The Fort Belvoir Veterinary Treatment Facility offers veterinary care for pets and government working animals, at a fraction of the cost of off-post facilities.
"It ends up being a lot less," said Nancy Vincent-Johnson, a civilian veterinarian at the VTF. "We're fortunate here because the government pays for the building and they pay for the lights and they pay for a lot of the equipment, so we don't have to generate those funds. So, that's a big benefit."
The VTF provides service for active duty or retired servicemembers and their Families.
Services include vaccinations, heartworm and fecal tests, microchipping, flea and tick preventatives, preventive medicine and sick-call appointments, outpatient surgeries, including spay and neuter procedures, and pet registration. According to Fort Belvoir Regulation 40-905, all animals on post must be registered at the VTF.
"We do have the capability to do diagnostics like blood work," Vincent-Johnson said.
The VTF accommodates an average of 30 animals per day, including dogs, cats, and the occasional guinea pig, hamster or bird, she added.
R. J. Yoder, a Marine Corps spouse who owns two cats and two dogs, has been taking her pets to the Fort Belvoir VTF for close to 15 years.
"I've always gotten really good service here. It's cheaper than the vets off base," she said. "It has been really nice."
The VTF also offers vaccines for kennel cough and the Canine Influenza Virus for dogs. There was a recent outbreak of Canine Influenza Virus in Montgomery County, but there have been no cases on Fort Belvoir yet, Vincent-Johnson said.
However, she recommended that community members vaccinate their dogs, especially if they frequent places like grooming facilities, dog parks and dog shows, where many other dogs are present.
"It's particularly useful to have your dog vaccinated ahead of time," she added. "It takes several weeks to get a good immunity."
All services are provided on a space-available basis, due to a high demand and fluctuating work force.
"We have limited personnel, so we can't necessarily do every single thing for everybody, but we try to do as much for the majority of people as we can," Vincent-Johnson said.
However, the VTF only offers care by appointment during business hours, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments can be booked every Monday for the following week only. If patrons need emergency or after-hour care, they must call a local animal hospital.
Veterinary Internship Program
Since the staff can be small -- about three permanent party veterinarians at any given time -- the Fort Belvoir VTF hosts new Army veterinarians as interns every year for the annual First Year Graduate Veterinary Education Program.
The interns augment the staff while earning some on-the-job training, Vincent-Johnson said. This year, the VTF will host four interns.
"We go ahead and work with them so that they can gain experience while working with more experienced veterinarians," she said.
Fort Belvoir was the first Army base to offer the internship as a pilot program four years ago, she added. Now, there are eight installations that hope to open up the program across the nation.
The VTF is at 10015 Theote Road, Building 610. For more information, call the VTF at (703) 805-4336, or visit https://www.belvoir.army.mil/services/veterinary.asp.
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