Animal Ambulance & Rescue

22/10/2026

🚑 TRANSFER TO THE RVC QUEEN MOTHER HOSPITAL 🐾

Animal Ambulance & Rescue carried out an urgent veterinary transfer to the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (QMHA) at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), helping a seriously unwell patient reach the specialist care he urgently needed.

Why was the transfer needed?

The patient was already under specialist veterinary care for two serious conditions: a mediastinal mass (a mass within the central part of the chest) and T-cell leukaemia, a type of cancer affecting white blood cells. He was undergoing chemotherapy as part of his ongoing treatment.

In the days leading up to the transfer, his condition had deteriorated significantly. He had:
• Stopped eating and drinking adequately.
• Become increasingly lethargic and weak.
• Developed severe difficulty walking, eventually becoming unable to stand or walk independently.
• Experienced increased breathing effort.
• Shown significant muscle wastage, particularly in his hindlimbs.

Recent blood tests had also identified neutropenia, meaning a reduced number of neutrophils white blood cells that play a vital role in fighting bacterial infections. This left him immunocompromised and at greater risk of developing serious infections.

Given his deterioration, the veterinary team recommended hospitalisation for intravenous fluids, pain relief and antibiotics, alongside close monitoring and further assessment.

Why was specialist hospital care important?

When a patient is undergoing chemotherapy, their immune system can be weakened, and some treatments can affect the body’s ability to produce blood cells. Neutropenia, particularly when combined with severe weakness, reduced food and water intake, and increased breathing effort, can be especially concerning.

A rapid decline in mobility or an inability to stand, especially alongside breathing changes, warrants urgent veterinary assessment. These signs can have several causes and require professional examination to determine the appropriate treatment.

Getting the patient where he needed to be

As the patient was already receiving oncology care at the RVC, transferring him to the Queen Mother Hospital offered the opportunity for assessment and treatment by a team familiar with his complex medical history, with access to specialist and emergency veterinary services.

Our role was to help facilitate this urgent transfer so that he could reach the appropriate veterinary team as safely as possible.

Why veterinary ambulance transfers matter?

For seriously ill animals, transport can be much more than simply getting from one clinic to another. A coordinated transfer can help patients access specialist facilities, emergency treatment and continuity of care when their condition changes unexpectedly.

At Animal Ambulance & Rescue, we understand that behind every transfer is an animal who needs help and a family facing a worrying time. We are proud to support veterinary teams and their patients when urgent transport is needed.

Please remember: if your pet suddenly becomes unable to stand, is struggling to breathe, collapses or becomes profoundly weak, seek urgent veterinary advice. Do not wait for symptoms to resolve on their own.

🐾 Animal Ambulance & Rescue helping pets get where they need to be, when it matters most.



www.animal-ambulance.org

18/10/2026

Some sad news this weekend, one of our ambulances was struck while parked up so it’s taken the vehicle off the road, this will need to be repaired so that’s time away from helping other animals.

Please consider supporting us.

www.animal-ambulance.org

16/10/2026

We have been busy with transfers changing the lives of animals who need it most, we pride ourselves on quality of care and sending the right level of care on every transfer.

To see what else we do please keep an eye on our social media for more updates.

09/10/2026

Today one of our transfers saw us at AURA Veterinary, it’s such a pleasure to transfer in and out of aura. 24/7 the communities animal ambulance service. sussex and the south east.

07/10/2026

🐾 Another very busy week for Animal Ambulance & Rescue! 🚑

It’s been a full on week for our teams, with pet patient transfers, routine transfers, wildlife call outs and animal welfare incidents all part of what we do to support animals and the people who care for them across our community.

We’re incredibly proud to offer a wide range of services designed to support the public just as much as the animals in our care.

Something we’re often told by the people we help is that our teams go above and beyond. We take the time to make sure that the animal is safe, but also that the person with them is okay too. Sometimes that little bit of extra reassurance can make all the difference.

As a non profit service, we’re proud to provide a range of free and reduced cost services 24/7, 365 days a year. But keeping this service running takes funding.

Every donation, fundraiser, sponsorship and bit of support helps us continue answering the calls, attending emergencies and being there for animals and their owners when they need us most.

We’re here for the community and with your support, we can continue to be.

🚑🐾 Animal Ambulance & Rescue The Community’s Animal Ambulance Service.

AnimalRescueUK WildlifeRescue PetEmergency SupportLocal 24Hours365Days

02/10/2026

🚨 Emergency Transfer GDV Surgery 🚨

Our Animal Ambulance team was called to assist with the transfer of a patient from Vets 4 Pets to Vets Now following emergency surgery for (GDV), also known as bloat.

The patient presented with sudden signs of distress, including abdominal swelling, repeated attempts to vomit with only a small amount of froth produced, panting, restlessness and significant discomfort.

Following examination, blood tests and X rays, GDV was confirmed. This is a life threatening emergency requiring immediate veterinary intervention.

