First responders trained to save police dogs injured in the line of duty
By Madison Moore
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MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (WISN) — A training program in Wisconsin is teaching first responders how to provide emergency medical treatment to K9 dogs injured while serving their communities.
The program comes just months after a Fond du Lac Sheriff’s Office K9 was seriously injured in the line of duty.
The specialized medical training is being provided by the Operational K-9 Medical Team, a nonprofit organization based in Wisconsin.
The organization offers hands-on training for K9 emergency medical treatment, which can be administered at the scene of an injury before the animal is transported to higher-level veterinary care.
The training, held at the Germantown Fire Department Tuesday, included around 50 EMS workers and K9 handlers from nearly a dozen municipalities across the state, some traveling as far away as Two Rivers.
“We teach them what is normal and what is not normal in a canine because they don’t know. They don’t know what the gum color or eye color is supposed to look like, and they wouldn’t know how to place a tourniquet because they’re built differently than we are,” said Lyn Schuh, the operations director at Operational K-9 Medical Team.
In addition to the hands-on training, the program also instructs first responders on how to modify the equipment already on their rig to better serve a K9.
“We teach them how to do bandages, hemorrhage control, how to administer Narcan, how to administer other lifesaving drugs if needed,” added Schuh.
Furthermore, each participant is provided with an information card that includes important details such as drug dosages and vital signs for dogs.
The training program is a significant step towards ensuring the safety and well-being of police dogs who risk their lives in the line of duty.
Operational K-9 Medical Team is also working to give blood tests to all active-duty K9s in the State to make it easier and quicker for blood to be supplied in the event of an emergency.
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