Do you have a policy/SOP regarding injured pets?

[50-65 205]

This was a first for me. Last night we had an mva with entrapment. The lady had a dog in the car with her. We cut the door and remove the driver. Now, what do we do with the injured dog?

He is a well behaved, somewhat anxious yellow lab. He is bleeding from the mouth and tongue but otherwise appears fine. PD doesn't want him. Animal Control says they won't pick him up. The animal "hospital" doesn't have a way to get him.

Someone put him in the chief's truck where he proceeded to sit in the driver's seat and bleed all over the seat, dash, windows, radios, etc. Needless to say the chief was not happy.

I was on scene in my crew cab pick-up. I folded down the rear seat and put an old blanket down. We put him in there. I held him while one of the other guys drove and we took him to the vet for treatment.

We spent 2+ hours cleaningthe chief's truck last night. Mine didn't fare to bad although I am going to shampoo it today to get a little blood out of it.

Does your department have a policy regarding injured pets? How have you handled these before?

[ex-commish 490]

This was a first for me. Last night we had an mva with entrapment. The lady had a dog in the car with her. We cut the door and remove the driver. Now, what do we do with the injured dog?

He is a well behaved, somewhat anxious yellow lab. He is bleeding from the mouth and tongue but otherwise appears fine. PD doesn't want him. Animal Control says they won't pick him up. The animal "hospital" doesn't have a way to get him.

Someone put him in the chief's truck where he proceeded to sit in the driver's seat and bleed all over the seat, dash, windows, radios, etc. Needless to say the chief was not happy.

I was on scene in my crew cab pick-up. I folded down the rear seat and put an old blanket down. We put him in there. I held him while one of the other guys drove and we took him to the vet for treatment.

We spent 2+ hours cleaningthe chief's truck last night. Mine didn't fare to bad although I am going to shampoo it today to get a little blood out of it.

Does your department have a policy regarding injured pets? How have you handled these before?

I am not aware of any policy but just want to say you guys did the right thiing.

[x129K 1,393]

I agree you did right thing - stepped up when no one else did..

Myself...I would have leaned on the police to take the animal...the police would have then leaned on animal control....

[jack10562 414]

Interesting topic. It can be taken in another direction: how about where you have a pet in the house, and you have the sole occupant who for whatever reason gets emergency transport to the hospital, now what happens to the pet? Who is going to care for it?

[Guest]

Ill state once again you guys did the right thing and i'd probably done the same except putting it in the chief's car. I'll put another twist what do you do when the animal is a fatality in the car and the owner gets transported to the hospital????

[x129K 1,393]

I still say, in all cases, the animal becomes the responsibility of the police.

[Guest]

I still say, in all cases, the animal becomes the responsibility of the police.

I agree but what about house calls where no pd is dispatched too?

[markmets415 524]

Ill state once again you guys did the right thing and i'd probably done the same except putting it in the chief's car. I'll put another twist what do you do when the animal is a fatality in the car and the owner gets transported to the hospital????

Great job by the way 50, the Chief will get over it.

Call me Joe I have a key to the cooler, if there is room in it I am sure that could be an option, I will speak to the Dr.'s to see if this is an option for us here in the valley.

You guys had one of these last year and the animals were transported to Millbrook.

My wife works at a local vets and anything that is called in after hours goes to the Lagrange hospital right around the corner from Lagrange #2 on Noxon, I am not sure of the hours there though.

[markmets415 524]

I agree but what about house calls where no pd is dispatched too?

Request the PD and animal control.

[Guest]

Great job by the way 50, the Chief will get over it.

Call me Joe I have a key to the cooler, if there is room in it I am sure that could be an option, I will speak to the Dr.'s to see if this is an option for us here in the valley.

You guys had one of these last year and the animals were transported to Millbrook.

My wife works at a local vets and anything that is called in after hours goes to the Lagrange hospital right around the corner from Lagrange #2 on Noxon, I am not sure of the hours there though.

Your right Mark but one of our memebers did the transporting

[Guest]

Request the PD and animal control.

What if critical patient and cant wait for pd and you have to secure the house? Will Pd or animal control break in for an animal ? Just asking i'm not sure of the answers!!

[x129K 1,393]

Request the PD and animal control.

Winner Winner....Chicken Dinner..........

I've done it in the past for a ped struck when Noonan was at the County.......

