SOUTH WINDSOR (AP) — When Connecticut’s pets are in need of medical attention, Andrew Hildebrand is there.

The owner of Emergency Animal Services in South Windsor says his business is Connecticut’s first ambulance service for pets. Mr Hildebrand or a member of his team will drive out, perform a quick medical evaluation on a sick animal, and then take the pet to a local veterinarian for treatment.

Mr Hildebrand, a paramedic, said he has assembled a volunteer team of medical professionals qualified to provide first aid to humans. His team includes state-certified emergency medical technicians and paramedics, as well as a respiratory therapist and several veterinary technicians.

The team staffs two emergency vans 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

When an emergency call comes in, the team is prepared to go anywhere in the state, Mr Hildebrand said, although the service mainly focuses on Hartford and Tolland counties and parts of Middlesex County.

Each call costs $20 during business hours and $30 after hours and during the weekend. There is also a transportation fee ranging from $15 to $40, depending on the time of the incident.

“We aren’t just throwing animals into the back of a van,” Mr Hildebrand said. “We treat animals similar to the way we treat people. Comparing the people ambulance to the animal is virtually the same. You do what you can do at the scene and get them to the hospital as quickly as possible.”

But Simon Flynn, executive director of the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association, said the most important creed for veterinarians is “doing no harm to the animal.” He said he is worried about untrained or inexperienced people treating animals.

“While I applaud any effort which would get animals to the veterinarian safely and quickly, an untrained person could unknowingly do harm to an animal,” he said. “Veterinary care should be done only by licensed vets. There must be some scrutiny, and our overriding concern is for the animal and making sure they get appropriate treatment by professionals.”

Mr Hildebrand agrees that some sort of state supervision would be appropriate. He said he is working with state Rep Nancy Kerensky, D-South Windsor, to have his service registered with the state Department of Health or Department of Agriculture. They are also working to get official recognition of pet ambulances as emergency vehicles.

Pet ambulances may be new to Connecticut, but they are already popular in Canada and overseas.

Martin Bennett, who operates a pet ambulance service in Brighton, England, said that when he created the service five years ago, it was the first free emergency pet ambulance in the world. His service relies on private fundraising.

“Vets in our area were skeptical to begin with,” Mr Bennett said. “But as time went on, they saw that we were really doing what we said we would, and they became more and more supportive.”