Altus AFB Veterinarian clinic serves the base

Published Sept. 30, 2010
By Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Seidl
97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- There are 1300 pets registered on Altus Air Force Base, and every one of them needs and deserves the best medical available.

Fortunately for those pets, the Altus AFB Veterinary clinic is here to help.

"We provide, in this clinic, a lot of vaccinations, de-worming, heartworm medicines, preventive medicines is what we're all about," said Dr. Mike McGuire, Fort Sill Veterinary Treatment Facility. "We do provide out-patient treatment for anything we don't have to hospitalize or anesthetize... sometimes there's some misinformation that 'Oh, we thought all you did was vaccinations...' Well no, if their dog has a cut or a sore or an ear infection or anything like that... if we can look at it and provide medication and let them treat it at home, then we can look at it."

"If it is more advanced, they always have the option of going to Ft. Sill...if they want to have at least competitive pricing, potentially cheaper on some things especially emergency-type care," said Capt. Jarod Hanson, also of the Fort Sill Veterinary Treatment Facility. "They can try to get into Ft. Sill as well; because of how the veterinary services are run across the armed forces, any Air Force member can come to Ft. Sill if they want to drive the hour there. We do have surgical capability and more of the advanced stuff available to them there."

The mission of the clinic includes preventative medicine for pets, military K-9 care, and any public facility that houses animals, such as the Child Development Center or Youth Center. Care for military family pets can enhance care for the families, as it reduces the transmission of some diseases and parasites from animals to humans. The Altus clinic is staffed by Army veterinarians, technicians, and Air Force civilians.

"The Army is the Department of Defense representatives for veterinary services. (The DoD) made them world-wide when they did away with the veterinary corps for the Air Force in 1980. They made the Army the Department of Defense veterinary services and we are responsible for providing services for all bases," said Dr. McGuire.

"The Air Force actually supplies all the working dogs to all services; the Army provides all the Veterinarians," added Capt. Hanson.

Base housing residents are required to register all pets with the vet clinic within 10 days of moving in; if this deadline has passed, Capt. Hanson said its late is better than never.
"If they come in and register, it's a non-issue. If they get found with pets and they are not registered, depending on the installation, they can be kicked out of base housing. It's a bigger issue if they don't; doing it, there's no punitive action from us."

The clinic offers wellness packages, which allow the clinic to provide discounts on services that are usually required simultaneously or near-simultaneously.

"Installation policies include mandatory micro-chipping, mandatory rabies and mandatory distemper, pretty much across all armed forces at this point," said Capt. Hanson.

"(Micro-chipping) is very cheap here as compared to some places... we have very special pricing because the whole military uses one brand of it, so it's $25 (for a single micro-chipping)," said Dr. McGuire.

The chips typically last for the life of the pet and will be replaced free of charge if the chip goes bad. Military members who micro-chip their pets can also change and update information on the chip free of charge. The chips are honored in every country, and do not require any additional scanner; the chips scan on a universal standard.

Capt. Hanson also said the required permanent change of station health certificate for pet travel overseas and most PCS moves is free from the base vet clinic; the requirements and regulations are well understood by the staff there and they will help guide pet owners through the process.

"If they do their visits at the vet clinic, including their vaccinations, it saves them a trip and $100-plus because they'd actually have to go to the USDA office in Oklahoma City to get their paperwork stamped. If they do it all through one of the military clinics and see a military vet for some or all of that, they can actually get it done free," said Capt. Hanson.

Vets at the Altus clinic strongly recommend keeping up to date on all shots and health care for family pets, which will allow them to do documentation for overseas moves without lengthy delays for test results and certifications.

As of Oct. 1, the clinic is open Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed for lunch) and is open for pet care appointments 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed for lunch) on Wednesday. The clinic is closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday... with a few exceptions.

"We are making an effort to open for a Saturday vet clinic the first Saturday of each month," said Jennifer Webb, Altus AFB vet clinic receptionist.

"It is for the benefit of people who can't use a mid-week appointment. This is so they can have a chance to use all the benefits that being in the service is all about," said Dr. McGuire.

For more information on the services the Altus Vet Clinic has to offer, or to make an appointment, call 481-5221. Visit the links to the right for additional information.

Altus Air Force Base News