Military working dogs stationed in Iraq will have better medical care thanks to a mobile blood bank. Operation Inherent Resolve is the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria. This new blood bank is the first of its kind for this operation.
The United States military has relied on “walking blood banks” throughout recent history. Service members rely on these blood banks when a traumatic injury requires multiple transfusions and when large-scale events result in large numbers of patients at one time. Now military working dogs will have access to the same care that saves human lives on the battlefield.
Blood Loss a Top Preventable Combat Death
One of the most common reasons service members suffer casualties in combat is due to blood loss. Mobile blood banks go a long way in helping more soldiers survive their battlefield injuries. The same issue exists with military working dogs. Blood banks specifically set up for military working dogs will result in faster treatment and better outcomes.
Inherent Resolve did not share military canine casualty data but it is reported that at least two working dogs had to be medically evacuated from the U.S. Central Command area of operations after injuries. Conan, a Belgian Malinois military service dog, made headlines last October when he was wounded during the mission that killed ISIS leader Baghdadi. Canine service members get wounded and injured just like human service members do. The walking blood bank could improve their outcomes and help reduce medical evacuations with on-site blood transfusions.
Boni, Bubo and Rexo Among First Dogs to Donate Blood to the Bank
The Army Medical Command surgeon general’s office issued a policy regarding canine blood type. It required all military veterinarians to record the blood type of every military working dog. Armed with this vital information, it only made sense to start banking blood to save injured service dog’s lives.
Among the first contributors to the blood bank were Boni, Bubo, and Rexo. These three military working dogs are all patrol explosive detector dogs working at Al Asad Air Base. They each had their blood drawn and their blood type recorded for future use.
Dogs to Receive Highest Level of Medical Care
Military working dogs are an integral part of our armed forces. They accompany their handlers on a diverse range of missions from routine patrols, which have the potential to become explosive, to raids and search missions. The 994th Medical Detachment Veterinary Services Support is ensuring the dogs serving in Operation Inherent Resolve receive the best possible medical care.
H/T stripes.com
Featured Image Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve/Facebook
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