Updated: 3 hours ago
For years, emergency veterinary medicine followed a familiar formula: anxious pet parents waited in the lobby while their pets disappeared behind closed doors. Communication often felt limited, and families were left feeling disconnected during one of the most stressful moments of their lives. And in the midst of their careers, doctors and nurses burned out all too quickly.
VEG ER for Pets was founded on one simple but powerful idea: there had to be a better way.
That belief sparked a company that has gone on to change what veterinary emergency medicine looks like—not just through exceptional medical care, but by rethinking what the entire experience should feel like for pets, their people, and the vet professionals who care for them.
It started with one vet hospital and a big vision
The history of VEG ER for Pets began in 2014, when Dr. David Bessler, an emergency veterinarian since 2003, opened the first hospital in White Plains, NY. Originally known as Veterinary Emergency Group, VEG was built around his vision for a better emergency veterinary care experience.
His mission was to save lives while creating a better experience for pets, pet parents, and the people caring for them. That meant questioning practices the industry had long accepted.
For example, why were scared pets being taken away from the humans they trusted most? Why couldn’t pet parents stay by their side?
Why were pet parents not kept actively informed about treatment and then handed a bill for services they didn’t quite understand?
And when it came to vet professionals, burnout was a widely known problem. Dr. Bessler wanted better for his team. Creating a better experience for them meant questioning the way things had always been done, and making big changes that the industry hadn’t seen before.
Enter the partnership of Dr. Bessler and David Glattstein!
A partnership to change veterinary emergency for good
As Dr. Bessler was creating ways to reshape the ER experience, entrepreneur David Glattstein was also searching to shake things up. Educated at Emory University and The Wharton School and working on Wall Street, Glattstein was researching the vet med industry and was inspired by what he found: there was a huge opportunity to make the veterinary experience better for pets, pet parents, and vet professionals alike. He dug into further research and came across the work Dr. Bessler was doing, and in one email exchange, their futures changed forever.
Instead of insisting that pet parents accept the traditional ER experience, they asked a different question:
What if the emergency experience adapted to pets and their humans, and what they needed?
They partnered to create The VEG Way.
When a pet has an emergency, everything changes in an instant.
Pet parents experiencing an emergency with their pet need help quickly. They have questions and need the quickest answer. At VEG, concerned pet parents can call the hospital and speak directly with a doctor. They can also bring their pet in day or night for immediate vet attention. No guessing where to go, just high-quality emergency veterinary care when families need it most.
No appointments needed, because you can’t plan for an emergency.
And pets aren’t taken to the back, away from the people who love them; families stay together throughout treatment—even during procedures, recovery, or overnight hospitalization.
Transparency is key. Pet parents can see the care their pet receives, are able to ask questions in real time, and become part of the care team.
Building the world’s veterinary emergency company
“The Davids,” as they would come to be known, decided nothing would be done half-heartedly; they would model the way and excel at it. Their aspirations became one simple fact: Emergency is all we do, so we do it best.
The hospitals themselves reflected that philosophy:
Open-concept veterinary hospitals instead of closed-door treatment areas
Pet parents are connected directly with a doctor to get their medical questions answered
Patients were seen immediately upon arrival, with triage beginning before paperwork
Pets and their humans were kept together, no matter what treatment was needed
Treatment options were explained clearly so pet parents could make informed decisions
These weren't just operational changes. From the very beginning, Dr. Bessler wanted to design his hospital around transparency and connection; a different way of thinking about emergency medicine.
As VEG grows, its focus remains the same. Unlike many veterinary organizations that divide their attention across wellness, specialty care, and emergency services, VEG is dedicated entirely to emergency medicine.
That singular focus allows VEG teams to develop deep expertise, invest in emergency training, and continually improve the experience for pets, their families, and the professionals who work there.
A bettER experience for pet parents
One of the biggest reasons VEG has become a leader in emergency veterinary medicine isn't just what happens medically—it's how people feel throughout the experience. Emergency medicine isn't only about saving animals. It's about caring for the people who love them, too.
The company's mission, “Helping people and their pets when they need it most,” extends beyond treating patients. That philosophy reshaped what an emergency visit could look like by putting pet parents at the center of the experience. At VEG, that means:
Calling ahead and speaking directly with an emergency veterinarian before you even walk through the doors
Staying with your pet throughout their care, because being together matters during an emergency
Sleeping overnight with your hospitalized pet, providing comfort through some of their hardest moments
Watching your pet's surgery or participating in their care when appropriate, offering a level of transparency rarely seen in veterinary medicine.
