Alameda East Veterinary Hospital
Encyclopedia
Alameda East Veterinary Hospital is one of the world's leading veterinary hospitals. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and is considered one of the best intern places a future vet can study in the United States. It is located in Denver
, Colorado
, in the United States of America.
graduate, was somewhat frustrated at the level of critical care and technological services that were available to animals in the private sector as opposed to the high-end facilities of a university hospital. Determined to bring this level of care and technique to the average pet owner, Taylor decided to make Alameda East a full-service 24-by-7 hospital facility, with round-the-clock staffing, an Intensive Care Unit, state-of-the-art surgical and radiological equipment, and internal medicine specialist physicians. The hospital first began 24-hour service in 1974, with Taylor and a handful of young doctors and veterinary technicians working virtually non-stop for months. The practice began offering internships to vet school grads to fill its increasing needs for staff and worked closely with the Bel-Rea Institute in Denver, Colorado, to offer residency-style positions to veterinary technician graduates from Bel-Rea. Within ten years, Alameda East had grown to become one of the top animal hospitals in the United States, and patients needing specialized surgical intervention that was often not available in small towns throughout the southwest U.S. flocked to the hospital for care.
In 1997, with the popularity of the NBC series ER
on the rise, the cable network Animal Planet
approached Taylor about doing a reality series based on emergency care for animals, much like AP's sister network TLC (TV channel)
was doing with its new ER-based reality show Trauma: Life in the E.R.
Taylor agreed, and Emergency Vets
debuted in 1998. The show became an instant hit on Animal Planet and at its peak alternated with The Crocodile Hunter
as the network's #1 show. The exposure reaped great benefits for the hospital, exposing its work to a population outside of the American southwest region and attracting both patients and doctors to the hospital. First-run production on Emergency Vets ended in 2002 after Taylor began putting plans together for expansion of the hospital that would have been hindered by the constant presence of a TV crew on-site during construction. The network and Taylor kept in touch, however, and plans were made for future specials once the new facilities were completed.
In 2003, Alameda East Veterinary Hospital moved into a new facility just next to the original hospital, expanding an additional 32000 square feet (2,972.9 m²). In addition to the normal patient visitation rooms and cages of a regular veterinary practice, the new facility offers four state-of-the-art surgical suites, CT and MRI equipment, a full-service ICU and pathology laboratory, a physical therapy suite, and even a top-of-the-line boarding facility called "Animal Lodge". In March 2007, Alameda East Veterinary Hospital and VCA Antech announced that AEVH will now operate as part of the VCA Hospital Network.
television network:
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, in the United States of America.
History
Alameda East was founded and built in 1971 by Dr. Robert A. Taylor, DVM/MS. Taylor, at the time a recent veterinary schoolVeterinary school
A veterinary school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, which is involved in the education of veterinarians. To become a veterinarian one must first complete a veterinary degree A veterinary school should not be confused with a department of animal science...
graduate, was somewhat frustrated at the level of critical care and technological services that were available to animals in the private sector as opposed to the high-end facilities of a university hospital. Determined to bring this level of care and technique to the average pet owner, Taylor decided to make Alameda East a full-service 24-by-7 hospital facility, with round-the-clock staffing, an Intensive Care Unit, state-of-the-art surgical and radiological equipment, and internal medicine specialist physicians. The hospital first began 24-hour service in 1974, with Taylor and a handful of young doctors and veterinary technicians working virtually non-stop for months. The practice began offering internships to vet school grads to fill its increasing needs for staff and worked closely with the Bel-Rea Institute in Denver, Colorado, to offer residency-style positions to veterinary technician graduates from Bel-Rea. Within ten years, Alameda East had grown to become one of the top animal hospitals in the United States, and patients needing specialized surgical intervention that was often not available in small towns throughout the southwest U.S. flocked to the hospital for care.
In 1997, with the popularity of the NBC series ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
on the rise, the cable network Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
approached Taylor about doing a reality series based on emergency care for animals, much like AP's sister network TLC (TV channel)
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
was doing with its new ER-based reality show Trauma: Life in the E.R.
Trauma: Life in the E.R.
Trauma: Life in the E.R. is a medical-based television reality show that formerly ran on TLC from 1997 to 2002 and reruns are currently airing on Discovery Fit & Health...
Taylor agreed, and Emergency Vets
Emergency Vets
Emergency Vets is a reality television series that airs on the U.S. cable network Animal Planet. First aired in 1998, it depicts the working and outside lives of the veterinarians at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, Colorado, USA, plus the animals that they treat...
debuted in 1998. The show became an instant hit on Animal Planet and at its peak alternated with The Crocodile Hunter
The Crocodile Hunter
The Crocodile Hunter was a wildlife documentary television series that was hosted by Steve Irwin and his wife Terri. The show became a popular franchise due to its unconventional approach and Irwin's approach to wildlife...
as the network's #1 show. The exposure reaped great benefits for the hospital, exposing its work to a population outside of the American southwest region and attracting both patients and doctors to the hospital. First-run production on Emergency Vets ended in 2002 after Taylor began putting plans together for expansion of the hospital that would have been hindered by the constant presence of a TV crew on-site during construction. The network and Taylor kept in touch, however, and plans were made for future specials once the new facilities were completed.
In 2003, Alameda East Veterinary Hospital moved into a new facility just next to the original hospital, expanding an additional 32000 square feet (2,972.9 m²). In addition to the normal patient visitation rooms and cages of a regular veterinary practice, the new facility offers four state-of-the-art surgical suites, CT and MRI equipment, a full-service ICU and pathology laboratory, a physical therapy suite, and even a top-of-the-line boarding facility called "Animal Lodge". In March 2007, Alameda East Veterinary Hospital and VCA Antech announced that AEVH will now operate as part of the VCA Hospital Network.
Legacy
Alameda East has been featured in five shows from the Animal PlanetAnimal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
television network:
- Emergency VetsEmergency VetsEmergency Vets is a reality television series that airs on the U.S. cable network Animal Planet. First aired in 1998, it depicts the working and outside lives of the veterinarians at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, Colorado, USA, plus the animals that they treat...
, a series about the lives of Alameda East's veterinarians and the animals they treated, which aired first-run episodes from 1998 to 2002 - E-Vets: The Cutting Edge, a one-off documentary produced in 2004, updating what had happened to Alameda East and its veterinarians since the original series ended
- Emergency Vets 20 Most Unusual Cases, another one-off documentary produced in 2006, featuring 20 especially memorable cases from the original run of Emergency Vets, including follow-ups with the veterinarians and the animal patients' owners
- E-Vets: Things Pets Swallow, another one-off documentary aired in 2007, focusing on memorable cases from the original run of Emergency Vets involving swallowed objects
- E-Vet InternsE-Vet InternsE-Vet Interns is a reality television series about veterinary interns working at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, Colorado. It is a spinoff of Emergency Vets, a series about the lives of veterinarians at Alameda East that aired from 1998 to 2002 on the U.S. cable network Animal Planet...
, a series that aired in 2007, focusing on the lives of veterinary interns at Alameda East and the animals they treat