Posted on 01/15/2009 4:11:24 PM PST by SandRat
1/15/2009 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Dental Airmen teamed up with Army veterinarians to give an Air Force working dog a root canal and get her back into the fight Jan. 15 at an air base in Southwest Asia.
Airmen of the 386th Expeditionary Medical Group and Soldiers from the 218th Medical Detachment to work on 5-year-old Belgian melinois Kitti who broke her tooth while trying to chew her way out of her kennel during the flight from Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
"She doesn't like to be left alone," said Senior Airman Adam Belward, Kitti's handler from the 822nd Security Forces Squadron from Moody Air Force Base, Ga.
"She was very stressed out in her kennel and tried to chew her way out," said the native of Norwalk, Conn.
Army veterinarians in charge of providing medical care for military working dogs didn't have all the necessary equipment to treat Kitti. The solution was a collaborative effort with the 386th EMDG's dental team, who had an X-ray machine and an experienced dentist. The veterinarians had the anesthesia and experience with dogs.
"(The veterinarian) has talents I don't have, and I have talents she doesn't have, so we both need each other," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Mark Henderson, a 386th EMDG dentist. "It was definitely a teamwork concept."
With Kitti and Airman Belward due in Afghanistan in a week, the options were limited. They could either perform the root canal at the air base in Southwest Asia, send the dog to be treated at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, or pull the tooth altogether.
Airman Belward said he was apprehensive about the procedure.
"I was nervous about it," he said. "It's one of her key things for protecting herself, for protecting me."
Army Capt. (Dr.) Elizabeth Williams of the 218th MD said the procedure had a 95 percent success rate.
"I have a good staff with a good anesthesia technician, a good, healthy dog and a strong source of experience," she said. "We can do it here, invest a little time here and send her on her way."
Sending the dog back to Lackland AFB would take a week, and the vets were reluctant to pull the tooth because doing so weakens the jaw. Dog teeth are more deeply rooted and pulling a tooth requires pulling a bit of bone as well, Captain Williams said.
"Patrol dogs need to be able to bite people and keep them from running away," she said. "It's not a mission ender. It's like when someone has four fingers on their hand instead of five, and there's never been a study that says being bitten with three teeth hurts less than being bitten with four."
"Three holes in someone is pretty bad," Airman Belward agreed. "But four is ideal."
Complicating the procedure was the need for an X-ray. Senior Airman Dedric Bullock, a 386th EMDG radiologist technician, never imagined having to take X-rays of an attack dog. He said there were advantages and disadvantages to working with a dog.
"The factors are a dog's snout. It's in a good aspect," he said. "If it was in the back, there'd be no way we can do this."
Staff Sgt. Heather Gaffney, the 386th EMDG dental NCO in charge who is deployed from Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, said each patient is different, particularly the nonhuman ones.
"Every patient has its own challenges," she said. "Obviously a sedated dog is going to be completely different. It's interesting. We never get to do this kind of stuff."
After a four-hour procedure, Kitti was in the clear with two silver fillings in her canine.
"She's ready to go out and win the war on terrorism," Airman Belward said.
Dr. Henderson said that aside from lacking a tool neither he nor Dr. Williams possessed and having to work through it, the procedure went according to the plan.
"I said next time we should do one that's tooth is broken even worse," he said after the procedure.
The native of Texas City, Texas, said the procedure was important because keeping working dogs in the fight is vital to the war effort.
"Military working dogs are a unique, nonhuman, person-type weapons system," Dr. Henderson said. "It's an awesome weapon system I fully appreciate, and we have to have their capabilities in theater."
Dr. Williams agreed, adding that's why she's here in the fight.
"It's always good to get the dogs back on their feet, chasing bad guys and sniffing out bombs, and that's what we do here," she said.
That’s my favorite breed!
We have two of them, and they are the smartest, fastest, loyal, protective, and did I say smart?
These dogs understand English, and I swear they are psychic!
The USAF Veterinarians and technicians were better utilized than the Army IMO. I served with both the Army and USAF Veterinary Service.
I didn’t know that, thanks. What didn’t carter screw up. Instead of abolishing that career field why didn’t the DoD just punish the guilty parties?
“Instead of abolishing that career field why didn’t the DoD just punish the guilty parties?” Because in the DOD.. Turf wars between the services are fought all the time. I too did not know that USAF had vet docs either.. but I am not surprised.
In 1974 we did the same thing to a MWD except we took the dog through the back West door of Keesler Medical Center and used the dentist's high speed drill to accomplish the root canal on a tooth with a slab fracture. When a root canal was needed on a canine tooth, we had to order specially made long files for the drill....
Didn’t know that about USAF vets. The last one I knew was at Lakenheath in 93 and he was acting in capacity of a bioenvironmental officer. I have a lot of respect for those guys. Vet school is harder to get into than med school or dental school. Stands to reason jimmah was behind screwing good men.
Thanks. I always wondered why it was an Army vet at the AFB when I took my cats to the vet.
(a just found it...) Doggie ping!
Thunder is gorgeous. Enough to make me switch from Labs.
I know you would never do that. LOL Your labs are beautiful. Thunder’s best pal is a 27 lb Pharoah hound mix named Juanita. She is usually hanging off his lip. LOL
Ruby has her hips and elbows done tomorrow - wish us luck! Her heat cycle is so erratic that I have no idea if she's within 2 weeks of going in, or not. She last came into season on Hallowe'en. But the boys showed absolutely no interest in her at the retriever seminar this weekend (they had noses only for Shelley, who was spayed at 7 months but is an incorrigible tease and apparently can fool the fellows into thinking she is almost available . . . )
You have Shilohs???? Now I am insanely jealous. I exchanged mail with the lady who started the breed. Wonderful woman, fabulous dogs.
I know that scene very well. LOL Playing is the highlite of their day.
I will keep my fingers crossed. Each time I did the hips on my guys; I just held my breath. My girls finally decided to come in together so; instead of 4 times a year; it’s twice. I have to literally hand feed Thunder his food because he is in lust for about 5 days of their coming in. He would starve to death if I didn’t. She’s got a little way to go before coming back in doesn’t she?
That’s a scream about Shelley. She’s the pole dancer in the family I see. My girls mother is one. Is the biggest flirt where the boys are concerned.
Too much. I don’t know the breed founder personally. They are beautiful dogs and so are the white shepherds and the panda shepherds. LOL You know how it is. You can’t have one. Although my panda and white live with my friends who happen to handle and train my guy and co own the panda and white
Our infallible indicator is a 16-year-old male Lab that belongs to Ruby's trainer. He is the ultimate heat detector, if he puts a paw over, they're ready. He ignored Ruby this weekend completely. But he keeps raising his eyebrows at Shelley. . . .
She not only bats her eyelashes over her shoulder at any male Lab that looks at her twice, she backs up to them and flags. But heaven forbid they should try to put a paw over -- she'll whirl round and snap. And the guys are so dumb they figure, "Oh, she must not be QUITE ready" and they spend the whole weekend trying to sneak up behind her.
"Pole dancer" is a darned good description for her. Look but don't touch . . . .
Glad your girls have synchronized. Mostly they do, eventually, so you may have multiple bitches in season (and starving lovelorn dogs) but at least as you say it only happens twice a year!
The Airman demanded of the guy at the desk why they were going to treat a DOG, before they treated his children. The guys answer was priceless.
“I am sorry sir, but your children are military dependents; the dog is active duty.”
Three cheers for “active duty” dogs! ;)
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