The first animal oriented poison control center was founded and pioneered by veterinary toxicologist Dr. William Buck and his graduate students of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois in 1978. At that time it was called the Animal Toxicology Hotline. Buck and his students answered all calls at any time of day via a paging service, providing help in cases of poisoning and other toxic exposures to animals.
Beginning as only an Illinois service, it quickly grew into a national resource as most calls were coming from outside of Illinois, requiring expansion. This led to its name change to the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) in 1984.
In 1996, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took over the mission and sponsorship from the College of Veterinary Medicine. They moved the NAPCC headquarters to the Sunnycrest Mall in Urbana.
Today, the Animal Poison Control Center is a national 24/7 hotline where all calls are answered by licensed veterinarians and veterinary toxicologists. The hotline center allows responders to give specific advice for animals instead of generalized information that was initially ascertained according to human reactions.
- Veterinary Medicine Basic Sciences Building – where Dr. Buck worked with his graduate students and operated the center.
American Socety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (n.d.). ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Externship. ASPCApro. https://www.aspcapro.org/apccexternship
MedicineNet. (n.d.). Animal Poison Control Centers – Animals are Unique. https://www.medicinenet.com/animal_poison_control_centers/views.htm
College of Veterinary Medicine. (Spring 1997). Poison Control Hotline Finds a New Home. Veterinary Report, 21(1), 3. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/158312732.pdf
Animal Sciences Department (n.d.). Champaign County ASPCA Poison Control Center. University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. https://ansc.illinois.edu/student-life/internships/champaign-county-aspca-poison-control-center
College of Veterinary Medicine. (2018, Oct 23). In Memoriam: Dr. William Buck, Veterinary Toxicology Pioneer. https://vetmed.illinois.edu/2018/10/23/william-buck-veterinary-toxicology/