Purdue Today

Did You Know?: Purdue Animal Emergency Service

For humans, the holidays come complete with a myriad of worries, ranging from family occasions to choosing the perfect present. For family pets, they also come complete with a plethora of hazards, including chocolate, tinsel and ornaments to forage on, plus icy roads, more travel and other sources of anxiety that can make the holidays a dangerous time.

This holiday season, Lafayette-area residents and their furry friends can rest easy, knowing that the doors of Purdue's Small Animal Hospital are always open. The Purdue Animal Emergency Service (AES) is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

The AES staff provides diagnostic and critical care nursing services for small animal emergency cases. All hours of the day, registered veterinary technicians, student interns and clinicians treat any animal, domestic or exotic, that needs emergency care. 

"We see a whole spectrum of emergency cases, ranging from trauma to poisonings and even surgical emergencies," says Dr. Tony Johnson, clinical assistant professor of emergency critical care for the School of Veterinary Medicine and one of three critical care specialists available at the clinic. "Anything that causes an owner to worry is an emergency and we are always here to help."

The expansion of the Vet School's services began when the local animal emergency clinic began to suffer from the economic downturn. Local veterinarians were struggling with staffing needs and the financial stress of operating a 24-hour service. Seeing an opportunity to expand student learning and services, Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine stepped in.

"We had long wanted an emergency service to help round out the education we provide to students," Johnson says. "This was a perfect opportunity to add that specialty to the curriculum. After negotiations it was apparent that transferring the service to Purdue was to everyone's mutual benefit."

Since opening its doors in the summer of 2010, AES has seen more than 3,700 animals and increased the teaching hospital's caseload by 30 percent. In a majority of these cases, students and interns are able to make treatment-related decisions while under direct faculty supervision.

The educational value is heightened because, unlike in day-to-day operations of the teaching hospital, these patients are not referred to Purdue after seeing the family veterinarian. This added dynamic keeps students on their toes, teaching them to triage cases and make care and treatment decisions.

"With the addition of emergency services, students are now being faced with emergent cases they will most likely see while practicing," Johnson says. "They are directly involved in the decision making with these cases and can learn many valuable, practical experiences."

The Purdue Small Animal Hospital is located at 625 Harrison St. AES services are available 6 p.m.-8 a.m. Monday through Friday and 24 hours on all weekends and holidays. For more information, call the clinic at 49-67911.