10th Anniversary Edition: VEG’S Top 10 Moments!

VEG began in 2014 with a mission to take veterinary emergency to new heights, and to make a veterinary ER experience better than anyone had ever imagined. Since then, we’ve made more than bold strides—we shook it all to the ground and rebuilt it the way it should be. We placed an intense focus on our patients, customers, and our very own VEGgies; thinking about what they want and need and then made it happen. While other companies follow the status quo, that’s just not VEG and we’ve proven that over the last decade.

Today, we’re humbled by our success and strengthened by our customers’ satisfaction and our happy, quirky bunch of VEGgies, and we’re just getting started! Here’s a look at our top ten highlights of an amazing decade.

We’re Reinventing Veterinary ER for Good!

1. Zero To 66+ Hospitals

To be the World’s Veterinary Emergency Company, you have to reach people and pets where they are! VEG started with one hospital in White Plains, NY and has grown to 66 (and counting!) so that we can best serve people and their pets when they need it most. Want to learn more about the VEG origins? Take me there

2. All Hospitals Open 24/7 – 365 Days a Year

Keeping our hospitals open 24/7 seemed like a no-brainer. After all, emergencies don’t only strike 9-5; they can happen at midnight or the wee hours of the morning. For VEG, time doesn’t matter. Being here for you and your pet whenever you need us is imperative to delivering mind-blowing customer and patient care. We’re so grateful we can do that for you.

3. First-Ever CVNO VEG

is incredibly proud to have introduced a new role within our company and the industry at large: Chief Veterinary Nursing Officer. As a company with an innovative nursing philosophy that focuses on emotional well-being, critical thinking, career development, and so much more, we needed a leader in nursing who could serve as a staunch advocate. Held by Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC), (SAIM), this position marks a new frontier in veterinary nursing. Our CVNO is a courageous ambassador who ensures VEG remains a place of growth, excellence, and impact.

4. Developments in Medical Excellence

We’ve developed a new population of clinical employees integral to ER. VEG’S exotic animal specialists are on staff and on call to guide others through complicated cases so we can handle all species. At no cost to learners, our ER CERT program takes ER doctors to new levels of learning cutting edge techniques. Through our CULTIVATE program, our veterinary nurses level up their skills through immersive training. To date, 1,792 VEGgies have earned certification for RECOVER CPR—the only official veterinary cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification recognized by the ACVECC and the VECCS. The evidence-based guidelines of RECOVER introduces another level of high-quality care at VEG, and gives our patients requiring CPR the best chance of success.

5. Nerd Program Ignites Passion for ER

The New ER Doctor Program is an innovation from VEG that transforms recent DVM graduates and practicing non-emergency veterinarians into ER superheroes. This 6-month, hands-on training combines academics and clinical teachings with mentorship to fuel a passion for emergency medicine. By the end of January 2024, a total of 324 NERDs will have graduated from the program! Interested in being a VEG NERD? Tell me more

6. No Non Competes Ever

It’s simple really. VEG believes that everyone should have the freedom to work where they choose. At any opportunity, we’re brave enough to say, “Non compete suck.”

7. Inspiring the Next Gen

Ask a child what they want to be when they grow up and many will say, “A veterinarian!” Dr. David Bessler, our Founder and CEO, recognized this and began teaching kids about emergency vet med through a unique hands-on program, Little Vets. This program has enjoyed huge popularity, and today, our VEG doctors and nurses facilitate Little Vets classes around the country that inspire future ER superstars. Find out more for your little one today!

8. Open Concept to Rover

Why make customers stay in a lobby, waiting and worrying, when you can give them an open-concept ER where they can stay with their pet and see the care up close. That’s why VEG developed the first open-concept design veterinary hospital. Then, in 2023, we made it even better. We introduced ROVER: our Radically Open Veterinary Emergency Room. While we’ve always had a big treatment area and no walls separating our customers (except private rooms on request), what makes this new model radical is that we’ve removed the barrier between reception and treatment. This gives our VEGgies complete visibility when a new patient comes in. So, when a customer and patient walk into a VEG ROVER, they’re stepping right into the ER for treatment.

9. Saying Yes Through VEG Cares

We’ll close out our Top 10 (even though there’s so much more!) with an amazing way to help pets in dire need, through our philanthropy, VEG Cares. At VEG, we always want to say YES to life-saving care, but sometimes the finances just aren’t there. From families in financial distress to local animal rescues to victims of natural disaster, VEG Cares helps ensure care for life-threatening cases, like this one who won our hearts: Cora. VEG Cares helped bring Cora’s injuries from a sad, abusive background to a place of healing and a happy, healthy future. We’re so proud of this partnership that lets us say YES. To donate or learn more, please visit VEG Cares.

10. Helped 1.5 Million People and their Pets When They Needed it Most

With awe-inspiring teams throughout the U.S. who perform life-saving heroics on all kinds of pets, you see a lot of cases! To date, VEG has helped 1.5 million pets and we’re not stopping now. We’ve got emergency and urgent care for animals delivered as only VEG can. Where else can you:

• Call and speak with a veterinarian right away
• See a doctor and have your pet triaged within seconds of coming in
• Stay with your pet the entire time and even engage in their care, like holding the oxygen mask or helping to bandage
• Come in for help anytime your pet needs, day or night, even on holidays

We’re continuously working to make VEG the obvious choice for emergency pet care. See what we’re all about on our website!

There’s so much more we’re proud of and we keep finding new ways to make our customers and patients experience even better than before. It’s been an amazing 10 years; we can’t wait to start the next decade!