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Dr. Ashley observed two Army tech students working with a cow.
years in Asia working in international development,
instructing local populations in
animal husbandry methods.
“Teaching these classes is a lot of
fun,” Ashley said. “The attendees
are so engaged in the classes,
and we have a great audience of
senior enlisted men and women
who have been chosen specifically
for this task.”
Ashley teaches the cattle
and small ruminant sections
and Dr. Brandon Dominguez,
clinical assistant professor at the
CVM and Texas Department of
Criminal Justice clinician, leads
the poultry and swine sections.
Because most CAMS work in the field,
the lessons are tailored to working in
developing countires. Physical exams, blood
sample collection, injections, and manual restraint
are all instrument-based aspects of the education
the attendees receive.
“Working with cattle anywhere can be a dangerous
task, but even more so in developing countries where
modern and safe restraint equipment is not available,”
Ashley said. “Therefore, in this class, I teach them useful
skills like safe methods of restraint using just a rope and
a halter to safely lay the animal down so it can be treated.
In addition, I teach them how to do a complete exam
and how to take blood and urine samples in the field.
Working in the areas where these CAMS will be deployed
can be very challenging. We want them to leave here with
not only a skill set, but with confidence in working with
animals.”
Sofaly is pleased with the program. “It’s worked
out really well for us,” she said. “We give them a bit of
classroom knowledge, so when they get to the veterinary
school they are able to gain the hands-on experience
with the animals, and that’s something we can’t teach in
the classroom. It adds a huge amount to their training.”
Dominguez has led the swine and poultry
sections of the course for the past year. He explained
that because the CAMS will be expected
to address both human and animal health
needs, he can tailor his teaching to build on
their experiences in human medicine.
“We are really just bridging the gap between
veterinary and human medicine with
this course,” Dominguez said. “We want
them to clearly recognize bacterial, viral, and
parasitic disease problems in addition to field
treatment.”
Although the CAMS are not veterinarians,
they perform examinations and are crucial in
recognizing problems that need the intervention
of an Army veterinarian.
“We try to give the CAMS extra knowledge
so they recognize where there’s a veterinary
medical problem in areas where a veterinarian
wouldn’t normally be called in,” Dominguez
said. “CAMS have the potential to really
benefit these populations; it’s great to be a
part of this.”
Sofaly said CAMS are critical in the
field.
“When we’re deployed, there
are veterinarians and veterinary
technicians in the field, but we
can’t be everywhere. CAMS are
our eyes and ears for medical
development, an extension for
us for preventive and treatment
medicine. They go more places
than the veterinarians because
vets are associated with a certain
stationary area where animals are
brought to us, while CAMS go to a lot
more rural and remote places. They can
really intervene and save lives.”
An Army tech learned how to take a blood sample from a pig.
CVM Today • Winter 2012 • 7