Home > Out of the Cage! > Spring 2008 > AmbuVet Brings High Level of Medical Care to Animal Transport

AmbuVet Brings High Level of Medical Care to Animal Transport

When the Mayor's Alliance needed to move Snow from Murray Hill Pet Hospital in Manhattan to the Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, they called AmbuVet to handle the transport. The young and severely underweight Husky's heartworm condition had been stabilized at Murray Hill, and his treatment and recovery would be completed at the Yonkers facility. Then Snow would be taken into foster care by The Husky House, an Alliance Participating Organization located nearby, and cared for until he was adopted.

Because Snow's condition was extremely fragile at the time, the Mayor's Alliance did not want to attempt the delicate transport in a Mayor's Alliance transport van. Instead, the Alliance called AmbuVet, specialists in animal emergency transport who have been transporting animals requiring a higher level of medical attention since the company's founding following 9/11. AmbuVet's expertise in transporting sick and injured animals to and from veterinary facilities made the trip safer and more comfortable for the ailing Husky.

Don Montes, a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) who heads AmbuVet, explained that people call him for all kinds of animal emergencies, including animals hit by cars, building collapses, fires, or medical emergencies in the home where an owner/guardian cannot move the sick or injured animal. Even NYC police and firefighters call AmbuVet when an injured animal is left at their facility. In every instance, AmbuVet responds immediately with one of its three ambulances staffed by licensed vet techs.

While AmbuVet does not provide direct veterinary care, diagnosis, or life-saving procedures, it makes the transport to local veterinary hospitals more comfortable for the animal. And being available 24 hours a day, seven days a week provides pet owners with a means of handling a pet's medical emergency when they need it most.

In addition to emergency transport of ill or injured animals, and non-emergency transport of impaired animals suffering from a disability or following surgery, AmbuVet provides other valuable services to New Yorkers. Its web site, www.AmbuVet.com, contains a wealth of information at the tip of your fingertips to assist in an actual or potential pet emergency. Information about how to recognize a medical situation requiring immediate attention, what to do until help arrives, and which veterinary hospitals are open after hours and on weekends are just some of the topics covered in detail on the web site.

And now AmbuVet offers air charters complete with LVT support to regional veterinary facilities. If time is a concern and same day medivac (medical evacuation) is required, AmbuVet can arrange for an efficient and comfortable transfer of a pet via aircraft to any veterinary facility in the Northeastern United States. AmbuVet's special operations team works with veterinarians to get a complete medical history to ensure the safest and most comfortable possible flight for the animal.

AmbuVet's clients run the gamut, from pet owner/guardians to rescue groups to shelters…to the Mayor's Alliance. "It's a real privilege to work with the Mayor's Alliance," says Don, "and it's a relationship we don't take lightly. We understand that shelters are a hotspot for animals, and we appreciate the need for coordinated timing and quick response that is crucial to saving lives."

The Mayor's Alliance is grateful to have AmbuVet's services available, and encourages its participating organizations to keep the phone number handy for emergencies. Remember, AmbuVet is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Phone number: (646) 523-1595 or 1-800-262-8838. For more information about AmbuVet or to locate information that will be useful in an emergency, visit www.AmbuVet.com.