Having two medium sized dogs with ailments can cost as much as new car payments monthly if you get someone stringing you along with unnecessary and costly treatments. I didn’t find this with this vet at all.

I highly recommend this vet. He’s good and he cares.
— Carolina R. 


Dr. Behrens is so completely gentle, kind and loving that he helped us through the difficult processes of putting our dog Maddie to sleep. He was attentive to Maddie, loving and patient. He was also very kind to us as her guardians. Her life was incredibly giving to us, and her passing has been very difficult. Dr. Behrens made us all feel very safe.
— Liz B.