EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
● Ensure that rescue techniques do not create additional injury.
Medical conditions that may be encountered during the rescue phase are typically traumatic injuries such as abrasions, lacerations, fractures, burns, and chemical exposures. The Texas A&M VET has also found that dehydration is a common finding. This can occur even if the rescue is being performed in floodwaters. Animals will often not drink contam- inated waters associated with flood conditions. It is important to recognize that definitive resolution of the injury or illness will not be performed during rescue operations. The goal is to stabilize the pa- tient to the point that it can be safely rescued with- out making injuries and illnesses worse.
Veterinary Medical Operations
Veterinary medical operations is considered to be the phase of emergency response where animals are being presented to the veterinary medical team. There are several different characteristics that are different than normal practice experiences that are worthy of consideration.
● Most animals that are received will present without owners. They may be delivered by animal control officers, rescue groups, and good Samaritans. This means that the ani- mals will not have normal historical findings and owner wishes into the decision-making process cannot be factored in. It is impor- tant that the location from which the an- imal was rescued is documented. This is a key piece of information that is necessary for the animal-owner reunion process.
● Many animals may be relatively normal with only minor or pre-existing conditions.
● Euthanasia decisions may need to be made in the absence of the owner. If responding as an officially recognized component of the re- sponse, presented animals will be considered as “wards of the jurisdiction.” Establish the jurisdiction’s expectations on these types of counties. The Texas A&M VET has been in a range of situations from limiting treatment to triage and stabilization where serious condi- tions are not treated to those where the juris- diction wishes to do everything possible up through surgeries in order to save ani- mals. The position of the VET is that animal welfare ultimately drives the decision-making process. If a jurisdiction does not wish to pur- sue extraordinary measures, the goal becomes keeping the animal comfortable until other op- tions are identified. In cases where it is not humane to continue, and an owner is not avail- able to provide consent for euthanasia or has not been identified, concurrence of two veteri- narians is required before an animal will be euthanized.
8 2020 Vol. 66 AAEP PROCEEDINGS
The types of injuries that the authors have experi- enced during the deployments of the VET have var- ied with the type of disaster being responded to. A full discussion is beyond the scope of what can be provided in these proceedings so an overview is provided.
High-Wind Events
High-wind events such as hurricanes and tornadoes result in injuries that would be anticipated with high-velocity airborne debris impacting animals. Lacerations, puncture wounds, abrasions, soft- tissue injuries, and fractures are routinely encoun- tered. Ophthalmic injuries are common and ear canals may be packed with debris.
Wildfires
Burns are the most common feature of this type of response. It is important to thoroughly evaluate hooves, paws, and udders as severe burns of these structures may result in chronic pain and lack of production. This is particularly important in live- stock. Respiratory disease is a common finding as well with conditions typically increasing in severity over several days. Veterans of multiple wildfire de- ployments will often recommend salvaging by slaughter livestock that present immediately after the wildfire if mild lameness or respiratory disease is noted. The reasoning is that these conditions typically become much worse over 3 to 4 days. Dehydration is, as with most types of disaster, a common finding.
Floods
Responding to floods has been the most common reason for deployment of the Texas A&M VET. The VET has encountered numerous animals with submersion injuries. Most of these have been live- stock. The authors’ opinion is that more submer- sion injuries in large animals than small animals because small animals are seen will either reach a structure of some sort that will allow them to get out of the water or unfortunately drown. Submersion injuries may develop with less than 24 hours of exposure. The authors’ opinion is that this occurs as a result of high bacterial and viral loads in flood- waters, velocity of flood waters, and increased sed- iment rates. Thoughts are that these combine to result in rapid damage of the epidermis. Sub- mersion injuries are characterized by pitting edema and devitalization of the skin. These can be exceptionally challenging to treat given that these animals are very painful and susceptible to secondary infections. The VET has also encoun- tered respiratory disease as a common secondary illness as well. Working with animals that are rescued from floodwaters comes with a significant risk to first responders. Animals should be de- contaminated and personnel should wear personal protective equipment.
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