Emergency Animal Care for 20 years

Veterinary staff with a dog
The Delmarva Animal Emergency Center (DAEC) has been providing veterinary care for sick and injured pets for 20 years. On April 17, 2021, Dr. Mitch Arion presented Mark Malloy and his K9 partner, Nova, from the Delaware State Police Canine Unit with two protective canine vests. The celebration took place at Delmarva Animal Emergency Center in the Liberto Plaza at 1482 E. Lebanon Rd. (Rt. 10), in Dover.

The presentation was followed by an extensive demonstration by the troopers and their dogs. The other Troopers present were: Ken Wilson with K9 Fifo; Katie Koff with K9 Indi; Bill Brennan with K9 Charly and Kyle Ogden.

Delmarva Animal Emergency Center is open for emergencies nights, weekends, and holidays when daytime practices are closed. They see dogs, cats, and the occasional rabbit, ferret, guinea pig, or bird in crisis.

They have cutting-edge diagnostic, surgical, and treatment equipment to handle most emergencies that enter their doors. On any given night, their capable veterinarians and staff see pets with issues ranging from being hit by a car, suffering from diabetes, or needing exploratory surgery for an intestinal obstruction.

Prior to Delmarva Animal Emergency Center opening its doors, each veterinary practice covered its own individual emergencies. This meant there was a veterinarian on call every night from each hospital. This all changed after two local veterinarians, Dr. Karen Usselman and Dr. Jeffrey Booth met with a group of veterinarians to discuss forming an after-hours emergency hospital to share the “on-call” load.

There are 23 veterinarians who own Delmarva Animal Emergency Center with an elected Board of Directors, who provide the medical guidance for the practice. The day-to-day running of the hospital belongs to Pam Derickson, who has been the office manager for over 10 years as well as a veterinary technician since Delmarva Animal Emergency Center opened. Derickson and Dr. Audrey Adkins worked together on the very first night 20 years ago.

With 45 veterinary hospitals within a 100-mile radius referring their after-hour emergencies to Delmarva Animal Emergency Center, the decision to open Delmarva Animal Emergency Center has benefited the animal-loving community as the hospital continues to meet its urgent care needs.