Research shows working dogs that did not received care in the field were 3.55 times more likely to die than K9s that received care before transport.IMAGE: Pexels, Pranidchakan Boonrom
In 2023, 26 police K9s gave their lives in the line of duty, reports the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Of that number, 10 dogs succumbed to gunshot wounds, one was stabbed, three were assaulted, two died in automobile crashes, one to vehicular assault, four to heatstroke, and three in non-specified, duty-related illnesses.
In many states, EMS may treat and transport police K9s to an emergency veterinary center, but this legislation is still pending in some states, leaving the animal’s care to handlers—at the scene and during transport.
In the interim, the medical care police K9s receive in the field can save their lives, and their handlers must prepare themselves to administer it, says Mathieu Glassman, a board certified veterinary surgeon and the founder and CEO of Dr. Cuddles, a pet care brand that offers pet first aid and hygiene solutions.
He adds “a recent study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science showed that military working dogs that did not received care in the field were 3.55 times more likely to die than K9s that received non-DVM care in the field, prior to being transported to a veterinary hospital.”
Knowing what to do in an emergency is crucial for both police K9s and family pets, Glassman asserts. It can save the animal’s life and save time and money, he says.
He recalls a case where police airlifted an injured K9 to a veterinary hospital because they thought it had been gravely injured due to an arterial bleed and the amount of blood loss occurring. However, it was later discovered that had the dog and handler been prepared with a tourniquet or bandaging material, the dog really only required care that most vets could have provided at the office.
“You don’t want to overreact [to a dog’s injury],” he emphasizes. “Officers should understand things like blood loss and other signs to know how bad off the dog is.”
He adds handlers should be aware of their working locations, and know the locations of 24-hour veterinary hospitals, their locations, and the specialties available in case of emergency. This way, departments can transport K9 partners to the nearest facility able to provide the care the dog needs in case of emergency.
Equally important, he says, is knowing how to stabilize their K9 partners. Glassman and Dr. Julie Hunt from Embrace Pet Insurance discuss police dog injuries and how to care for them in the field.
“There is much they can do. The goal of field treatment should be stabilizing life-threatening injuries or illnesses with immediate transport to an emergency veterinarian for further evaluation and treatment,” Hunt says.
However, Hunt cautions handlers against administering medication, noting it can “interfere with a veterinarian’s examination and limit the veterinarian’s choices on subsequent medication administration.”
Glassman also recommends muzzling the dog before attempting any care.
“Even the best trained dog will try to bite you if they are in pain,” he says. “You will not be able to help them if they are trying to bite you the entire time or you are afraid they will bite you. A muzzle eliminates that worry.”
Field Treatment for Gunshots
Police dogs are service dogs bred for specific purposes. Their training prepares them to support human police officers with a range of tasks, including suspect tracking and search-and-rescue operations.
Unfortunately, these duties often expose K9s to grave danger. One of the most significant threats is getting shot.
“Bullets are high-energy projectiles that if they hit a bone, will explode. This will cause a lot of damage, fracturing the bone and injuring soft tissue,” Glassman says.
He adds, “There is little a police officer can do to fix these injuries immediately. At the very least, they must focus on stopping the bleeding and getting the dog prompt veterinary care.”
By applying pressure and bandaging the wound, officers can control bleeding. Dressings aid in clotting and sealing wounds. The key, he says, is to apply the bandage in such a way that “it will not compromise blood flow.”
An arterial bleed with a lot of blood loss may also require a tourniquet to stop bleeding, he adds.
“Using a tourniquet properly takes practice. They need to restrict blood flow, so the dog doesn’t lose a life-threatening amount of blood,” he says.
Shots that shatter or break a bone require officers to stabilize the limb. “But I would only stabilize a bone in the field that is shattered below the ‘elbow or knee,’” he says. “Anything above is very difficult to stabilize, even in the hospital setting.”
He adds there are unique considerations when dealing with gunshot wounds to the chest. A shot to the chest can injure the heart, lungs or large vessels, and be deadly. These wounds can also lead to a “sucking chest wound,” which allows air to enter the chest cavity. Air trapped in a dog's chest can cause pneumothorax or a collapsed lung.
Glassman advises covering and sealing the wound to prevent air from entering. “Covering the chest wound prevents air from getting into the chest and outside of the lungs, causing the lungs to collapse,” he says.
Stabilizing Stab Wounds
Stab wounds are treated similarly to gunshot wounds, according to Glassman.
