Veterinary Emergency Response Team

The Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT) at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is a volunteer group lead by a core of 4 faculty and staff with extensive experience in animal rescue and disaster medicine.

VERT’s primary role is training. Requests for assistance outside of our call area are dealt with on an individual basis given the limits of the volunteer nature of VERT. VERT is not a 24/7 emergency response unit.

The VERT activities fall under the mission of the University of California, which is teaching, research and service. VERT provides seminars and workshops on disaster preparedness, disaster response, and rescue methods to individuals and agencies involved with animals. The research component involves science based studies to develop protocols for integrated emergency and disaster response, development of equipment used in rescue, and to create local and national guidelines for care of animals in emergencies and disasters.