On The Move: Texas A&M VET Treats More Than 300 Animals In Past Week

Please excuse Wesley Bissett if he is a bit fatigued; you might even say the Texas A&M University veterinarian is doggone tired. That’s because he and his Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) members have treated more than 300 animals in need in a little over a week at two different locations.

Bissett and the VET, the largest and most sophisticated animal response team of its kind in the country, were called last week on an emergency to treat 270 dogs and one cat found in a warehouse in San Benito, located in far south Texas near the Brownsville-Harlingen area. The animals were in a state of neglect, many of them suffering from malnutrition and unsanitary conditions. The team focused on stabilizing those in poor condition and working to ensure all were vaccinated, healthy and ready for adoption. They assisted with two adoption events and helped send some of the remaining dogs to rescues.

Bissett and the team, which usually consists of at least three faculty members, several veterinary technicians and five to six veterinary students, were home for only one day before another call came from the Texas Division of Emergency Management – they were needed in Chambers County as soon as possible to treat animals affected by the flooded conditions near Anahuac, where some areas received more than 40 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Imelda.

The VET members are still in Chambers County, and so far have treated 50 to 60 animals, with several more to come.

“Most of these are pets who somehow got separated from their owners during the severe flooding,” Bissett said. “The owners made it to a shelter, but their pets did not. So, we see a lot of animals that have water-related issues, some also with respiratory problems associated with the flooding. And we’ve just been told to expect a trailer load of cattle any minute. You really have to feel sorry for these people – they went through this two years ago with Hurricane Harvey, and they are going through the same thing right now. It’s a very sad situation.”

The team is on call 24-7 and responds to requests from local jurisdictions and the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Late last year, the team’s help was requested by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to go to Paradise, Calif. to oversee a sheltering operation and assist with hundreds of animals during the area’s devastating wildfires that destroyed most of the town.

“We fulfill a service that is very much needed,” Bissett said of the VET. “Together with the assistance of Texas A&M’s AgriLife, we can handle just about any emergency situation that needs help with emergency animal care. Our veterinary students get great experience handling injured animals, and we have a VET staff that is totally committed in what they do. We are making a difference.”