Paravet K9

07/02/2025

100,000 miles and zero pairs of real pants.

I can count the number of people I have traveled this far and this often with on one finger. I can also count the number of people that would survive traveling that far and that often with me on the same finger.

From coming to all of my classes that she didn’t need to be at, to making handlers do burpees they didn’t want to do, to irritating someone at a conference for pushing her eat better and exercise more agenda - she was there because she wants to be, receiving nothing in return. The audacity.

Three years ago I was hobbling around on a cane. Last week I was keeping up with 20 year old dudes at Fire Academy Pre-Camp.

I would not be where I am today without and if I know anything about her, she always wants to learn and always wants to help.

If you listen to her, it will help.

Shy and sometimes awkward at first, you will not make a better friend. Or meet someone with better dance moves.

Dear Miss Schulter, thank you for the mileage and the memories. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it and I’m better for it. There is no one I’d rather share my haphazard presence and time with.

You’re going to pay for the life you have, it’s better to pay for the life you want.

Paying .fit dues will get you to where you want to go.

06/18/2025

Cry havoc and let slip your regimental yearbook photos.

“The capability they (Military Working Dogs) bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or machine.”

05/28/2025

Working Dog Wednesday.

K9 Husbandry and First Aid starts with knowing and being able to monitor your dog’s vital signs.

K9 medical simulation mannequins are great training tools for developing emergency intervention skills, but they don’t move about or get aggressive.

The majority of working dogs that survive their initial injuries are still conscious and ambulatory.

Treating almost all significant injuries hurts the patient.

If your dog isn’t a big fan of having their pulse or temperature taken, how co-operative do you think they’ll be when something hurts and you’re hurting it more by treating it?

Some dogs are surprisingly compliant and others are not.

Without the option to rapidly sedate them - muzzle, restraint and creativity will be necessary for safety and success.

It’s been a great week so far training with the handlers and dogs of the Georgia State Patrol. I’m not sure K9 Bolt agrees.

Remember, the only difference between a dog thermometer and human thermometer is the taste.

Will your dog let you take their temperature unassisted?

05/26/2025

Never above you.
Never below you.
Always beside you.

Never forget.

05/08/2025

04/25/2025

Mike Mantenuto

Husband, Father, Friend, Green Beret, Dog Handler, Hockey Player and Actor.

Died of a self inflicted gunshot wound 24 April 2017 at the age of 35.

Eight years goes by fast.

No one who knows you wants to know a world without you in it.

Stay. Ask for help. You are not alone.

04/17/2025

“Life is strange. We come with nothing, fight for everything and in the end, we will leave everything and go with nothing.”

03/26/2025

Spring is the most dangerous time of year for heat injury in dogs.

Yesterday it was 73 degrees with snow still in the canyon. Last week it was in the low to mid 50s.

Heat injury is always in the top three mechanisms of injury for working and high energy dogs with zero sense of self preservation.

Acclimate to significant temperature changes responsibly and intentionally.

Hydration and conditioning are key preventative measures.

Know the early warning signs: shade hunting, “paddle tongue,” and shade hunting.

Implement temperature checks.

Treat before transport. Core temperature will continue to rise during evacuation without intervention.

Cold water, ice packs, moving air.

The risk of rebound hypothermia is minimal and pales in comparison to seizures, organ failure, and coagulopathy.

If you’re signed up for the K9 First Aid course hosted by - see you next week!

⤱ Bridging the gap between handlers & pre-hospital care ⤱

Paravetk9.com

03/13/2025

Trust in me my friend, for I am your comrade.

I will protect you with my last breath.

When all others have left you and the loneliness of night closes in,
I will be at your side.

Together we will conquer all obstacles, and search out those who wish to do harm to others.

All I ask of you is compassion, and the caring touch of your hands.

It is for you that I will unselfishly give my life and spend my nights unrested.

Although our days together may be marked by the passing of the seasons, know that each day by your side is my reward.

Together you and I shall experience a bond only others like us will understand.

I will remain ever silent, ever vigilant, ever loyal, and when you move on in the world remember me with kind words and tales.

For a time we were unbeatable, nothing passed among us undetected.

If we should meet again on another street I will gladly take up your fight,

I am a Military Working Dog and together we are Guardians of the night.

- Author Unknown

Happy K9 Veterans Day.

02/24/2025

The evaluation and treatment of chest injuries is one of the more complex and challenging things to educate dog handlers on, who in almost all cases are not medics, but will be their K9 partners first medical responder.

Chest seal application occurs during the “Respiration” phase of BARK or MARCHE. Assess for any trauma to the chest with sight, sound, and feel. Rake the tips of your fingers against the “grain” of the fur to identify any injuries that may be hidden by their fur or undercoat.

I prefer non-vented HALO chest seals. They are super sticky and work well on the average Malinois/Dutch Shepherd coat. The problem with vented chest seals is that they don’t often work as the one-way valves they are supposed to on dogs. Attempting to shave half or more of a painful, confused, and conscious dog’s chest in the field without sedation is a sketchy exercise in futility. You can reinforce a chest seal with an emergency trauma dressing or elastic bandage. Plastic wrap is an option, but difficult to work with in the field.

A penetrating wound from the last rib to the front of the chest should always be covered with a chest seal. A simple pneumothorax can develop into a tension pneumothorax over time, or with the application of a chest seal. Progressively worsening symptoms include: unequal rise and fall of the chest, short shallow breathing, labored breathing from the diaphragm, open-mouth gasping for air (a contra-indication for muzzle use,) bulging or shifting veins in the neck, shifting of the trachea from the middle of the neck, and changes in gum color from pink to pale to blue.

If properly trained, a needle chest decompression after chest seal application may alleviate worsening symptoms.

If you have a rapid evacuation time of 45 minutes or less, I recommend slapping on a seal and focusing on transport to definitive care. If oxygen is available, administer with a mask or O2 line punched through your Sergeants Starbucks cup during transport. Dump the lavender latte first.

⤱ Bridging the gap between handlers & pre-hospital care ⤱

Paravetk9.com

01/13/2025

Course Announcement

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⤱ Bridging the gap between handlers & pre-hospital care ⤱

Paravetk9.com

01/08/2025

“Who’s gonna carry the dogs?” - Dave Doggins.

Lift your dog good and do other stuff good too with .fit furmissile fitness.