# Canine Paramedic conference



## Jim Delbridge (Jan 27, 2010)

My wife got this from one of her veterinary blogs. It appears to apply here, so I'm posting it for those folks in Texas and nearby states that might be able to attend the training and put it to use. I did not try the link.

Jim Delbridge



Below is a brief description and a link to additional information
and registration instructions for an upcoming Canine Emergency
Response Medicine Conference slated for May 17-18, 2014 at TAMU SVM.
This should be a worthwhile conference for those of you who wish to
increase their competence in Canine Emergency Response medicine and
an excellent networking opportunity.

Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine proudly presents
the 2014 edition of the Canine Paramedicine Conference. This
exciting program is tailored for those that may need to administer
help to canine patients as a first responder. Those people that are
involved in search and rescue, law enforcement with canines, EMTs,
paramedics, veterinary technicians and veterinarians are all invited
to attend. The course will as­sume some level of knowledge and then
use that knowledge to apply it to canine patients specifically with
the focus being on search and rescue ca­nines. There will be
portions of time directed toward case scenarios and discussion of
the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET). The lec­ture portion
will be reinforced with a limited enrollment laboratory that will
instruct individuals on some very important life saving procedures.

Dogs play an enormous role in protecting our way of life and in the
rescue of people in time of need. We are in a unique area of the
world in Texas and need to be prepared for a number of different
possibili­ties. In the field, medical needs often occur suddenly and
this course seeks to prepare first responders for eventualities that
may occur.

Link to more information and registration brochure:

http://vetmed.tamu.edu/common/docs/public/ce/brochures/2014-canine-para-medicine-conference.pdf


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## Meg O'Donovan (Aug 20, 2012)

The link works and this looks helpful. How often are such conferences/trainings on k9 emergency medicine available? Rarely? Annually? Thanks for posting this.


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## Jim Delbridge (Jan 27, 2010)

Meg O'Donovan said:


> The link works and this looks helpful. How often are such conferences/trainings on k9 emergency medicine available? Rarely? Annually? Thanks for posting this.


 
SAR handlers should be versed in canine first aid and beyond. You should be able to do CPR on your dog as well as victims you might rescue. A university symposium is not that common, but a lot of groups do locate veterinarians versed in disaster response to provide education. When you go on a search with your dog, many times you are instantly labeled the dog expert. You should definitely be your dog's expert from knowing when it's dehydrated, stiff, running out of gas, etc. 
A dog team hadn't trained with us in about a month due to the handler's work responsabilities. It was an area search dog team. My first observation to the handler as the dog took off to grid was it seemed stiff in the back and seemed to have slowed down. I asked her if she'd been to the vet lately. Turns out the dog was positive for tick borne diseases for a second time. Sad thing is that it should not have been a surprise to the dog's handler. My wife considers me her worst client, but she always respects my concerns and follows up on them with my dogs.

If your team doesn't have a team vet, it might be worth recruiting a veterinarian to come out. 

Jim


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