# Health protocols



## Catalina Valencia (Feb 20, 2008)

SAR is what I need this for, but I'll appreciate the input of anyone involved in the working dog community, being it SAR, detection, military, police, high competition, etc.

I'm part of a commission to design a standard, a health protocol for all the dogs of our team, from birth to retirement. A minimum for all handlers to achieve. As a very rough example:
- 2 to 4 months: serie of vaccines
- 6 months: rabies vaccine
- 1 year: hip and elbow X-rays
etc, etc...

And any other protocol a dog should follow yearly, every 2 years, etc.

My team has signed or is about to sign agreements with people who will help us in several venues, veterinary care between them. The problem we have is that while we have good intentioned veterinarians willing to help, they know nothing about working dogs and for some stuff they have not really been helpful. We have had problems in the past with the local vet of a given handler not picking something that would have been more obvious for a vet more experienced in working dogs as opposed to only pets. We can't import expert vets nor send them for post titles, but we can improve the prevention on our own dogs and offer a guideline on what to look for to the veterinarians. Another problem is that those agreements may last six months, one year, three years... we really don't know and we need to keep our own standards regardless of the veterinarian that is attending our dogs that moment.

Everything is welcomed!! also feel free to PM


----------



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Before I accepted my current dog, bought as an adult, I obtained a set of back x-rays as well as a full blood panel.

The OFA results on the hips were good enough but I had an ortho vet take a look at the back x-rays (not a special trip but I got my working dog because my previous dog was dysplastic - I would guess any vet could look at a back x-ray.)


----------



## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Catalina Valencia said:


> SAR is what I need this for, but I'll appreciate the input of anyone involved in the working dog community, being it SAR, detection, military, police, high competition, etc.
> 
> I'm part of a commission to design a standard, a health protocol for all the dogs of our team, from birth to retirement. A minimum for all handlers to achieve. As a very rough example:
> - 2 to 4 months: serie of vaccines
> ...


Hi Catalina, I think you're onto a good start. So if I understand you correctly (especially as I don't know a ton about how SAR teams in the States let alone different countries operate), you want general guidelines of what procedures/tests/general wellness stuff handlers and their dogs should get. Are teams made up of volunteers or is this more like their occupation?

I would think about the following (some of which you already mentioned), though it would heavily depend on what's endemic to your region:

-vaccination series as pups and as adults
-heartworm testing and prevention
-parasite testing (i.e.-fecal testing using floatation and direct smears) and prevention (both parasites on the skin like fleas, ticks, lice and intestinal parasites like roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms)
-nutritional needs through various life stages (growth, adulthood, reproduction if applicable)
-periodic bloodwork (CBC/chemistry panel/urinalysis) maybe every few years as young adults/middle age, yearly as the dog reaches retirement age (will differ by breed and individual)
-dental care with daily or every other day thorough brushing, may prevent having to do dentals as often
-exercise and training regimes should be appropriate for the level of the dog's conditioning depending on the season (i.e.-a dog shouldn't be expected to go through a very strenuous deployment if he/she has been sitting at home or in the kennel because it's winter without conditioning)


----------



## Catalina Valencia (Feb 20, 2008)

Thanks! this is very much what i was looking for. 

Now... what do YOU do with your dogs?


----------



## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Catalina Valencia said:


> SAR is what I need this for, but I'll appreciate the input of anyone involved in the working dog community, being it SAR, detection, military, police, high competition, etc.
> 
> I'm part of a commission to design a standard, a health protocol for all the dogs of our team, from birth to retirement. A minimum for all handlers to achieve. As a very rough example:
> - 2 to 4 months: serie of vaccines
> ...


I would be pissed if someone said I needed to have xrays for my non breeding SAR dog to be part of some minimum group health standard.

I understand that if you are buying an adult dog for work you are going to want xrays before your investment, but if I start SAR with a pup (from healthy working parents, with xrays even) that is not going to be bred....well, it seems crazy to me. Of course I don't have GSD's either...

I understand why police departments might want them, but they don't ask the individual handlers to pay for them... 

In fact, I would not love to be told what to do with my SAR dog as far as health things go, outside of what is required by the law. 

That said, it would be awesome to provide *volunteer* handlers with some *suggestions* of health tests, routine maintenance, parasite control and so on. 

jmo....

Jennifer 
avalanche and wilderness search


----------



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Good point

The only thing our team REQUIRES is proof of rabies immunization ......

But anyone would be wise to make sure their working stock is clear before investing a lot of time in them.


----------



## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Hi Catalina:
You might want to check out this site, and then contact one of the vets in the group if you have further questions:
http://www.usarveterinarygroup.org/


----------



## Catalina Valencia (Feb 20, 2008)

Jennifer Coulter said:


> I would be pissed if someone said I needed to have xrays for my non breeding SAR dog to be part of some minimum group health standard.
> 
> I understand that if you are buying an adult dog for work you are going to want xrays before your investment, but if I start SAR with a pup (from healthy working parents, with xrays even) that is not going to be bred....well, it seems crazy to me. Of course I don't have GSD's either...
> 
> ...


In our team handlers are volunteers, but the dogs are not, dogs are property of the corporation. Besides, the idea is htat the health care will be provided by agreements with big veterinary hispitals and colleges, not at expenses of the volunteers. It is the same way thatnow we can demand the handlers to feed the best available brand of food... because the team gives it to the handlers.

On the other hand, even if the dog is not for breeding purposes it is not fun to find out, in the space of two months, that two of the dogs you have invested years of training have elbow dysplasia and back problems. Working dogs are very stoics creatures and show no signsd of pain until it is too late if you are not one step ahead.

I'll chek the website, it is great! I knew i had seen it before years ago but could not find it again


----------



## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Catalina Valencia said:


> In our team handlers are volunteers, but the dogs are not, dogs are property of the corporation. Besides, the idea is htat the health care will be provided by agreements with big veterinary hispitals and colleges, not at expenses of the volunteers. It is the same way thatnow we can demand the handlers to feed the best available brand of food... because the team gives it to the handlers.
> 
> On the other hand, even if the dog is not for breeding purposes it is not fun to find out, in the space of two months, that two of the dogs you have invested years of training have elbow dysplasia and back problems. Working dogs are very stoics creatures and show no signsd of pain until it is too late if you are not one step ahead.
> 
> I'll chek the website, it looks great!


Okay, different deal if your handlers don't own the dogs.


----------

