I left my 9 month old German Shepherd on a down stay while I filtered water from the lake. Engrossed in my task I did not notice him break his stay, and wander off. When I finished, my dog was gone. I called, and he sheepishly appeared from behind some rocks. His body language told me he wasn't feeling any remorse for breaking his stay, but something wasn't right in the way he carried himself. Upon closer exam he was walking on only three legs, and had a small inch long incision at knee level on one of his hind legs. We returned to camp and with the help of two other dog handlers (both RNs) we began administering first aid to my dog. The incision was deep, clear to the bone, with very little bleeding. It took the combined efforts of all of our first aid kits to come up with all that we needed. A baggie from one, provodine iodine from another, so we could irrigate the wound. A combination of gauze, tape, vet wrap with everyone contributing. Once the wound was cleaned, and bandaged, aspirin administered for pain, we had to decide the next course of action.

This was the weekend of our monthly unit training and we were 3 miles into the Beartooth Wilderness practicing our backcountry skills. Little did we know that our training session would not involve running tracks, or searching areas, but would involve a thorough assessment of our ability to cope with a backcountry K9 medical emergency. We had not been in camp long, had just finished laying tracks to run after dinner, when this accident occurred. While not far from the trailhead, we were in grizzly country, where travel at or near dusk is not recommended. With my dog stabilized, we decided the safest plan was to spend the night. Even from the trailhead, the nearest Veterinarian was 4 hours away due to road construction. The following morning we packed up camp and began a slow hike out. Targhee did fairly well on three legs, but needed help across many of the creek crossings. One of my teammates walked out a full speed, dropped his pack and his dog at the trailhead and returned to help carry my dog out.

My teammate is an extremely fit individual, carries heavy backpacks often, and my dog only weighted 65 pounds. Needless to say, he was carried less than 1/4 mile. He was cooperative, but the weight of the dog around the shoulders was just too much to carry very far. It was and eye opener for all of us, who had professed the need to be able to carry one's dog in an emergency. Adrenaline will allow most handles to host their dog and carry them a short distance. A three mile hike carrying a dog on your shoulders would be quite a feat. Had my dog been even more seriously injured we would have been fool to even attempt this type of evacuation.

How prepared were we for this event, and how well did we cope with it? All handlers involved had medical training, plus numerous K9 first aid classes to fall back on. While it took all of our medical kits to administer to my dog, we had the supplies we needed for this emergency. Of course each one of us has added to our own kits following this accident. So we had the training, and the equipment to render first aid. The biggest challenge was not taking care of the dog, but getting him out to a vehicle. Transporting an injured K9 is little different from transporting an injured person. Mechanism of injury and the extent of injuries will determine the most appropriate way to transport. While on an actual mission you might hope the local search and rescue would help with an injured dog, but it's not something I would count on. On a mission, resources may be committed to finding the person you and your dog were looking for, and not be willing to break away to assist an injured dog. All handlers should be well versed in K9 first aid, and be equipped to deal with most emergencies. Even if you do get assistance from SAR, they may have never dealt with an injured dog before. You need to know what you're doing and take charge. In all reality though, you will most likely be on your own. Being able to transport an injured dog takes pre-planning and training. If you've done your homework you will be able to stabilize your dog, and either by yourself, or with the assistance of others transport him out to a vehicle to get him to medical care.

There are several models of harnesses available that could be used to assist in transporting a dog, given there is no possibility of spinal injury. A dog could also be transported in a normal litter, and I've even seen a special pediatric litter which could easily be kept at a mission base for evacuation. If you are not too far a field, and the equipment is at base, then transporting it to the injured dog is reasonable. From my experience though, the handler is going to have to come up with a safe way to transport their dog. The easiest and safest solution for transporting a dog is to improvise a litter or a travois. If you're on your own, a travois may be the only way to get your dog out to the trailhead. I have started carrying a lightweight saw which proves invaluable if the need arises to cut small trees or branches for a litter. As part of our pre-planning and training we decided to see how reasonable it would be to construct a litter from what we had in our packs, and materials from the area. We grabbed a sturdy branch, and quickly made a litter that could be dragged by one, or carried by two. We tried it with a large German Shepherd and a small Border Collie. Neither dog was thrilled to be experimented with, but they complied and with practice would learn to accept the treatment. A single coat was enough to carry the Border Collie, but I would recommend lengthening the litter with two coats if possible for a larger dog. Getting the dog relaxed enough to stay resting in the litter will take some training, and something every handler needs to practice with their dog. Giving him some Benadryl would help calm the dog, making it easier to keep them in the litter. We used webbing to secure the dogs, but this was marginal. The less the dog can move the less stressed they will be, so take the time to tie them in securely.

Practice before hand is the key to being prepared. My dog fully recovered from his accident, having partially severing his patellar tendon. I can attest to the emotional drain the incident had on me. My teammates were invaluable for keeping me calm, and assisting me with him, and helping me out to the trailhead. Had I been on my own out there, I would have managed. Since this incident I've thought about many scenarios, I've practiced making litters, and I've prepared myself for when it happens.