278: Veterinary First Responders with Dr. Leigh Mack

When we think of "first responders," our minds naturally go first to firefighters, police officers, and EMTs and the valuable work they do for people in emergencies. What we tend to overlook, however, is that animals are often involved in emergency situations as well- who cares for them? Enter Dr. Leigh Mack himself a firefighter and EMT as well as the founder of the First Responders' Veterinary Network. FRVN was established to address critical gaps in managing animal-centric emergencies. Drawing from his tenure at the South Carolina State Guard and two fire departments, Dr. Mack developed an scalable operational model for the field. The concept emerged from frontline encounters where animals hindered life-saving care, revealing a vital need for a network of volunteer veterinarians to treat injured animals and to help maintain scene safety. Dr. Mack joined the podcast today to talk about his work, and how you can get involved.   For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.