National Guard veterinarians keeps animals healthy

Photo By Staff Sgt. Francis Horton | Spc. Tasha Martin, a veterinarian technician with the 422nd Medical Detachment wraps cotton around a dog's leg in preparation for splinting  

FORT MCCOY, UNITED STATES

06.17.2009

Story by Spc. Francis Horton 

363rd Public Affairs Detachment

FORT MCCOY, Wis. — The Soldiers of the 422nd Medical Detachment (Veterinarian Services) are working with the 325th Combat Support Hospital here to keep Soldiers and animals healthy.

"There are two missions for vets, food sanitation and veterinarian services," said CW4 Vincent R. Campbell, senior veterinarian technician with the 422nd.

Things to be considered for food sanitation are the source of the food, the maintenance of the machinery used to prepare it, and the transportation from source to site, he said.

This form of force protection is vital to the military. If the food isn't up to standards, Soldiers can get sick and the mission can become compromised. Certifications must be obtained for anyone providing large amounts of food or even if they want to be a vendor on base, Campbell said.

"Sometimes you can't just look at the food and tell that it's bad," said Campbell.

On the other side of the detachment, the veterinarian technicians also take care of military working dogs, which are mainly used for sniffing out explosive devices in combat zones.

"We treat injuries, keep up on vaccines and the overall health of the dogs," said Spc. Tasha Martin, a veterinarian technician with the 422nd. Some of the preventative health care preformed is in the form of blood work and x-rays of the hips.

There are also humanitarian missions overseas working with herds of animals to provide healthcare and vaccinations, she said.

Martin has spent more time as an Army research technician at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C, but is happy for the training she is receiving here, she said.

So far, the detachment has had to deal with dog bites, which requires testing of the dog for rabies, animals injured from improvised explosive devices and broken limbs. Some have been mannequins, but she has also worked with live dogs, drawing blood, taking them for x-rays and putting casts on legs.

"Training out of the [combat support hospital] is good," she said. "I feel I can handle a working dog well."

• Date Taken: 06.17.2009
• Date Posted: 06.17.2009 14:34
• Story ID: 35256
• Location: FORT MCCOY, US