Pet Ambulance Aids in Care of Critically Ill Animals
Thanks to Jeanne for sending me this article from the Idaho Statesman.
From the article:
Many area veterinary practices do not offer 24-hour care and are unable to keep an animal overnight if it is critically ill or injured, having breathing problems, seizures, or requires constant medication.
This situation is not unique to Idaho. Because most veterinary practices are small facilities, having staff on-duty 24 hours each day is not practical. If a critically ill animal is present in the hospital at closing time, it must be transferred to a larger facility, or one that specializes in overnight care.
But if the pet is very ill, and requires continuous monitoring and treatment, the mere act of transferring it to another facility can be life-threatening.
Although Idaho’s pet hospitals are not unique for closing overnight, one of them has come up with a relatively unique solution to the problem of transferring critically ill patients. It has developed a pet ambulance. From the article:
The ambulance was modified with life-saving equipment including gurneys and a crash cart for immediate cardiac treatment, and is stocked with medications and intravenous fluids that may be needed during transport.
As a veterinarian, I would be thrilled to have access to such a service! So would every other vet that I know. Why is it not more common? The answer lies in the article.
More than a dozen pets have been transported since the service began in October.
The article was printed in January. That means that the service is being used less than three times per month. The service either must cost a great deal, or the hospital that is running it may be losing a a large sum of money on the venture.
It is sad that financial realities occasionally interfere with veterinarians’ abilities to provide top-quality care. But pet ambulances are rare for the same reason that overnight hospitals are rare. The costs of such services are prohibitively expensive for many clients.
You have questions. 
There is an Emergency Animal Medical Technician program offered through the Humane Society in Maricopa County (Phoenix, AZ). They, too, have the educational offering as well as an animal ambulance.
Having been a paramedic for many years in many different models, it is possible to have an “on-call” system for the ambulance in which the major cost would be in the capital expenses, i.e. the vehicle. If affiliated with an animal hospital, the rest of the technology and medication expenses would be covered already by the existing business overhead. Since the level of care and the types of issues that animals have relative to humans is different and less elaborate, there would be no need for a vehicle of the same caliber as a human ambulance. Additionally, human ambulances are turned over by various agencies fairly quickly and sold at a significant discount, if that type of vehicle is preferred.
The personnel expense, if the staff is on-call, is usually a model in which the staff (usually a veterinary technician, though a veterinarian would be great!) receives a low per hour stipend for being available from home, then responds to a call, at which time the actual pay kicks in. If done on a rotating schedule with existing staff, the additional expense will be manageable.
In short, this is an excellent way to address the lack of emergency care in smaller communities. I wish the veterinary service in Idaho the best of luck in maintaining this valuable service.
I am the ceo of A.M.E.R.S Animal Ambulance inc (www.animalmedics.com) we have been providing animal ambulance services in the San Francisco Bay area for 8 years!!! We have transported thousands of pets with zero loss of life. THere are three private animal ambulance companies in the UNited States.
One in southern California, One in New York City and us in northern California. We know this is a growing industry. and with time will catch on nationwide. Look at some of our work. go to youtube and put in the word AMERS. or visit our website. The time for animal ambulance services has arrived!!