UGA researchers propose national training standard for OpK9 emergency care
You wake up on a Monday morning, strap on your gear, and get ready to head out for a 12-hour shift as a first responder.
A few hours in, you respond to a motor vehicle crash. While survivors are pulled from the wreckage, you move through the debris to secure the area. You misstep and a shard of glass slices deep into your foot.
Nearby paramedics rush over. They examine the wound, then look up at you.
“I’m sorry,” they say. “I can’t treat you.”
Right now, in 33 states, that is the reality for many operational canines, or OpK9s—the dogs specially trained to support law enforcement, the military, and other special operations.
Some state laws prohibit Emergency Medical Service (EMS) professionals without a veterinary license from providing emergency medical care to working dogs. In the few states where treatment is allowed, many first responders lack the training to treat OpK9s properly.
Researchers at the University of Georgia hope to change that. New research from the College of Public Health’s Institute for Disaster Management proposes a nationally standardized training curriculum for operational canine emergency medical care.
The proposed program—the OpK9 Emergency Medical Training Curriculum for First Responders—would train K9 handlers and other first responders in operational canine wellness management and emergency medical care. The workshop covers basic wellness, safe handling, emergency first aid and more.
OpK9 injuries are common, though they usually stem from everyday hazards rather than serious accidents—a natural byproduct of a high-drive animal working in an intensive environment.
Anna Santos
“You hear about the ones that are shot in the line of duty, but you don’t hear about the ones that have torn their cruciate, have a bad back or cut their paw pad,” said lead author Anna Santos, a veterinary nurse with the UGA Office of Research.
When OpK9s are injured in the field, handlers transport them to a veterinarian. In critical cases, that delay of care can be fatal. A nationally standardized training course would equip first responders with the skills and confidence to provide immediate care, no matter the severity.
Operational K9s represent a significant investment, often costing more than $65,000 to the organizations that employ them.
“They are not pets,” Santos said. “They are athletes more than anything else, and they get injured doing the work.”
Regardless of the injury, Santos believes agencies have an ethical responsibility to provide proper medical care.
“Dogs have been doing work since there have been humans,” said Santos. “For me, it is an ethical responsibility to know that the people that are utilizing these animals know how to also care for them.”
However, changes to state laws must come first to protect first responders who provide treatment.
“The legislative issue is definitely a barrier,” Santos said. “Optimally, we would have legislation that allows our first responders to treat dogs in some capacity, similar to a Good Samaritan law for humans.”
Photo by Lauren Corcino
By publishing the proposed curriculum, the research team hopes to provide a foundation that agencies and policymakers can build on as more states reconsider restrictions on treating operational canines.
“As more states move to authorize EMS treatment for working dogs, this research offers a practical starting point for training standards that ensure these critical responders receive timely, competent care,” said Morgan Taylor, co-author and associate director of the Institute for Disaster Management.
Santos, who earned her Master of Public Health in disaster management, plans to combine that background with veterinary medicine to move the curriculum toward national adoption.
“It is to our benefit in every way that these animals are healthy and can work as long as they can.”
