RezQ Dogs, Fort Belknap and U.S. Army Reserve provide pet care

Fort Belknap Indian Community, RezQ Dogs and the U.S. Army Reserve are about halfway through a series of spay and neuter clinics, vaccination and wellness exams for local dogs and cats, with three more clinics coming this week in Hays.

RezQ Dogs Executive Director Anita Wilke said between the three clinics conducted this past week at Fort Belknap, the groups have done about 120 surgeries on top of their wellness exams and vaccinations, and they're almost booked up for the three this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

"It's a very unique collaboration, and it benefits everybody," Wilke said. " ... I'm very proud of it."

She said this isn't the first time she's worked with the U.S. Army Reserve on something like this, having done a similar event two years ago. But, she said, that was one veterinarian and three medical technicians, and now they have many more veterinarians and more than 20 med techs, so they can do a lot more this time around.

She said the U.S. Army Reserve is supplying most of the personnel while her organization is providing most of the supplies, including the necessary drugs, much of which can be difficult to transport.

Wilke said the U.S. Army Reserve has a lot of medical technicians and veterinarians who could potentially be traveling all over the world, and events like these give them a valuable opportunity to train while providing a service to the community.

In a release sent to the Havre Daily News Sunday, Lt. Col. Dr. Bradley Fields, the officer in charge of the operation, said this mission combines two U.S. Army Reserve Veterinary detachments, the 7360th from San Antonio, Texas, and the 7350th from Montgomery, Alabama.

"Conducting real-world mission support is vital for the sustainment of our troops' education and skill sets," Fields said. "This Innovative Readiness Training event in Montana provides extraordinary opportunities for soldiers to get in-depth experience in veterinary anesthesia, comprehensive physical examination of animals, public health and zoonotic disease control measures through vaccination and parasite control programs, and overall operating a successful veterinary mission in an austere environment without traditional brick and mortar veterinary facilities and equipment."

The release said the events are expected to spay and neuter more than 200 animals and provide more than 500 vaccinations against rabies, distemper/parvo virus and feline diseases, as well as administering both internal and external parasite control measures.

He said they are thankful for the opportunity for this unique collaboration with the tribe and Wilke with RezQ Dogs, which provided logistical support along with equipment and drugs.

Wilke said the people provided by the U.S. Army Reserve have proven exceptionally committed to the task, having seen them work from 8 a.m. to nearly midnight to meet as much of the community's demand as they possibly could.

"They worked until the work was done," she said. " ... I can't give them enough credit."

Wilke said the U.S. Army Reserve's Veterinary Corps is being supported in this operation by the U.S. Indian Health Service, and Fort Belknap Tribal Health Department as well as the tribe's Fish and Game Department, and she wants all the organizations in this collaboration to get credit for making this event happen.

She said this is a unique collaboration that she would love to see happen every year. She said much depends on the U.S. Army Reserve's availability, so she can't guarantee that this will become annual, but they are already planning for next year, so, barring anything unexpected, they know that they will at least have it one more year.

If these events continue, Wilke said, they will keep refining them to become more and more efficient so they can address as much community need as they are able.

"We look forward to continuing our work through the end of the mission, and will continue to support efforts to improve community health in rural or underserved populations across the country," Fields said in the release.

The Wednesday and Thursday clinics will be from 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hays Mission Recreation Center with the Friday Clinic being at the same place from 9:15 to noon, albeit with only vaccinations that day.

Wilke said appointments are necessary for spay and neuter surgeries, but slots are pretty limited as the event is fairly well booked up. For more information on scheduling, people visit https://www.rezqdogs.org .