Air Medical Transportation of Injured Operational Canines

Operational canines (OpK9s) are frequently injured in the line of duty and may benefit from specialized medical transport, including air medical transport. Reports of such transports can be found in the popular press, but there is a lack of research aimed at quantifying and examining these transports. We sent a survey to 295 programs in the United States identified through the Atlas and Database of Air Medical Services database to inquire about OpK9 transports and program policies and procedures for these transports. Of those 295 programs, we received 147 responses with 15 programs reporting that they have transported at least 1 OpK9. Programs also provided insight into policies and procedures that they have established for these types of transports. Although not all air medical programs will choose to complete this type of transport, we recommend that those that do establish policies and procedures to prepare for successful transports.