It is the middle of the night, and you awake to one of your greatest fears… Your pet is having a life-threatening medical emergency. The only 24/7 vet that is open at 2:00 in the morning is VCA East Bay Veterinary Emergency in Antioch. To get your pet all the way over to the emergency hospital it will take you at least 20 minutes. You try your best to get there but your loved pet does not make it.

This happens all the time in our area. I work at a vet and speak to people firsthand who have and still are battling with this devastating problem. Heartbreaking stories are shared every day of what could have been done differently to save our pets.

Pets are not just animals. For a large percentage of people our pets have been given to us by loved ones who have passed, they are some people’s only companion, and/or members of our families. According to AVMA research on “Pet Ownership and Demographics,” on average 77.2% of pet owners consider their pets members of their families.

There are a couple solutions that could potentially be the answers to saving our pet’s lives.

In the first instance building a 24/7 veterinary emergency hospital in Brentwood would be tremendously valuable to the area. VCA East Bay Veterinary Emergency is the only 24/7 vet emergency in the Discovery Bay, Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch, and Pittsburg area.

VCA East Bay Veterinary Emergency has a remarkably high volume of emergencies that come into their facility. It can become extremely overwhelming for their staff and the pet owners. It is not the hospital’s fault if they become so overwhelmed, but some owners must wait over 6 hours to be seen. The next closest 24/7 Veterinary Emergency Hospital is SAGE in Concord.

Building a 24/7 emergency vet hospital in Brentwood not only would this take pressure off the emergency vet in Antioch, but it would provide a shorter drive for people who live in or near the Brentwood area. That shorter drive could save a pet’s life.

Second is having an emergency pet transportation service, along the lines of an ambulance. Various pet owners are not able to drive or do not have transportation. An emergency pet transportation service would be able to get to the owner’s house quickly in case of an emergency and transport the pet and owner to the nearest open vet.

On these ambulances could be Registered Veterinary Technicians. The Vet Techs would be able to access the situation the same way our First Responders would arrive at our homes. If the pet needs immediate medical attention the Vet Techs would begin getting the pet to the hospital straight away. On the way to the hospital the Vet Techs would be equipped with basic medical necessities in the ambulance that could help keep a pet stable enough to get the pet to the hospital.

While the Pet Ambulance is on its way to the hospital support staff in the ambulance can call ahead to the hospital on a direct line to let the Veterinarians and Vet staff know the critical severity of the patient, how much staff should be ready, and to allow everything to be prepped with medical supplies before the patient arrives. Medical supplies could include oxygen, sterile equipment, and pain injections. Letting the staff know ahead of time would allow the Veterinarian to read the patient’s file if medical records are available and create a plan before the patient has even arrived.

There is a pet ambulance service in New York City called AmbuVet. They provide emergency and non-emergency animal transportation services. This is exactly what should be normalized not only in our area but the entire world!

Saving pet’s lives is the mission we are after. Working together we can make these solutions a reality and change the lives of pets across the world.