10/31/2014 – WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio, — Just inside Gate 15A in Area A is the Wright-Patterson Veterinary Services Clinic. Entering the clinic, visitors are usually greeted by a friendly receptionist and likely Dr. Jessica Clarkson’s happy Australian Shepard dog, Quinn.
The veterinary clinic hosts three exam rooms, a surgical facility and kenneling capabilities. The clinic has come a long way in expanding its service offerings.
“Historically, we (Veterinary Services) were established to care for the K9 dogs,” said Army Capt. (Dr.) Sarah Cudd, one of the two veterinarians who serves the clinic, “but we have since evolved to offer a full range of services for military pets.”
The veterinary clinic offers a range of services, including dental, surgical and full exams. “There was a time where (Veterinary Services) only offered immunizations for pets,” said Cudd. “However, that was a few years ago, and we’ve since become a lot more versatile. We offer essentially every service an off-base vet clinic would provide.”
The clinic also tries to serve military pets and their families by offering conveniences for busy families and remaining cost effective.
According to Cudd, the clinic contains kennel facilities that can be used to temporarily house sick pets during the day while their owners are at work. The staff makes the sick pet as comfortable as possible in the clinic and attends to the pet’s medical needs throughout the day. This type of arrangement is referred to as a “drop-off ” appointment.
The clinic also gives military pet owners a cost-effective option for attending to the medical needs of their pets.
“In most cases we’re less expensive than an off-base practice,” said Cudd. “We do all that we can to serve active-duty, reservists and retirees. Unfortunately, at this time we aren’t authorized to accept civilian patients.”
The Veterinary Services Clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and two days out of the work week are scheduled for surgery procedures. In order to add convenience for working families, on the first and third Tuesday of every month, the clinic is open until 8 p.m.
When people make appointments by phone, Cudd asks for some patience.
“Currently we only have one phone line and one receptionist; so it sometimes does take a little time to get through (the phone line.) We’ll get with you as soon as possible. We’re very friendly here, and we love to work with pets and people,” she said. To schedule an appointment with Veterinary Services call 257-6853. The clinic is located at 3892 Communication Blvd., Bldg. 1425.
