Injuries and illnesses in working dogs used during the disaster response after the bombing in Oklahoma City.

Reproduced from the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association : April 15, 1998 Vol. 212, No. 8 : pp. 1202-1207

Within 6 hours after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, the first search dog and handler were on site. Dogs were used to secure the bomb site by patrolling the perimeter, to search for explosives that might have been placed by the same or copycat bombers, and to search for victims trapped in the rubble. As the dogs worked with their handlers, the health and lives of the dogs were under many of the same risks as the human rescue workers. An epidemiologic investigation was conducted to document characteristics (signalment, medical history, training, and previous work-related injuries) of dogs used at the bomb site, to determine the role of working dogs during the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, injuries and illnesses sustained by dogs while working at the bomb site and risk factors for those injuries or illnesses, and to provide recommendations for use of dogs at future disaster events.