Base vet wears many hats

  • Published
  • By Deborah Silliman Wolfe
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Dr. Laura Lester truly loves animals. This reporter could tell by the way she talked about her two dogs, Ernie and Tyler, and how she handled the horses at this past weekend's shot clinic for members of the Windriders Saddle Club. Dr. Lester graduated with a doctorate of veterinary medicine from Oklahoma State University and for the past five years, has been working for the U.S. Army at the Luke veterinary clinic. 

"Basically, I am like an active duty army veterinarian, except that I am working as a civilian for the Army," Dr. Lester said, who is an Army Reservist as well. Her main duty on base is to take care of the military working dogs, and is responsible for food inspection off-base. 

"If there is something that is produced in Arizona that is considered a potentially hazardous food, I can go out and do sanitary inspections on the plant's production practices," said Dr. Lester. "I inspect bottled water plants, a tortilla plant and a frozen deli-sandwich establishment. Or if a company is selling in the commissary or shoppette or producing something that is cooked at the dining hall, I go inspect the facility." 

Dr. Lester explained that years ago, vets inspected slaughter houses because animals were involved, and that is how today's veterinarians got into the food inspection realm.
Though Dr. Lester's main priorities are working with the working dogs and food inspection, she and Dr. WHO?, a civilian vet who works part-time at the clinic, also see personally owned animals at the clinic which is located on the east side of Litchfield Road north of the North Gate. 

"The mission of the vet on base is mainly public health and preventative medicine," Dr. Lester said. "Anything that pertains to disease that can be transmitted from an animal to a human, we deal with. We can get outside of that depending on how much time we have on our hands." 

One of the things that Dr. Lester does included in the realm of public health and preventive medicine is shot clinics twice a year for members of the Windriders Saddle Club. Members of the club gathered at an off-site location Saturday so that Dr. Lester could administer all the needed vaccines and deworm the horses. 

"This clinic is good because it is a group effort -- everyone is getting shots together!" said Misty Lynn Hernandez, a Windriders Saddle Club member.

Other than the shot clinic, Dr. Lester doesn't have too much other contact with the horses owned by the members of the saddle club. Just like with smaller pets, the clinic only offers basic services, like vaccinations, because they are so short staffed. 

"Most vet clinics have four or five technicians, but we only have one, if any, some days," Dr. Lester said. "And because of the hours and our mission, we are not always available so we ask that our patrons have a civilian veterinarian." 

Horse owners with a valid military identification are able to make appointments to vaccinate their animals at the base clinic. 

"I have a gentleman who has 10 horses and he brings out two different trailers and parks out front of the clinic. I walk out and we do the vaccines right out there," Dr. Lester said. 

Dealing with animals on a daily basis gives Dr. Lester a unique view, and she reminds people wanting to get a pet that it is a big responsibility. 

"Getting a pet is just like buying a car," Dr. Lester said. "You have to budget for it. You can't expect an animal to stay healthy all the time, so you have to expect those costs. In an economy where people have trouble feeding themselves, pets are a luxury."