Photo By Staff Sgt. Jon Soles | Spc. Frank Ramirez, a veterinary food nutrition specialist from Bell, Calif., and Spc....... read more read more
FORT MCCOY, Wis. – Soldiers injured on the battlefield have combat medics to help save their lives, but military working dogs that sustain injuries depend on soldiers specially trained in veterinary medicine to treat them.
Soldiers of the 109th Medical Detachment Veterinary Services, 65th Multi-Functional Medical Battalion, 804th Medical Brigade, rehearsed treating injuries and saving lives of military working dogs here March 30, at Forward Operating Base Freedom. The training, designed to make the veterinarians and animal care specialists better at their jobs, is part of Warrior Exercise 86-14-02 (WAREX), an Army Reserve and National Guard training exercise involving more than 4,500 soldiers from more than 60 units from 30 states and Puerto Rico.
During the exercise, the veterinarian detachment is given various training scenarios to hone their animal care skills. One of those included a bomb sniffing dog named Roscoe, represented by a canine trauma mannequin. Instead of falling victim to an enemy weapon, he had been mauled by a badger, suffering an abdomen wound and a deep laceration to his right leg.
Roscoe was brought to the 405th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) for X-rays, a piece of equipment the veterinary detachment does not have in its arsenal. Veterinarians consulted with X-ray technicians in the CSH and assessed Roscoe’s injuries.
“The X-rays allow us to see injuries on the inside,” said Sgt. Adrienne Ciarletta, a native of Wassaic, N.Y., an X-ray technician assigned to the 405th CSH, 804th Medical Brigade. “We can see fluid buildup, lung punctures, rib fractures, internal bleeding, air inside the body or foreign objects.”
After X-rays, Roscoe’s wounds were cleaned and wrapped, and the soldiers determined Roscoe’s wounds were severe enough, that he must be medically evacuated to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The type of training is designed to prepare veterinary Soldiers for the challenges they would face caring for dogs during a deployment.
“We want to get our soldiers familiar with how to handle a dog injured in combat or by another animal bite,” said Capt. Frank Tsai, a veterinarian from Long Beach, Calif., assigned to the 109th MDVS. “The goal is, when faced with a real situation, they are more familiar with everyone’s role.”
Military working dogs protect the lives of soldiers and civilians on the battlefield, and through the training veterinarian services soldiers are receiving here, these brave animals can rest assured they will receive the best care available allowing them to return and continue their life-saving mission.
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2014 23:24 |
| Story ID: | 123859 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Hometown: | LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | WASSAIC, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 335 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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