Above and Beyond

Please join the Animal Emergency Room (AER) in recognizing Dr. Elissa Jackson for going above and beyond the call of duty.   Thanks for all that you do Elissa.

Elissa was returning home from a relaxing weekend on the beach this past April, when she came upon a terrible car accident.   The scene involved a car that was flipped over a short distance off of the highway on I-37 between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.   After stopping to render aid, Elissa became focused on the family’s dog “Pepper”, which was involved in the wreck.   As the owners were being treated and prepared for transport, Elissa assured them that she would take care of their companion so that they could focus on their own medical needs.  

The pet owners were then airlifted out for medical attention and Elissa headed to San Antonio to begin providing treatment for “Pepper”.   Elissa came to the AER, where she works regular relief shifts, to begin the involved treatment the dog required.   Upon arrival, Pepper was immediately treated for shock and pain while receiving a complete work-up, including blood tests and x-rays.   As Pepper stabilized, her work up revealed that she suffered primarily from lacerations, presumably from glass.   Pepper’s surgery the next day went smoothly and she remained at the AER for 3 days.

Fortunately this story does have a happy ending.   Both Pepper, and her human companions were discharged from there respective hospitals several days later and were reunited at home.   To date, both Pepper and her owners have recovered from this horrific occurrence.

Elissa selflessly accepted both medical and financial responsibility for Pepper with no expectation of repayment from the owners.