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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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Military Opens $15M Dog Hospital

'Canine Walter Reed' will treat pooches wounded in combat

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(Newser) – If GI Rover gets injured in Iraq, chances are he'll end up at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, where the "Walter Reed of the veterinary world" has just opened. The base has long been training pups for service in all branches of the military, but its old animal hospital couldn't keep up with demand, the AP reports.

At Lackland, dogs learn to sniff for bombs or drugs and locate land mines, skills they'll later use in Iraq or Afghanistan, or at home in service with the TSA. The new hospital has operating rooms, scanning equipment, and a rehab center. "This investment made sense and somehow, we were able to convince others," says a retired colonel involved in the project.

Dog handler James Stegmeyer works with Kamilka at the new Department of Defense Military Working Dog Veterinary Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008.
Dog handler James Stegmeyer works with Kamilka at the new Department of Defense Military Working Dog Veterinary Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Guests tour the new Department of Defense Military Working Dog Veterinary Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008.
Guests tour the new Department of Defense Military Working Dog Veterinary Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Sgt. Douglas Timberlake works with Jimmy, a military dog, during canine training at Lackland Air Force Base, July 11, 2007.
Sgt. Douglas Timberlake works with Jimmy, a military dog, during canine training at Lackland Air Force Base, July 11, 2007.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Marine Cpl. Megan Leavey poses July 17, 2007, with the military dog, Flapoor, at Camp Pendleton Marine Base in California where the Belgian Malinois recovered from injuries suffered in Iraq in 2006.
Marine Cpl. Megan Leavey poses July 17, 2007, with the military dog, Flapoor, at Camp Pendleton Marine Base in California where the Belgian Malinois recovered from injuries suffered in Iraq in 2006.   (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
The new $15 million veterinary hospital, complete with operating rooms and intensive care, officially opened yesterday, offering an advanced facility to treat military dogs.
The new $15 million veterinary hospital, complete with operating rooms and intensive care, officially opened yesterday, offering an advanced facility to treat military dogs.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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