California Veterinary Emergency Team - CVET

Emergency preparedness isn't just for wildfires, floods, or earthquakes. Holidays like the Fourth of July can also present risks for our pets. Taking a few simple steps before the fireworks begin can help keep your animals safe and prevent an unexpected emergency.

Before the fireworks:
- Bring pets indoors before dark
- Make sure ID tags and microchip information are up to date
- Create a quiet, secure space where pets can feel safe
- Have leashes, carriers, and any medications readily available

If your pet gets loose:
- Start searching your neighborhood immediately
- Contact your local animal shelter and nearby veterinary clinics
- Share recent photos on local lost-and-found pet pages

Preparedness is one of the best ways to protect your pets year-round (not just for disasters)!

Fore more tips:
www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/july-4-safety
www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/fourth-july-safety-tips

Our team is headed to Anaheim next week for the 2026 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention! If you're going to be there, come say hello and catch our sessions:

July 12:
- Ali Harman and Kim Carlson will co-present on Collaborative Burn Care and Intensive Nursing Best Practices
- Dr. Michael Ziccardi will speak on the panel Disaster Landscape in California: A Veterinary Perspective Through Panel Discussions

July 13:
- Dr. Briana Hamamoto will present on Initial Assessment, Stabilization, and Onsite Care of Burns During California Wildfires + Large Animal Welfare Considerations in Disaster Response + Training Animal First Responders and Veterinary Professionals in Animal Triage for Disasters
- Kim Carlson will present on Small Animal Welfare Considerations in Disaster Response

CVET's leadership was proud to represent UC Davis on the international stage last week in Portugal.

Director Dr. Michael Ziccardi and Associate Director of Operations Dr. Ashley Patterson attended the International One Health Conference hosted by the Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária - Universidade Lusófona. During the week, they presented to fifth-year veterinary students before leading a conference session on The Role of a One Health Approach for Animal Disaster Preparedness and Response.

Sharing knowledge and learning alongside colleagues from around the world helps strengthen our collective capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters affecting animals, people, and our shared environments.

Last week, Joybound teamed up with ASAR Training and Response to host members of the animal welfare community for a two-day workshop dedicated to real-world training, peer collaboration, and strategic planning for animal rescue during emergency situations. With 80 guests in attendance, representing 30 different animal organizations, this workshop is part of our efforts to ensure response teams across the West Coast are trained, coordinated and ready when disaster strikes.
We'd like to thank our sponsor Bay Alarm Company, and our partners: ASAR, American Humane, ASPCA, California Veterinary Emergency Team, and the Halter Project for making this event possible.
https://joybound.org/blog/disaster-response-workshop-june-3-4/

Several weeks ago, 50+ California Veterinary Emergency Team responders gathered in Napa for a two-day full-scale exercise, putting their skills, teamwork, and CVET’s standardized response protocols to the test through realistic disaster response scenarios involving both large and small animals.

Exercises such as these help ensure that, when California's animals and communities need us most, trained responders are ready to answer the call.

Training Today to Respond Tomorrow When a disaster strikes, California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET) responders must be ready to mobilize quickly, work together seamlessly, and provide veterinary support in challenging and rapidly evolving conditions.That degree of readiness doesn't happen by chance. In addition to CVET's year-rou...

We’re excited to celebrate our inaugural undergraduate intern, Olivia “Liv” Morgans, on her acceptance to the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine.

During her time with CVET, Liv helped plan our first Responder Mock Deployment and supported multi-agency disaster trainings across California, gaining firsthand experience in veterinary emergency response. Her drive to serve animals and communities helped inspire the continued growth of our internship program.

Read her story:

Olivia “Liv” Morgans: 2025 CVET Undergraduate Intern At the California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET), preparing for disasters means investing not only in training and readiness today, but also in the next generation of veterinarians who will lead responses in the future. That’s why we launched the CVET Undergraduate Internship Program and why we....