Training - Veterinary Task Force

Our flagship training course – Operational Working Dog First Aid – is a one day first aid course aimed at dog handlers with varying degrees of experience. It is certified by The CPD Certification Service and, whilst also seen as part of ongoing professional development, it builds confidence and competence in handlers to be able to deal with their canine casualty. The course is hands-on, evidence-based and is centred around scenarios that may be faced in this sector. The course can also be delivered as a half-day or refresher version, and we recommend that handlers undertake this course every 2-3 years (dependent on organisation preference). Aligned to this we also build in scenarios to licensing sessions and events/exercises, where handlers can be put through their paces with simulated trauma scenarios midway through a search task.

In order to further enhance the care that can be provided to working dogs in more remote or austere environments, we are developing a course for medics who may face a canine casualty in a UK National Park, on a humanitarian mission or a disaster response deployment, for example. We will also be launching a course for veterinary surgeons to prepare them for arduous and extreme environments. Watch this space!

TOPICS INCLUDED IN THE OPERATIONAL WORKING DOG FIRST AID COURSE

Field preparation and physical conditioning;

Preventative care and first aid kits;

Scene evaluation;

Safety and restraint;

Signs of health;

Primary assessment;

Secondary assessment;

Monitoring and record keeping;

Prolonged field care and evacuation.

SPECIFIC FIRST AID ITEMS COVERED

Massive haemorrhage;