Army Veterinarians' exercise offers free pet care

Ellie needed medical help. She appeared in good health, aside from her blood-red, watery eyes.

"A dog has a gland on the inside of their third eyelid that lubricates the eye," said Capt. Paige Wallace, a veterinary surgeon with 218th Medical Detachment, 56th Medical Battalion, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., describing a canine medical condition called "red eye". "Certain breeds like boxers are predisposed to prolapse that gland, so you'll see this red ball sitting outside the eyeball. You have to sew it back to the inside of the eyelid."

Ellie was a Great Dane/Rhodesian ridgeback mix, a year and half old with fine black fur spotted white. She was a little groggy after her surgery, but was on the road to recovery.

Wallace and the Soldiers of the 218th MD (VSS) performed Ellie's surgery, as well as spays, neuters and other veterinary procedures during their field surgical training exercise on JBLM October 15-16. The exercise offered veterinary services in a field environment at no cost to Soldiers.

"We adopted Ellie because of the eyes. Nobody wanted her at the pound and she was days away from being put down," said Staff Sgt. Brian Gentile, a radio supervisor with 84th Civil Affairs Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, JBLM. "We kept on trying to find vets who would help us out with the surgery because I can't drop $1,000 on a surgery."

Ellie's surgery was performed in a field tent to simulate operating on military animals in a deployed environment.

"We need to get good experience for what it's like to work in these conditions so, when we have to, it's not a culture shock," said Wallace. "They love getting this done for their animals and getting them cared for, for free. I brought my personal dog in and he got dental work."

The cluttered, but sterile, tents were a long way from traditional veterinary facilities.

"Coming from a university setting where you're doing the gold standard on everything to doing surgery in a tent is a huge difference. It's really nice to get to practice and work out the kinks now," said Wallace.

Food inspectors with 218th MD (VSS) also had the opportunity to practice their craft during the exercise.

"It helps us hone our skills. We came back from deployment in November. From November to now we can lose a lot," said Spc. Michelle Gilbert. "Environments like this bring back the paperwork, the inspections and equipment. It helps us keep on top of things."

Army food inspectors are responsible for ensuring the quality of food and fluids while deployed and at home. The 218th MD (VSS) is planning to repeat the exercise's success in the future.

"We're hoping to do a couple a year," said Wallace. "Primarily our role is to take care of the military working dogs and the government owned animals. With our extra time we use the clinics and our resources to take care of personally owned animals."

Soldiers are trained to remain healthy and take care of themselves physically, and Army veterinarians are attempting to transfer that mindset to thinking of Soldiers' pets.

"It's good practice to have your animal looked at once a year to make sure they're healthy," she said. "It's also nice to give back to our community. We offer these really great procedures that are pretty expensive for free."

Veterinary services are regularly offered, for a fee, at the McChord Veterinary Treatment Facility, and Soldiers are encouraged to check with their unit veterinarians for the next opportunity to receive free treatment for their pets.

"I love the fact that they're willing to do this, and that there's Soldiers out there supporting us," Gentile said.