Receiving clear, honest communication every step of the way, so you're never left wondering what's happening next.
Emergencies can never be planned, so we’ve done the planning for you. Our VEGgies go way beyond the extra mile to make sure customer and patient needs are met, physically and emotionally. For pet parents in it for the long haul, there are spaces throughout the hospital to catch up on sleep or emails—free wifi!. We’ll provide comforts like couches, pillows, and blankets. And who doesn’t love a free snack? You may be here a while, so you can grab something nutritious (or chocolate-y) to hold you over.
These things help keep humans with their pets, even if they have to camp out for days with their hospitalized pets. (It happens more than you think!)
This commitment to keeping the patient and customer experience in mind has helped establish VEG as a trusted name in emergency veterinary medicine and encouraged hospitals across the industry to reevaluate what's possible.
Putting people at the heart of veterinary medicine, too
While VEG is known for transforming the customer experience, the company has also built a reputation for investing deeply in its own people.
Employees proudly call themselves VEGgies—a nickname that reflects the close-knit culture found across every hospital. They live by the saying, “We find a way to say YES,” which means that day or night, VEGgies are prepared for everything from broken bones and allergic reactions to life-saving surgeries and critical care. They care for dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, and many other exotic species.
VEG believes that exceptional customer experiences begin with empowered teams and a veterinary workplace culture built around saying YES. And that philosophy shows up in countless ways, from leadership development and unlimited ER CE to opportunities for career growth and innovation.
One clear example of VEGgie support is the company’s recognition that veterinary nurses are essential to the industry. To lead the cultivation of the nursing role, Kerichino Yagi, BS, RVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM) was named Chief Veterinary Nursing Officer. The first of its kind, this role focuses on advocacy for the veterinary nursing profession and creating career pathways, whether the nursing staff is interested in leadership, education, or training the industry’s next gen.
Another innovation for the company is at its headquarters. In 2026, VEG opened SPIKEone, its in-house emergency-only training center dedicated to veterinary emergency medicine training, clinical education, and leadership development. This gives veterinary doctors, vet nurses, and support teams opportunities to sharpen clinical skills, practice advanced procedures, and continue growing throughout their careers.
More than an investment in education, the training center is a commitment to making every VEGgie better equipped to help the next family that walks through the doors.
What’s more, rather than keeping ideas and teachings within its own walls, VEG actively contributes to conversations shaping the future of emergency veterinary medicine. VEGgies regularly participate in conferences across the country, where doctors, vet nurses, and leaders both attend and teach. This willingness to share knowledge has helped position the company as an industry leader.
An important change in VEG ER for Pets history: when the company right-branded its name
As the company—first known as Veterinary Emergency Group—expanded across the country, one thing became increasingly clear: people already knew the organization as "VEG."
In 2025, Veterinary Emergency Group officially became VEG ER for Pets. This name clearly communicates exactly what the company does while preserving the brand people have come to know and trust. The company describes the rebranding as “right branding,” because the new name reflects what had always been true: VEG is an ER for pets!
The refreshed identity also introduced a bold new visual look that mirrors the company's energy, openness, and commitment to making emergencies feel less stressful.
VEG is the future of veterinary emergency
From a single hospital in 2014 to more than 100 emergency vet hospitals across the United States, growth has been consistent, thanks to constant innovations in customer experience, operations, and resourcing. In 2026, VEG achieved a major milestone: going international; bringing the VEG experience to Toronto, Canada.
But numbers alone don't define the company's history. Its story is really about changing expectations. Changing what pet parents believe an emergency visit can feel like.
Changing what veterinary professionals believe a workplace can be.
And changing what an emergency hospital can become when compassion, transparency, and expertise are treated with equal importance.
These ideas challenged long-held assumptions about what an emergency veterinary visit had to be. By prioritizing transparency, partnership, and compassion alongside exceptional medical care, VEG helped redefine the experience for pet parents and influenced conversations across the profession.
At its heart, VEG ER for Pets has never been about becoming the biggest. It's about becoming the emergency hospital people hope they'll never need, but are grateful for when they do.
And as emergency veterinary medicine continues to evolve, VEG remains committed to leading the way while always standing behind the mission that started it all: helping people and their pets when they need it most.
