Page 14 - Chiron Calling Autumn/Winter 2022

Trauma FX K9 Diesel
by LCpl Jemima Riley
In recent years, if you walked into the Veterinary Clinic at 1 MWD Regt, you’d have a good
chance at running into one of our four-legged patients. However, as of a few months ago, you might have to look twice and check that the dog lying on the waiting room floor is
in fact a real patient. Instead, you might be seeing one of our two new Trauma FX K9 Diesel units, which are the right size, shape, and colour to be mistaken for a real dog at first (or even second) glance.
The K9 Diesel is a state-of-the-art training simulator, designed for use by veterinary surgeons, nurses, dog handlers and canine first responders. Battery operated; the dog can breathe, bark and bleed at the press of a button and so much more. His hind-limb can be removed and swapped for a traumatic amputation;
a wound on his flank exposes internal organs; with the turn of a dial, he can develop a pneumothorax or a GDV (gastric dilation volvulus). Each of these conditions can be life- threatening in a real-life situation, so having the opportunity to respond
to them in a training scenario is an invaluable experience, not only for dog handlers, but also veterinary surgeons and nurses.
One of the biggest issues with veterinary training is walking that line between getting experience and the ethics of performing unnecessary procedures on our patients. We can’t justify allowing dog handlers to practice putting catheters in the MWDs unless they’re coming in for a procedure. With the K9 Diesel, there’s a vein in the front leg that can be filled with blood (or water) and dog handlers
can practice again and again without worrying about causing unnecessary harm to the patient. Sure, it’s not exactly the same as trying to place
a cannula into a living, moving
dog, but it helps build confidence, so the dog handlers feel like they’ll know what to do when that moment actually comes.
This applies to veterinary professionals as well. Life-saving procedures such as gastric decompression and tracheostomy are difficult to practice as they (fortunately) don’t come along very often. But they’re vital skills for veterinary surgeons to be able to perform in an emergency. The K9 Diesel can simulate a GDV, allowing for needle decompression, and it has a tracheostomy training site, made of multiple layers to simulate the tissues encountered during the procedure. Our veterinary surgeons can gain confidence practicing these skills on the K9 Diesel, should they ever need to use them on real patients.
As these are some expensive pieces of kit, all Veterinary Officers (VOs), nurses and technicians at
the Regiment have undergone – or are lined up to undergo – training
on the K9 Diesels to ensure that they’re confident in their use. This training covers general maintenance before going over everything the Diesels can do. With this knowledge, training sessions and scenarios can be put in place to make the best use of their varied functions. Already the K9 Diesels have been used both on camp and out on exercise to deliver training to dog handlers, with more even more training booked out in the calendar. The intention is that, with having two, one can remain within the clinic, while the other is out and about going from one exercise to the next, providing valuable training out in the field.
To provide an example of their value, last year I assisted with some veterinary training for a group of reserve dog handlers. One of the
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