Page 57 - Chiron Calling Autum 2021/Spring 2022

A Military Vet Nurse in Kenya
by Pte Bethan Hire
As a Veterinary Nurse based in St George’s Barracks veterinary clinic, being chosen to go out on Exercise ASKARI STORM was a very exciting opportunity. It would potentially bring new veterinary challenges, but it would also
allow me to work closely with dog handlers for a couple of months, which I rarely get the chance to do in camp.
The first hurdle was getting 4 MWD out to Kenya with the help
of Pte Elliot Bracey. We had to
make sure we had all the correct documentation, and that the dogs were fit to fly. This was the first time I had flown with the Army. We flew on a freight flight having the whole plane to ourselves which meant we could get the dogs out so they could chill outside their kennel. We landed around 2330hrs Kenyan time and I quickly had to find a way to get in contact with veterinary services out there to be able to collect all their import documents. This proved difficult as it would take another 3 hours to unload the plane during which time we were not allowed
to leave the airport. We eventually managed to get ourselves and the dogs through but still had to wait until everyone was ready. During this time, we had loaded all the dogs into the back of a van, and got an hour’s sleep alongside them which was a surreal experience.
The following day, we had a 4-hour drive to the camp where the rest of the handlers were waiting for us.
My first thoughts were that 4 hours would be a long drive, however it flew by as there was so much to take in: from the crazy Kenyan driving style to seeing how different the capital city’s lifestyle was compared to the rural villages along the way. After 5 days of isolation, I had several jobs to do before we could get out on the ground.
I firstly had to sit down with the Medical Officer for the Exercise to sort out a Helicopter evac plan if a
dog was to receive a T1 or T2 injury. I had to ensure they were happy that K-9 liners may be coming over the net as well as the handler having to always stay with the dog through the process. We then had to create a plan for a vehicle to be ready at the Heli landing site to drive straight to the local veterinary practice. Even simple things such as what would be classed as a T1 and T2 emergency
in a dog had to be explained as
they had not had a lot of experience working with military working dogs. Secondly, I had to touch base with the local vets to assess their practice as well as understand how happy they were to see our potential emergencies.
Once on the ground, I was part of the A1 group where all the vehicles
were based. I had to touch base with the RQ to create a plan for what would to happen if a handler were
to go down and how best to get the dog off the training area as well as having a field ambulance on standby to transport myself to the dogs if they were to sustain an injury.
The main veterinary issues that occurred were inappetence (not wanting to eat) due to the heat, having to express anal glands, haemorrhagic diarrhoea and heat injuries. For a week we were based in Archers Post, which was on the equator, and had the third hottest temperature recorded in the world, and unavoidably made it a high-risk zone for the dogs. Ensuring we were on top of water consumption for the dogs as well as ourselves was very
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