[markmets415 524]

What if critical patient and cant wait for pd and you have to secure the house? Will Pd or animal control break in for an animal ? Just asking i'm not sure of the answers!!

I would make all attempts to try and ensure that one of your responders can stay there until PD arrives. If that can't be done then I would advise dispatch of this and let them notify the PD of the update and have the dispatcher notify me what agency handled it and the outcome. Not sure what else can be done. If the animal is left and there are no viable family contacts then I would notify the SPCA animal enforcement and have them retrieve the animal.

[markmets415 524]

Winner Winner....Chicken Dinner..........

I've done it in the past for a ped struck when Noonan was at the County.......

Dan, how about a veggie dinner for this vegetarian, yeah go ahead and say it, Yep I know I am the fattest damn vegetarian you have ever seen, hey what can I say I love pizza.

Edited November 29, 2008 by markmets415

[Guest]

Dan, how about a veggie dinner for this vegetarian, yeah go ahead and say it, Yep I know I am the fattest damn vegetarian you have ever seen, hey what can I say I love pizza.

A true veggie does not eat cheese!!! At least i been told bring on the steaks

Edited November 29, 2008 by JHK3605

[ny10570 745]

Got it easy down here in NYC. If its alive PD takes it to the Animal Hospital in Manhattan lights and siren. If its dead sanitation comes and picks it up. If its healthy and needs to be secured while the owner is taken to the hospital PD is responsible till animal control can take over. The cops should have taken that dog. Its much easier to clean the back of a cruiser than it is to clean the front of a chiefs car of POV. 2 quick stories...

Called for the chest pain. Woman was taken to the hospital 1 wk earlier for a bad asthma attack. Intubated for 5 days. Gets home and finds both cats dead, now she's having a legit MI. Cats were the only "family" she had in the area. PD secured the apartment after fire broke down the door, door was replaced, and still no one did anything about the cats.

PD calls for an intox. Cop pulls woman over, hammered drunk with big yellow lab in the back. She's broke up with her girlfriend and is on her way home from New Hampshire to Delaware been drinking the whole way. Got lost trying to get gas. Day before holiday weekend so if he arrests her she stuck for 4 days waiting till she can pick up her dog. Decided to give her appearance ticket, send her to the ER to sober up, and precinct gets a new mascot till the AM.

You don't have to care about helping the animal then at least do it for owner. The animals become part of people's family and at times their only family.

[50-65 205]

We did contact family from the scene but I'm not sure where they were coming from. Girl went to Saints and I'm sure the dog wasn't the first thing on their mind.

[markmets415 524]

A true veggie does not eat cheese!!! At least i been told bring on the steaks

that would be a vegan not a vegetarian, hey Joe they do make pizza without cheese!!!!, not as good though

Edited November 29, 2008 by markmets415

[ckroll 101]

Excellent question, the answer to which, it appears is that none of us have policies for pets, injured or otherwise. Perhaps it is something we should all bring up and have our departments address. If memory serves, the issue or one like it was addressed here years ago. EMS is probably the right agency to get it started.

Honestly, it had not occurred to me to go pet hunting on serious medical calls, but it makes perfect sense to assign the task to someone who is not involved in patient care. Dogs usually announce themselves, but birds, cats and reptiles won't. Someone who is in charge of securing the house ought to also be tasked with doing a pet check for vacant house situations and it makes sense if local EMS agencies have vet and animal control contacts. We wouldn't leave an oven on or a door wide open, it seems reasonable that an animal not be left to die.

As for injured pets, I do not know of anyone who has a policy as it is a rare occurrence. I've been on fire scenes where we treated pets successfully for smoke inhalation and recall animal control coming for injured animals at PIAA's and transporting to the vet next to the hospital. There are a number of concerns: rescuing the person from the car with the frightened pet, securing the pet, treating it. Calling animal control is a longer term solution that does not address the emergent pet. immoblizing/packaging is key and a pillowcase works well for cats and small stuff, a blanket and or sheet properly wrapped will papoose a larger animal so that it does not injure itself or others until the preplanned help arrives.

If it's my call, the animal is hurt.... and a vet is available next door to the hospital... I think I will 'assume' it is a service animal, transport it in the front seat of the ambulance with the patient and take it over to the vet. That doesn't work for serious [human] trauma as WMC might not see the necessity.... Preplanning, and that might include a sheet of plastic for the chief's car, is essential.

I'll be brjinging it up at the next meeting of my AC. thanks, for thinking of it.

