Military working dogs have been a vital part of the U.S. military since the very beginning. Like any other service member, the health and well-being of military working dogs is a top priority. Earlier this week, military working dog Roger was medically evacuated from Iraq to the veterinary clinic at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait for a life saving procedure.
Military working dog Roger is one of over 2,000 working dogs currently saving in the U.S. military. He works as a bomb sniffing dog, ensuring patrols are clear, and unauthorized explosives don’t make it on base. A usually energetic and playful partner, his handler started to notice something was wrong when Roger started to become less interactive, and started to slow down.
They medics working the clinic discovered Roger had a tumor on his spleen, and the need for a medical evacuation and the use of newly installed mobile blood bank became very apparent.
“In these cases, there’s a good chance they can decompensate quickly” said Captain Emerick Whitefield, Officer in Charge of the Veterinary Clinic. “If he had not been medically evacuated up here and gotten the surgery as fast as he did…. We could have lost him.”
Roger is currently stable and expected to make a full recovery. Afterwards, he will be returned home, and retired with full military honors.
The ASG-KU Veterinary Services office has a wide array of services that impact the Soldiers of Camp Arifjan and the U.S. Army Central area of operations. The day to day mission varies; in a normal civilian clinic the vet would only see animals every day. Here in Kuwait the veterinary office deals with Soldier safety through the Trap Neuter Vaccinate Release program, the food safety mission, and many other unique taskings.
Although the clinic stays constantly busy, Captain Whitefield reflects positively on here time station. “Days like this, they remind you why I do this this job” said Captain Whitefield.