California Veterinary Emergency Team - CVET

06/24/2026

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.

06/14/2026

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/

06/11/2026

Behind every successful veterinary team is a group of skilled veterinary technicians helping keep patients cared for and operations running smoothly.

This one’s for the RVTs and vet techs whose expertise, dedication, and hard work make a difference every day. Thank you for all that you do 💛

06/10/2026

Thank you to Joybound People & Pets for hosting a two-day Animal Disaster Preparedness Workshop last week. Through search-and-rescue field training, scenario-based exercises, and hands-on workshops, front line responders strengthened the skills and coordination needed to support animals during disasters.

CVET was proud to participate and support the training alongside partners committed to building a stronger, more prepared animal emergency response community.

06/05/2026

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.

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...

05/05/2026

Firefighters are trained to respond to just about anything but emergencies involving animals bring a different kind of challenge. That's where CVET comes in!

We are working alongside the UC Davis Fire Department to help prepare responders for those moments through a new pilot training program. This hands-on course introduces firefighters to animal behavior, safe approach techniques, and basic handling skills for a range of species they may encounter in the field, from household pets to livestock.

By training together, we’re also learning from each other. Insights from fire personnel help us shape more relevant, field-ready training, while veterinary expertise adds another layer of safety and awareness to emergency response.

This course is a practical way to build confidence, reduce risk, and improve outcomes for both responders and animals during emergencies, a strong example of how collaboration can strengthen disaster preparedness across California.

UC Davis firefighters are gaining hands-on animal safety training that could help shape emergency response across the region and state.

04/08/2026

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:

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....