[NWFDMedic 58]

The correct answer, of course, is that PD and Animal Control are responsible for the animal. If a police officer sees an injured dog walking in the roadway in absence of an accident, it would be their responsibility to take custody of the animal until Animal Control arrives. Well, if you let this animal alone after the accident, guess what, he's the injured dog walking in the roadway.

Now, here's an answer that may be more specific for you in Orange County. I know that back in the day, Rick Metzger had donated an old ambulance to Flannery Animal Hospital to be a "pet ambulance". I know they still provide 24 hour emergency service at the hospital, however I don't know if they have the staff to come and get the animal during non-business hours or if they even have kept up the pet ambulance service. Rick was a huge animal lover and always did a lot to support the hospital.

If it were my scene in New Windsor, I'd call Flannery and see what their suggestion might be. Then again, I don't think I'd get a police officer who wouldn't agree to help out. If I were your fire chief, I'd be on the phone with the police officer's supervisor on Monday morning.

[ex-commish 490]

that would be a vegan not a vegetarian, hey Joe they do make pizza without cheese!!!!, not as good though

Pizza without chees? Not happening

[markmets415 524]

excellent posts, agreed this is something that clearly needs work, I will call our local NYSP barricks and DC Sheriff office on Monday to see what they have for guidelines.

Yeah I know Pizza without cheese = :angry: , they make the "fake" cheese too.!!!!!!

[Guest]

that would be a vegan not a vegetarian, hey Joe they do make pizza without cheese!!!!, not as good though

why the ugly mug for a pic i like big blue better jk

[50-65 205]

The chief was more than a little PO'd that animal control (Town of Newburgh) would not come pick up the dog. Flannery's was called but couldn't come get the dog. He was taken there and they were more than willing to take him in and treat him.

Newburgh Vet Hospital will come and pick up during their normal hours (but we didn't have the number at the time).

Orange County Emergency Vet Hosp (Middletown?) will treat emergencies after hours but will not pick up.

Chief said he was going to address this at the next commissioners meeting and next Town Fire Officer's meeting.

[markmets415 524]

why the ugly mug for a pic i like big blue better jk

Hey that's my back and FF Mirande's mug.

[markmets415 524]

The chief was more than a little PO'd that animal control (Town of Newburgh) would not come pick up the dog. Flannery's was called but couldn't come get the dog. He was taken there and they were more than willing to take him in and treat him.

Newburgh Vet Hospital will come and pick up during their normal hours (but we didn't have the number at the time).

Orange County Emergency Vet Hosp (Middletown?) will treat emergencies after hours but will not pick up.

Chief said he was going to address this at the next commissioners meeting and next Town Fire Officer's meeting.

It seems that at least you guys have options that are available, something we here in Eastern Dutchess surely need to look into.

[x129K 1,393]

ASPCA POlice

[markmets415 524]

Yeah I mentioned them yesterday Dan, but in the event we can't wait that long it would be nice to have options, like a vets task force where we can get them to be available on certain days after hours. Most of the towns around us have vets so we may be able to pull this off.

I nominate Dan, aka x129 as our contact, any second!!!

Seriously as I stated my wife works for one vet, my sister works at another so maybe this is workable.

[ckroll 101]

This also sounds like an opportunity for patient/pet advocacy. Remember WHALE for car seats? we have a little emergency? Pet owners are the best advocates for their pets and what will happen if the owner is injured is a great question. When I travel, even in a small plane... 'dog is my copilot'. No one would know what to if we couldn't direct them.

We have a camp in the Adirondacks and friends with pets, so I had "Visitor" name tags with a local number printed on them on a separate collar so visiting dogs have a local ID. Once a dog that 'never left the sofa' took off and a passerby found her over a mile away staggering at the side of the road exhausted and called the number.

I see a need to get vets and emergency services to ask the "What if" question of owners. It would be so helpful if pets had a meds/vet/emergency contact/ sheet at home and for travel. There was a program for noting on doors what pets inside needed to be rescued. Maybe a card holder for crates or leashes that directed rescuers what to do? What about ESART Empire State Animal Rescue Team? They recognize the need to shelter animals in natural disasters so that people will evacuate. That might be an avenue. How about a PET entry in cellphones?

[x129K 1,393]

The City of Poughkeepsie ACO is a Lieutenant in Union Vale. He is THE go to guy on dogs/cats/etc.