After starting out doing house calls, a local vet has set up shop in the Carver neighborhood.

Carver resident Justin Jones recently opened Jones Veterinary Care, a clinic at 1217 W. Leigh St.

Jones said he saw a need for a low-cost option for pet owners in the area, which had lacked a veterinary practice before he opened in December.

The Florida native and graduate of Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine has 12 years of experience in animal shelters, most recently as medical director at the Fredericksburg SPCA. He said his interactions with people unable to afford the cost of their pets’ medical needs made him think he could have a bigger impact if he could provide such services.

“I felt a calling with those people,” he said.

With the help of two assistants, Jones said his clinic is a full-service animal hospital, offering everything from vaccinations and dental work to blood tests and surgery. Jones still does house calls on Mondays. He sees about 15 animals a day.

Jones said a big part of his business is affordable and accessible care. He said he has kept overhead low with a 1,200-square-foot location, which is smaller than most veterinarian offices. He still hopes to expand in a couple years and add more staff.

Here are costs for a few common services: Exams are $30, most vaccines are $20 and a 4DX heartworm/tick-borne disease test is $25. When planning treatment, Jones prices procedures, diagnostics and services at the low end to keep it all affordable.

The clinic is one of the most recent businesses to open in Carver, an area of the city that has had a steady stream of new shops and residential development in recent months.

May brought about the opening of Nutty Buttery Ice Cream Parlor, Pantry and Café, as well as the completion of the $19 million renovation of Virginia Supportive Housing’s New Clay House, an apartment building for homeless people. The nonprofit Project:Homes finished construction of a cluster of seven solar-powered homes in September.