Animal emergency summit to be held July 30 in College Station

COLLEGE STATION – The Texas Animal Emergency Management Summit will be held  July 30 in Rooms 107A and 107B of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 660 Raymond Stotzer Parkway, College Station.

The summit, “Saving Pets Saves Human Lives,” is free for participants due to the support of PetSmart Charities. It is sponsored by the Texas Animal Health Commission, Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Houston SPCA.

Day-of registration will be from 7:30-8:15 a.m., and a continental breakfast is included. The summit will conclude at 5 p.m.

“The summit program is designed primarily for emergency management professionals whose duties include or overlap with potential safety and disease issues related to animals,” said Dr. Monty Dozier, AgriLife Extension associate professor, College Station. “However, it is also open to anyone with an interest in resolving various animal issues that may arise during a disaster or emergency.”

Dozier said he hopes the summit will bring together a multi-disciplinary audience that reflects the diverse array of professional expertise required to solve the animal concerns that inevitably occur during a disaster.

Sessions led by speakers at each level of emergency response will offer information that can be applied to every jurisdiction. Summit topics include:

• Integrating the animal component in the response system.
• Best practices and vexing problems for local jurisdictions.
• Texas risks and status of the state emergency management apparatus.
• Infectious disease awareness.
• Zoo and exotic animal update.
• State and federal resources available in Texas.

Registration is limited to 175 participants. To register and for more information, go to https://vetmed.tamu.edu/vet/2019-taem-summit/.

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Writer: Paul Schattenberg, 210-859-5752, paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu

Dr. Monty Dozier, 979-458-9271, monty.dozier@ag.tamu.edu

Bryan Davis, 830-393-7357, bryan.davis@ag.tamu.edu