My dog got ran over

[rhan101277]

My dog got ran over yesterday. It was outside getting the mail when she came running across the street towards me. Luckily the tires didn't get here, the transmission kind of hit her and she rolled and then got up and ran yapping.

I got her up and to the vet, on the way I checked lung sounds and heartbeat, also pupils. Everything was ok, but I was still concerned due to the mechanism of injury.

Vet said the was ok and just got rolled. This bothered me more than any EMS call I have ever been on. Guess it is because it is my dog and I am with it everyday.

She had some injuries around her eyes and ears and paws. She is a min pin by the way a bigger dog might have been killed.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

Glad to hear she is good.

I started out in Veterinary Medicine as a Vet Tech (6 Years) before EMS and things like this kill me when it doesn't turn out that well. Last HBC (Hit by Car) I ran as a Vet Tech involved a Min Pin too. She was less than a year old and was backed over by a utility services vehicle. We were just finishing up surgery when she came in. SOB, limp, cold, gasping, SpO2 90ish, pulse thready and slowing, CRT 4-5 sec, temp 95ish. The doc was just finishing up with the surgery, so I took the dog, intubated, started ventilating, and was working on an IV line, when she stopped breathing. Started compressions until we noticed that the entire ETT was filling up with blood. Doc came in looked the scene over and called it. We all knew the dog and owner, loved them both, and pretty much had a crappy night from then on out.

But good to hear that she is good, chief. From me and BLUE BELLE...
http://www.emtlife.com/album.php?albumid=71&pictureid=319

 

[rjddvm]

I'm so glad your doggie is okay! I'm a veterinarian and it's really hard to deal with some of the sad cases. So glad your friend is fine.

 

[HotelCo]

I'm glad that your dog is alright.

 

[CAOX3]

I dont like to see animals injured, I cant even watch Animal Planet(what a wussy I am.)

Glad to hear he is ok.

 

[bstone]

A few weeks ago I was at a friend's house. There was a gathering of a bunch of us. Anyhow, this guy's wife walks in and she's crying. She's also holding her newly-dead dog. It was 15, had a heart murmur and it was expected. I muttered, "I sure as heck won't be doing mouth to snout."

Which brings up an interesting point. Johnny and Roy treated a goat one time. Dr Brackett ended up doing a heart surgery at Rampart in the ER. Are we expected or trained to do anything like this?

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

I dont like to see animals injured, I cant even watch Animal Planet(what a wussy I am.)

I hear ya, I have to change the channel everytime one of those Sarach McLaughlin SPCA comercials comes on and they start showing all those poor animals. Kills me...

Which brings up an interesting point. Johnny and Roy treated a goat one time. Dr Brackett ended up doing a heart surgery at Rampart in the ER. Are we expected or trained to do anything like this?

This is a question I have asked to various Ambulance Crews from time to time, but I use teh example of a Badge-Wearing Police Dog that is down. What would you do. However, there is that recent story of the medics in Canada who attempted to treat a RCMP Dog and, despite a round of applause by the public, got investigated for it... no protocols or legal credintials to treat a K9! Then you get into the "sanitary" thought, despite the fact that 99% of dogs are cleaner than the transients and crackheads that EMS routinely transports right into a medical facility (talk about unsanitary)! Personally, I would okay with all EMSers taking an Animal First Aid / CPR course so that they could use modify their current training to help a dog or cat... as long there is no Code 3 response and the care of the animal does not interfere with human care. (And I would sooner do mouth to nose on a stray dog - and have - before doing so on any human!)

Our Technical Team Leader wasn't too pleased when we agreed to this one, but it was good training, with a happy ending:
http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009012395682/News/Local-News/Dog-raised-safely-from-mine-shaft

 

[Epi-do]

Glad to hear your doggy is ok. One of ours has gotten out in the past and come dangerously close to getting it. It scared the begeezers out of me when it happened! They are so much a part of the family, and it is so scarey when anything happens to them.

 

[rjddvm]

Hi all,

A lot of ambulances now carry pet masks for administering O2--they attach to the oxygen hose just like a human mask does (in fact, we use human anesthesia machines, laryngoscopes, and endotracheal tubes in vet med)--but the masks are different, obviously, because of the different shape of the nose and mouth.

As a vet, I don't think that an EMT would get in real trouble with the VETERINARY licensing board for putting an O2 mask on an animal, or a bandage, or some other first aid, if necessary and if protocols allow, and obviously after the people have been treated. Someone might file a complaint with the vet med board, but I seriously doubt the board would take any action.

The EMS *supervisors* might not be happy, and might discipline the EMT, but that's a different issue.

It would also be another issue if an EMT did anything for an animal beyond first aid. A lot of human medications can be used in animals, but the doses differ by species, and even if you gave the right dose, you would be practicing veterinary medicine without a license, and that's a no-no.

And some human medications are absolutely contraindicated in animals. For example, one Tylenol will kill a cat.

Now Dr. Brackett's doing heart surgery on a goat--that's a whole other story! I don't think most people would want a vet to do surgery on a person...and human doctors shouldn't operate on animals.

 

[rjddvm]

I was just involved in a two-day tri-state animal emergency management conference, and we heard a really interesting presentation on technical large animal rescue.

According to the presenter, while most people are basically familiar with how to handle dogs and cats, most people, including a lot of firefighters, police, EMTs, etc. don't know how to handle large animals like horses and cows when the trailer overturns on the interstate or something. She had a lot of great information and does training sessions with emergency personnel to train them how to handle the animals safely--safely for the people AND the animals.

I have her website address but I'm not sure if posting it is allowed on the forum. If it's okay to post the address, please let me know, and I will.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

I was just involved in a two-day tri-state animal emergency management conference, and we heard a really interesting presentation on technical large animal rescue.

According to the presenter, while most people are basically familiar with how to handle dogs and cats, most people, including a lot of firefighters, police, EMTs, etc. don't know how to handle large animals like horses and cows when the trailer overturns on the interstate or something. She had a lot of great information and does training sessions with emergency personnel to train them how to handle the animals safely--safely for the people AND the animals.

I have her website address but I'm not sure if posting it is allowed on the forum. If it's okay to post the address, please let me know, and I will.

If you could, at least PM me with the address, I would very interested. I have spent te last 12 years doing Vet Tech or EMT or Vet Tech/EMT and love continuing Vet education as much as EMS ce. One of our SAR Team Members is also Animal Control and will beputting on classes for us on Large Animal Rescue this summer in case we are called upon to assist in an animal rescue again. http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009012395682/News/Local-News/Dog-raised-safely-from-mine-shaft

As you said, there is much in common between human and animal medicine (a fact that makes it easy to transition back and forth), but there are some big differences especially in pharmacology. As far as giving O2 to a pet by an EMSer, I likewise don;t see any problems with it, in fact one of the local animal shelter groups recently baught several hundread dollars worth of masks and donated them to 6 or so of teh busier BLS engines in my county.

 

[MedicTom]

When my son was an infant I heard our family cat get run over through the baby monitor b/c of the open window in his room. I don't know how I knew, but as soon as I heard the "ka-thunk" I knew it was Dipsh*t (Yes that was the cat's actual name.)