Health protocols

[Catu]

I'll post here because SAR is what I need this for, but I'll appreciate the input of anyone involved in the working dog community, being it SAR, detection, military, police, high competition, etc.

I'm part of a commission to design a standard, a health protocol for all the dogs of our team, from birth to retirement. A minimum for all handlers to achieve. As a very rough example:
- 2 to 4 months: serie of vaccines
- 6 months: rabies vaccine
- 1 year: hip and elbow X-rays
etc, etc...

And any other protocol a dog should follow yearly, every 2 years, etc.

My team has signed or is about to sign agreements with people who will help us in several venues, veterinary care between them. The problem we have is that while we have good intentioned veterinarians willing to help, they know nothing about working dogs and for some stuff they have not really been helpful. We have had problems in the past with the local vet of a given handler not picking something that would have been more obvious for a vet more experienced in working dogs as opposed to only pets. We can't import expert vets nor send them for post titles, but we can improve the prevention on our own dogs and offer a guideline on what to look for to the veterinarians. Another problem is that those agreements may last six months, one year, three years... we really don't know and we need to keep our own standards regardless of the veterinarian that is attending our dogs that moment.

Everything is welcomed!! also feel free to PM

[jocoyn]

We meet again!

Back x-rays (baseline as adult)
Hip and elbow at 2 (OFA shots, but I would do some sort of prelim before that - would have saved me a lot of pain with my last dog)
Yearly blood panels
Yearly exam

Well, that is what I do.
I give the shots per AAHA guidelines
Honestly you have to have them for many seminars and what not - and -
I give lepto annually ONLY because we are in an area where lepto is on the rise and have had to search in some pretty iffy areas - its not like cadaver dogs usually wind up on pristine land looking for bodies. I do not do snake vaccines or lyme vaccine (once again, the area)

[Catu]

Thanks Nancy!!

We don't have to worry about snakes, luckily, and we are free of lyme and heartworm, so those are things we don't have to worry about. At which age do you take back X-rays?

Also, since you are on the hunt... what test do you ask when you are looking for a green dog?

[jocoyn]

I have not asked yet but I will want full set of x-rays and a routine blood panel. I would expect to pay for that. Then evaluate the dog both by me, a teammate, and a police master trainer if possible......

When I got my current dog I had one USPCA trainer who was in charge of training his K9 deparment, one NAPWA Master trainer and myself evaluate the dog. He gave me 30 days to accept or reject after I got him too......and would take him back if I did (but the NAPWDA guy said he wanted him if I didnt)

Depending on where the dog is, I can probably get someone to evaluate before I go see.