Emergency surgery was performed to reposition the twisted stomach and secure it in place with a gastropexy to help reduce the risk of recurrence. Thankfully, the stomach was found to be healthy, the intestines remained viable, and the spleen improved in appearance during surgery.

Following the procedure, the patient was transferred by our ambulance team to Vets Now for overnight hospitalisation, continued pain relief, close monitoring and post operative care.

A huge thank you to the veterinary team at Vets 4 Pets for their urgent treatment and to Vets Now for continuing this patient’s care.

This case highlights just how quickly GDV can become life threatening and why immediate veterinary attention is essential. If your pet develops a swollen abdomen, repeatedly tries to vomit without bringing anything up, becomes restless or shows signs of sudden abdominal pain, seek emergency veterinary care immediately.

We are proud to support veterinary teams by providing safe and compassionate transfers when patients need continued specialist care.

Animal Ambulance & rescue provides profesional 24/7 pet ambulance and veterinary transport services across Surrey, London, Sussex and hampshire Our team delivers safe, compassionate and medically equipped transport for pets and wildlife in need or urgent or routine veterinary care. Each ambulance is...

29/09/2026

🚑🐾 A delicate transfer ❤️

On 24 September, we were called to assist with an incredibly delicate transfer from Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists to The Ralph

This sweet girl had become critically unwell following severe gastrointestinal disease and suspected sepsis. Despite intensive treatment and oxygen therapy, her breathing deteriorated significantly and she required intubation and mechanical ventilation.

The decision was made to transfer Mabel to an ECC facility, where she could receive the specialist level of ventilation and intensive care she needed.

This was far from a routine journey.

She was intubated and ventilated throughout the transfer, with continuous monitoring and care required every step of the way. To ensure her safety, our ambulance consisting of a veterinary surgeon, a veterinary nurse and a veterinary care assistant, alongside the equipment and support needed for this highly complex journey.

Every movement had to be carefully considered, and the team worked together throughout the transfer to keep her as stable as possible.

We’re incredibly proud of our crew for handling such a challenging and sensitive transfer with the care, professionalism and compassion it required.

A huge thank you also goes to the teams at Anderson Moores and the Ralph for the specialist care surrounding Mabel’s journey.

Sometimes, getting a critically ill patient from one hospital to another is much more than simply driving from A to B.

It’s about bringing the right people, equipment and clinical care together on the road, when every second matters. 🚑🐾

We’re wishing this little girl, her family and the veterinary teams caring for her all the very best. ❤️

VeterinaryNurse VeterinarySurgeon VCA AndersonMoores AnimalAmbulanceAndRescue Labrador PetTransport

28/09/2026

25/09/2026

Authority Assist Service 🐾

Recently, one of our welfare team members attended a property on behalf of Social Services to assist with a sensitive call involving a dog that had sadly passed away several days earlier.

This was a situation that required understanding, compassion and knowledge of animal welfare. Our ambulance was dispatched to collect the body of the 10 year old dog, which was then transported directly to a pet crematorium.

We hold the appropriate licences required to transport deceased companion animals, and every collection is carried out with dignity, respect and care.

This is exactly why we offer our Authority Assist Service. Every situation is different, and sometimes agencies need specialist animal welfare support when dealing with challenging or sensitive circumstances.

Our experienced team is ready to assist when help is needed.

Animal Ambulance & Rescue 🐾

23/09/2026

🐾 A day in one of our animal ambulances 🚑🐾

Every day is different for our team, and when we set off in one of our ambulances, we never quite know where the day will take us or what the next job will be.

Our first call of the day took us to a veterinary practice in Streatham, London, to collect a much loved dog who had sadly passed away. We transported the patient to the Royal Veterinary College’s Pathology Department for a post-mortem examination.

We regularly carry out these sensitive transfers and hold the appropriate licence to transport deceased pets. We understand how difficult these journeys can be for owners and veterinary teams, and we always handle every patient with the dignity and care they deserve.

From there, we headed down to Sussex for a routine veterinary transport to a practice in Storrington, before being called to an emergency in Portsmouth.

This time, we were transporting a 7 year old Labrador Retriever cross, who was critically unwell.

Mabel had initially presented to the vets following severe vomiting and diarrhoea. She had been extremely dehydrated and was showing signs of gastrointestinal illness and ileus. Despite intensive treatment, including intravenous fluids, pain relief, anti sickness medication and continuous infusions she sadly deteriorated.

Further investigations were carried out, including blood tests, ultrasound and X rays. Her condition progressed to suspected sepsis, with low blood pressure and blood glucose requiring intensive monitoring and additional medication. She also required a plasma transfusion as her protein levels continued to fall.

At the time of her transfer she was very poorly and extremely flat, requiring ongoing intensive veterinary care.

Our role is to safely and calmly transport patients between veterinary practices, whether they are stable routine transfers or critically ill patients requiring continuous care and monitoring. We work closely with veterinary teams to make sure every journey is carried out as safely as possible.

🚑 We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Wherever the next call takes us, our ambulances are ready to go.