Throwback: First aid for Fido — Indy vet launches pet ambulance service in 1982

INDIANAPOLIS — Most pet owners would do anything for their furry friends, and an Indianapolis veterinarian was willing to do the same 40 years ago this week.

Dr. Phillip Farber, of the Georgetown Animal Hospital & Emergency Center, created the first-of-its-kind pet ambulance in July 1982.

“I think that there’s a definite need for this kind of thing in Indianapolis because many times, an animal gets hit by a car and there’s no way of transporting him effectively back to the hospital,” Farber told WRTV consumer reporter Barbara Boyd.

The Dodge Coronet wagon was fully equipped for transporting pets to the clinic which was located near the Lafayette Square Mall.

“We’re trying to be well enough equipped to come close to a human ambulance,” Farber said.

Farber also said the service would be beneficial for pet owners who were unable to transport their pets to a clinic.