AETC Chicago launches 24/7 veterinary emergency care center

As of September 1, Chicago's approximately 1.6 million pets* will have access to 24-hour emergency medical attention - and ongoing hospitalization - should they fall victim to accident or illness. Located at 3927 W. Belmont, Animal Emergency & Treatment Center (AETC) is the only veterinary emergency and specialty center in the city to offer care at any hour of the day or night, 365 days a year.

"The construction of our state of the art Chicago treatment center is right on track," said Dr. Matt H. Tompkins, DVM, co-founder and managing partner of AETC. "We're counting down the days until our skilled team is able to fill the desperate need for high-quality, round-the-clock treatment of animal companions in the city."

Until now, Chicago residents have not had the option of 24-hour care for their pets, but instead have had to transport their sick animals from after-hours emergency facilities to their regular veterinarians' offices every morning. AETC provides ongoing hospitalization, which allows pets to receive uninterrupted treatment from the same skilled medical team.

Spanning more than 10,000 square feet, the new AETC Chicago broke ground on June 1. It joins AETC's existing facility in Grayslake, Ill., which has served the Lake County area since 1994. Offering the latest and best medical technologies and diagnostic options, AETC board-certified veterinarians will provide such specialty services as surgery, internal medicine and critical care. Other services will include video endoscopy, video ultrasound, digital radiology and computed tomography (CT) - as well as a complete diagnostic laboratory and an intensive care unit.

In addition, AETC Chicago will house a robust blood donor program, through which any client may volunteer to have his or her pet screened to become a "Donor Hero" and give blood every eight to 10 weeks. Program participants benefit by earning credit toward AETC services and by helping to save the lives of animals treated at AETC and other local veterinary centers. AETC's blood bank is unique to the Chicago area in that it provides blood products to veterinary facilities throughout the entire region.

AETC Chicago will be staffed by a team of more than 50 dedicated veterinary professionals, many of whom are board-certified and residency-trained in the areas of surgery, critical care, internal medicine and emergency medicine. In addition, AETC nurses are highly-skilled and average more than 10 years of experience. Each member of AETC Chicago team will contribute to the creation of customized treatment plans that meet the individual needs of every patient, client and primary referring veterinarian.

"At AETC, we are passionate about caring for both pets and their owners," said Tompkins. "In addition to offering cutting-edge diagnostic and medical procedures, our team really does care for each animal as if it were our own."

http://www.aetcenter.com