KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) has sent a mobile veterinary clinic and a large animal ambulatory truck to Elizabethton in Carter County, Tenn., in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

“We are in the parking lot at Tractor Supply,” said Dr. Becky DeBolt, who is on the job there with Dr. Meggan Graves. “They were kind enough to let us set up the trailer here and it has been a perfect spot where people can pull in and lineup and we get them into the clinic for care. We are not doing surgeries or vaccinations at this clinic; it is just ill animals and wellness exams.”

The Tractor Supply is in an area where it is pretty much business as usual but just 10 miles down the road other communities were damaged, one high school was taken out. The veterinarians hear stories of people losing homes.

“We’re seeing dogs and cats (in the small animal unit) so far,” Graves said. “We’re seeing some animals that have had some chronic issues that need extra care or just needed another look and we’re happy to see those animals. They’re part of the family so we want to take care of everybody during this difficult time.”

DeBolt said, “We are also seeing animals that people just found in the hurricane or in the floods who were sick. We saw a dog yesterday who was lost in the floods. His owner did end up finding him at the shelter, but he was injured. We’re seeing a lot of skin issues, ear infections, fleas, and some wounds; somebody who was evacuated, her whole neighborhood was destroyed. She and her dog were evacuated to a shelter or a family friend, and the dog started itching.”

The animals pick up on human emotions and everybody in the community has been affected one way or another, DeBolt said. “Even if they still have a home standing, the trauma of seeing their community go through this, I definitely expect a lot of these animals are more stressed and manifesting signs of disease now more than they were before the storm.

“Providing veterinary care for sick or injured pets is an important part of the recovery from Hurricane Helene. Pets are an important part of our lives and we hope our work helps strengthen the human-animal bond in these challenging times.”

Care is limited to two small animals per person per day. The clinic is designed to treat sick or injured animals with minor conditions. Veterinarians assess a pet’s illnesses and refer them to local clinics for further care if needed.

The large, ambulatory truck is stocked for both farm animals and horses, cattle, sheep and goats, Graves said.

“We just brought that in because we were starting to hear some murmurings of potential need,” she said. “We thought if we were on-site that might get the word out that we were happy to help in those situations. We can come out on the farm which would be much easier in the case of large animals. Certainly, people could come here if they had a goat or something that was easy to transport but otherwise, we’re stationed as home base here in the Tractor Supply parking lot but willing to go out to farms.”

Local veterinarians are telling the mobile crew that there is a need for hay and fencing more than for injured animals, DeBolt said.

“We have been overwhelmed with the number of people willing to help,” DeBolt said. “Tennessee has always been good at that, but the responses have been overwhelming. We’re telling people that it wouldn’t just be something they do for a week or two, but people should look at this long-term because these farms are going to be struggling even a year from now when it comes to fencing, barns, and things like that.”

The deployment of both veterinarian units was in response to a request from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

For the large animals, the veterinarians encouraged people to reach out to their local county extension agents as they are a great resource. If anyone questions if their situation is something the veterinarians could help with, they should call the university at 865-974-8387.

Carter County borders North Carolina. Elizabethton is about 125 miles from Knoxville, 285 miles from Lexington, Ky., and 115 miles from Asheville, N.C.