Photo By Chuck Cannon | Capt. Gina Cipollacanella, head of the Fort Polk Veterinary Treatment Facility,...... read more read more
FORT POLK, La. — The Fort Polk Veterinary Treatment Facility has a new leader and the Ohioan captain said she’s excited to make the post her first Army assignment.
Capt. Gina Cipollacanella arrived at Fort Polk in December fresh off her direct commissioning as a veterinarian and said she relishes the opportunity to both serve the Army and Fort Polk family.
“It’s taking a little bit of getting used to the climate here, but I really enjoy working with and for Soldiers and their families,” said Cipollacanella, who attended veterinary school at Western University of Health and Sciences in Southern California. “The people have been very friendly and helpful, and as far as taking care of pets goes, it really doesn’t matter where you are, you basically treat and care for them the same way.”
Cipollacanella said the actual work is a bit different that what she was used to, more prevention than emergency, “However, there are things that we focus more on here, illnesses like heart worms, leptospirosis (which can be passed from pets to humans), tick-borne diseases, fungal infections and poisonous snake and spider bites that are more prevalent in the South.”
While the Toledo, Ohio native said she has worked primarily with family pets such as dogs and cats, she’s looking forward to working with larger animals like the donkeys and goats used in the Joint Readiness Training Center “box” area during rotations.
Cipollacanella said another difference she must get used to is the different Army installation requirements that pet owners must follow. They include the following at Fort Polk:
• Pets living on post must be registered with the VTF upon arrival.
• Feline distemper or FVRCP vaccine for cats.
• Distemper, adenovirus, parainfluencza andparvovirus or DAPP vaccine for dogs.
• Leptospirosis vaccine for dogs.
• Rabies vaccine.
• Microchip.
• Heartworm test.
• Monthly heartworm prevention.
Cipollacanella said other types of routine care services available for the pets of military families at Fort Polk include: Wellness and sick calls; blood work; dental cleanings; minor and reproductive surgery (spays and neuters); mass removal; biopsies; radiology; heartworm, flea and tick products (competitively priced); and domestic and international pet travel education and health certificate.
Cipollacanella said she feels she brings a “fresh face and different perspective” to the VTF, based on her emergency training. And while there are areas she said she must be trained up on, such as dining facility inspections and food audits, she said she’s none the less excited about her assignment. She also said she wants to “get the word out” about the services offered at the Fort Polk VTF.
“I think our clinic has a lot of potential,” she said. “Working with military versus civilians, there’s a bit of a gap in how facilities are run. But I think we can take the best of both worlds, and do the best for the animals of the people we serve.
“It’s going to be a lot of ‘learn as you go,’” she said. “But I’m ready.”
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2018 14:21 |
| Story ID: | 274134 |
| Location: | FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 72 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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