Military veterinary clinics all over the world are having to cut back services that they offer to privately owned pets so they can save some money.
The cutbacks took effect in mid-October, according to the U.S. Army Public Health Command, which oversees veterinary treatment facilities at all military installations. Lt. Col. Matt Takara, the command's program manager for animal medicine said that they are temporarily suspending almost all procedures that involve anesthesia for privately owned animals at most of the 150 locations around the world.
What's happened is the command has hired more civilians -- who are more expensive than military members -- and so they need to cut back staffing in some areas to save money. Veterinary facilities will still perform emergency procedures for pets and will continue to operate on military animals, Takara said.
The cost of examinations has increased $10 to $35, and the price of some items sold by the clinics rose slightly.
The military had been charging less than the actual cost of the procedures. So there was no way to win on that.
Despite the cutbacks, Takara said pets will still receive good preventive care. "The goal is to increase access to care and provide more wellness and sick call appointments to our military families' pets," he said.
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