EMS treating animals

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RALS504

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I am in the process of writing my last research paper for medic school. My topic is EMS treatment of animals. I am looking at various aspects of this topic, but mostly treatment of canines. This is due to the fact that they are used in a service role much more often than other animals. I would like any stories, experience, or information on this topic. I personally have treated 3 cardiac arrests in dogs- 2 choking caused and 1 cardiomyopathy/pericarditis.
 
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Were we having a slow day?
 
Personally, I think this is a great topic & applaud you for tackling it.

For so many people, their pets are their children & are considered members of the family just as much as their "human" counterparts. There is a female medic on this board who posted about a feline save she once made. She posted pictures & all!
 
A local unit once attempted to treat an injured duck. They picked up the duck, placed it in the back of a unit, and drove it to the local vet/animal shelter. They even wrote a full PCR and hung it in the crew lounge.

A memo quickly went out that units should not be treating animals, and that it was a violation of some local code/health code to have a sick animal in the back of the rig.
 
What a great topic! Since I am the one that had the cat, I obviously am for helping out the pets so long as a human is not being neglected. I know that there are services/departments out there that frown upon it, and am fortunate that my employer is not one of them.

Keep me posted on what you find out. I may just have to keep this in the back of my mind as a possible topic for medic class as well.
 
Do a "google" or Lit search and look for ParaVets. I know JEMS and other trade journals have written articles about such. Usually, they are Vet tech.'s with specialized emergency education.

R/r 911
 
As you can tell with 3 canine codes I am a *&it magnet. So let me elaborate. My wife has worked as a vet. tech. for 5 years. I have been in EMS for 5 years. My 1st code was a 5lb dog that was brought to us at the EMS station while checking trucks. That dog choked on an oreo and an intermediate from another state started CPR. My partner tried mcgills and then intubated it. That dog did not make it.
My second code was my 1st dog- a black labrador. I was at the station doing my 24 hour shift when my wife called frantic. My 2 labs were playing and one of the dogs got his choke chain caught behind the others teeth. They both freeked out and twisted the already tight chain. Me and my medic partner rolled out code 3 but not over the radio. My wife who was a vet tech at this time calls me on the way. I instruct her to try and get an airway or start rolling toward use. Niether was possible- 180 lb of dogs down stairs for a 110 lb wife, no go. So I get on scene and head up stair with my 2 foot bolt cutters. My wife is in the corner in shell shock. I reach down to make an airway by trying to slip my finger between the trachea and chain, I can not even get a finger into the chain. I start making cut with these giant bolt cutters in on of my dogs mouth. After 2 min. I get 3 cuts made freeing the chain which comes off like a rubberband. I check my dog- tongue is pale and cyanotic, pupils are fixed, apnic, and pulseless. I started to Bag with the adult BVM. My partner readys intubation stuff. I start figuring PALS drug dosages and defib joules setting. After 2 min. of 2 man bagging my wife stopped me and we called it. I lost it. Our dogs are really like our kids they live inside with me and my wife. I took the rest of the night off.
Third code- my wife takes thier "clininc dog" home to get her out of the clinic for a change. I let all the dogs outside to relieve themself. Well the clinic dog starts to slip on the cement porch. So I stop my dogs from playing with her and go to help her on her feet, but as I walk over to her I suspect something more than lack of traction is going on. I get to her and lift her head to where I can look her in the face while hunched over her. No tongue movement, no tracking, and it is dark but I suspect pupils are fixed. So I call my wife out from the house and get somelights on. My wife hearing the concern in my voice comes out. I say she is having a siezure. She tells me she has no heart rate. My wife starts CPR and I'm like crap. So I grab A BVM and IV stuff while I call her vet to start heading to the clinic. I start setting up the line. About a minute after CPR the dog regains consciousness with no nuero deficits. We got to the clinic and do a 3 lead ECG- Sinus Rhythm with malignant PVCs (couplet PVCs ever 8 beats). The vet gets there and gets a procainamide bolus going. The final ruling was cardiomyopathy or pericarditis. The dog is still alive and roaming the clinic today and that was 6 months ago. Sorry about the long post.
 
Really interesting stories. I didn't know you could apply emergency medicine to vet emergencies.
Along the lines of what MMiz said, did you ever get any questions about the use of company time/human equipment on non-human codes?
 
I save expired ETTs and various equipment that we would otherwise toss for donation to the various animal agencies. I usually disinfect the staple guns used in the ED to donate to bird hospitals and field animal rescuers. Vet hospitals for profit have the many of the same regulations as human hospitals so they can not accept used or expired equipment. The Vets do know where equipment can be donated.

I also like the BVM and O2 masks for animals that are available for FD and EMS. I know when sitting coverage for fires, we could resuscitate any victims, animal or human. However, animals did have to be transported by Emergency Vet Techs or POV.

I did have one call where the male patient was riding his bike with his dog on a leash running along side. I don't know who cut who off but I personally would side with the dog. Both were injured. The human was whimpering louder than the dog but had less injuries. The dog was the better patient. I delayed transport until the Emergency Vet tech responded in about 20 minutes. I figured whatever paperwork I would have to do later would be worth it although probably not in the best interest of EMS medical judgements. The hospital cleaned the human's scrapes and discharged him with a couple of band-aides. The dog had to be euthanized later that day.
 
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My boss was fine with it. I have never actually had a dog in the back of a rig, it has been POV or on scene. Even animal ambulances can not transport code 3.
 
I can not emphasize enough to pet owners the importance of the animal's safety in a car. Too often I've been to accident scenes that are relatively minor with little or no injury to the human but fatal to the cat or dog. For anyone that loves animals, these calls are very hard to work.

My cats travel in separate carriers that have seat belt loops to be secured in the back seat, just like kids.
 
My cats travel that way too, Vent Medic! Why people don't think if they have an accident, their companion animals won't be injured is beyond me!

This is a subject very near & dear to my heart...
 
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