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VET Reaches Across State with Recent Activities

The Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) has had a busy month, traveling around the state to highlight the team’s partnership with the Banfield Foundation, presenting at the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) conference, and offering veterinary services to the animals of veterans for the annual Wounded Warrior event.

Raising Awareness in Houston

VET director on FOX news

In honor of National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day, VET director Wesley Bissett joined Banfield Pet Hospital director of veterinary quality Jacquelyn Schrock to discuss with a variety of media outlets in Houston the importance of preparing your entire family—including the furry members—for a disaster.

As part of the Banfield Foundation’s awareness, Bissett and Shrock helped deliver 100 of the 500 pet emergency supply kits being donated to non-profit organizations to the Harris County Animal Shelter. Foundation donors can receive a kit, and provide one to a pet in need, for a $45 donation through Sept. 30. Donations can be made at BanfieldFoundation.org/kit.

The interviews and corresponding press release announcing the campaign were picked up in 242 media outlets and generated nearly 82 million media impressions in outlets such as Yahoo!, Veterinary Practice News, Real Leaders, and Pet Product News.

The resulting stories included:

An NAVC Spark! TV lifestyle piece is also in the works.

“The Banfield Foundation group and Coyne PR (which coordinated the media day) were simply amazing and made this a really easy, pleasant and most importantly, impactful event,” Bissett said.  “We love working with both groups!”

Educational Experiences

demonstration of proper personal protective equipment removal
Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team response coordinator CJ Mabry decontaminates VET member Lauren Minner as they demonstrate proper personal protective equipment removal during a presentation on infectious disease.

Following the media day activities, VET members and fourth-year veterinary students on the community connections rotation headed to San Antonio, where the team led nine presentations and showed off the Banfield Foundation-donated medical platform, as well as another of the team’s medical platforms, at the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) 2018 Conference May 14-18.

Presentations included:

  • “Responding to High-Consequence and Infectious Animal Disease” by Dr. Brandon Dominguez
  • “Planning for Animal Issues: Lessons Learned from the Hurricane Charley Exercise, Part 1” by Drs. Bissett and Deb Zoran
  • “Planning for Animal Issues: Lessons Learned in Sheltering from Hurricane Harvey, Part 2” by Drs. Bissett and Zoran
  • “The 2017 Texas A&M VET Hurricane Harvey Response” by Dr. Bissett
  • “TAMU-VET Logistics Challenges During the Hurricane Harvey Response” by Christopher Mabry
  • “Managing Disease in an Emergency Situation” by Jessica Chase (Brazoria County AgriLife Extension) and Dr. Bissett
  • “Legal Implications for the Veterinary Medical First Responder” by Dr. Bissett
  • “Building a Great Partnership: Creating Synergy Between TX-TX1 and TAMU VET” by Christy Bormann (TX-TF1) and Dr. Zoran
  • “Coordinating Communication Across Teams, Across Distance, and Across the Ocean” by Dr. Angela Clendenin and Jennifer Gauntt
  • “Managing Volunteer Support for Veterinary Medical Care During an Emergency Response” by Dr. Norberto Espitia

Reaching Out to Veterans

VET group photo at Port O’Connor

The VET wrapped up its activities on May 18-20, when a small group of members and students on the community connections rotation headed to Port O’Connor to offer medical support to the animals of the veterans attending the annual Warrior’s Weekend.

Founded in 2007, Warrior’s Weekend is a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of U.S. veterans, with an emphasis on those wounded in the global war on terrorism, through holding an annual fishing event for wounded military personnel held every May. The organization also supports soldiers via donations to veterans and veterans-based causes.


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