Founded in 1980, Madison, Wisconsin-based Exceptional Care for Animals provides emergency veterinary services 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Originally intended as a way for pet owners to receive treatment for their animals late at night, during weekends, or through the holidays, Exceptional Care for Animals expanded rapidly and now offers a multitude of additional services.

When Exceptional Care for Animals was first established in Madison, its practitioners were seeking a way to ease the strain on veterinarians throughout Madison. Now the clinic assists local vets by offering advanced diagnostics, antidotes, blood products, uncommon testing, gas sterilization, and different supplies and equipment. Exceptional Care for Animals also created the city’s first animal blood bank. If you are interested in seeing if your pet can donate, visit www.exceptionalcareforanimals.com.

The clinic is not dedicated to working solely with pets. It also provides a number of services to un-owned wildlife. Birds, reptiles, and mammals that have been injured or orphaned are treated, rehabilitated, and released back into the wild. The clinic works closely with the Dane County Humane Society, providing food and shelter to stray dogs and cats.

The clinic’s longest-standing veterinarian is Dr. Mark Koeppl. Dr. Koeppl’s parents assert that his childhood ambition was to become a veterinarian. He graduated from the University of Minnesota’s veterinarian program in 1984. After completing his internship and spending some time working with an emergency care clinic in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, Dr. Koeppl returned to Madison and began working at the emergency clinic in 1988. He is a member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society as well as the Society of Critical Care Medicine.