The new veterinary care facility has several exam rooms and an operating room, all with the latest veterinary technology.
Most of San Diego’s military community is composed of sailors and Marines. KPBS military reporter Andrew Dyer takes us to Camp Pendleton, where a small Army unit is doing big things for animals. Sailors and Marines turn to Navy doctors when they're sick, but when their service animals, or pets fall ill, there's just one branch that answers the call — the U.
S. Army.Army Lt. Col. Craig Calkins is the unit commander. He said the entire military community can benefit from the clinic.But they also treat military family pets as a service. "Also, to give us additional sets and repetitions of doing tasks so that when there is a military working dog emergency, we're ready," Calkins said.Marine Sgt. Zachary Vernier and his military working dog Pit look at one another during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the U.S. Army Veterinary Services Facility at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Jan. 22, 2026. Army veterinarians care for all the military working dogs across the U.S. Department of Defense. They're also responsible for military food inspection, certifying that food sold on base meets safety and health standards.The new facility provides the same level of pet care as civilian providers off-base — but at a significantly lower cost, said Army Staff Sgt. Temujin Benton. "If you came to us and you got all the vaccines, it'd be like $150, $160," Benton, a veterinary technician, said."Out in town, you're looking at paying $400 or $500 for the same vaccines."found that since Oct. 2024, half of all pet owners said they've skipped necessary or recommended treatment for their pets.these price increases coincide with the almost $50 billion that private equity firms have poured into the veterinary services industry since 2017. "I think especially for California, we are cheaper — significantly cheaper — than the outside," Calkins said. That's because the Army controls the price of its veterinary services worldwide — the price of a checkup at Camp Pendleton is the same as one in Vicenza, Italy, he said. "We don't up-sell stuff," Calkins said."We don't get any commission from selling stuff."We're just here offering a service — just practicing high-quality medicine and surgery."I cover the military and veterans affairs at KPBS. As a veteran who enlisted in the Navy after 9/11, I understand the challenges service members and veterans face because I’ve faced them, too. I’m looking to tell the stories of our local sailors, Marines and veterans and hold government entities accountable when they fail military and veteran families.The plan to build massive data center in Imperial County — without environmental reviewKPBS keeps you informed with local stories you need to know about — with no paywall. Our news is free for everyone because people like you help fund it.
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