The initial objective is to apply a bandage to stop or slow the bleeding. “The key is to put that bandage on tight enough so the dog cannot kick it off but keep it loose enough that the limb will still have blood flow to the distal portions,” he says. “If there is life threatening bleeding, it doesn’t matter as much. You can put a bandage on pretty tight for arterial bleeding and then get the dog to a vet within an hour so the bandage can be removed and the bleeding vessel addressed specifically.”
Stabbings or puncture wounds are not always inflicted by people, Glassman reminds. Sometimes a cadaver dog or search-and-rescue K9 gets punctured by limbs, rocks, or glass.
“These things may slice open their paw or legs or lacerate a tendon. There is little officers can do to repair a tendon laceration, other than get the dog to veterinary care immediately,” he says. “Simply apply a clean bandage and get them to veterinarian as soon as possible so the wound can be disinfected and treated immediately.”
He recommends wrapping bandages around the dog's chest and abdomen for stabbings to these areas.
“They want to bandage those wounds immediately, so they do not get more bacteria or hair into the wound. They also should apply some pressure to the wound to reduce blood loss. But make sure they are able to breath with the chest wrap,” he says.
Again, with a chest wound, it’s vital to keep air from entering the chest cavity. “If you have air trapped inside the chest and outside the lungs, the dog’s lungs will collapse,” he says. “Then the K9 cannot move oxygen into the bloodstream.”
Glassman shares there are two ways air can get out of the lungs and into the chest. The first is if the lung itself is punctured. The second is through a puncture wound in the chest. There’s little that can be done to repair the first injury in the field, but with the second injury, covering the wound blocks air from entering.
Pay attention to blood loss, he adds.
“The average police dog can lose about 1 cup of blood per 10kg (22lbs) of blood loss,” he says. “A cup of blood will look like a lot, if you just dump in on the floor or ground. But a dog can tolerate a fair amount of blood loss.”
Care for Blunt Trauma
A police K9 can experience blunt trauma from accidents, assaults, or being hit by a car.
“The tricky thing about blunt trauma is it will not be as obvious as a gunshot or stab wound,” he says. “Dogs are pretty tough. They have a lot of adrenaline going while they work. If they get kicked in the abdomen extremely hard, they may whimper briefly and then keep going.”
His recommendation is to stay alert and observe the dog for breathing problems or signs of blood loss internally (high heart rate, pale gums, seemingly out of breath).
An additional concern is rupture of the gastrointestinal track, which could result in a condition similar to anaphylactic shock and cause blood vessels to widen, resulting in insufficient blood or oxygen flow throughout the body. Such a reaction can cause a dog’s heart to race. The K9 may even collapse and die from a loss of sufficient blood to the heart and brain.
“If internal organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, biliary tract or urinary tract rupture, the dog’s body can respond with a massive amount of inflammation in the abdomen,” he says. “This will dilate the blood vessels and cause their blood pressure to drop.”
Signs of internal bleeding, which can occur with rupture of large vessels, as a result of trauma, are white instead of pink gums, a slow heart rate (dog heart rates are usually between 80 and 120 beats a minute), and difficulty breathing.
“Officers can push on the dog’s gums, and if they turn white, then pink up quickly, their capillary refill time is good. This means their blood pressure and blood vessels are filling up quickly and everything is working well,” he says. “If they find that capillary refill time takes three to five seconds versus the normal one to two, or the dog’s gums are really white and stay white after being blanched, they are probably bleeding internally or suffering from some other issue that is affecting the circulatory system.”
Dogs with poor breathing adopt an up-dog yoga stance. “They have their head and neck extended with their nostrils flaring or possibly open mouth breathing and recruiting abdominal muscles because it helps open up their chest and move air,” he says.
Help for Heat-Related Injuries
Heat-related deaths in police dogs are frequent, resulting from air conditioning failures in the squad car or overexertion in the field. Paying attention is key to preventing heat-related sickness or death when working a K9 on a sweltering day, says Glassman.
“Dogs cool themselves by panting. It is their way of expelling heat,” he says. “Dogs also need to drink much more water than a human would in the heat. If an officer is working in the heat with his dog and he’s thirsty, he needs to remember his dog is probably 20 times as thirsty.”
Prevention is key in avoiding heat-related injuries. Give the dog plenty of water. If the dog has issues, Glassman says running water over their paws can help them cool them off.
Signs of heat exhaustion in dogs include excessive panting, difficulty breathing, frothy instead of wet saliva, and lethargy. “If a dog is lagging behind, don’t assume they are being lazy,” he says. “They may be overheated.”
Police K9s have challenging jobs that can lead to injuries. Understanding how to handle life-threatening injuries in the field can save time and get police dogs to life-saving veterinary treatment faster.
