NCHU Veterinarian Travels with Rescue Team to Care for the Health of Search and Rescue Dogs During Disaster Relief in Turkey
2023-02-17
興新聞張貼者
Unit秘書室
673
The second search and rescue team departed from Taiwan at night on February 7 after the Turkey earthquake. NCHU cooperated with Taichung City Government and sent a veterinarian along with the team to care for Taichung City's search and rescue dogs Melody and Tui Tui, in hopes that the search and rescue dogs will receive good medical care when executing missions.
In the past, professionals in search and rescue teams included physicians, nurses, and dog handler, but they did not have a veterinarian. After years of effort by Taichung City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office and Fire Bureau, NCHU and Taichung City Government signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Search and Rescue Team Veterinarian and Dog Medical Care" in January 2022, making it the first and only team in Taiwan to have veterinarian. The purpose is to ensure the safety of search and rescue dogs during missions, and provide necessary medical services.
Taichung City Fire Bureau's search and rescue team dogs and veterinarian completely following Germany's training module, and comply with foreign standards in training, diet, and living environment. Under the NCHU USR Project "Stray LOHAS: Stray Animals Reduction and Fulfillment of Welfare" (Stray LOHAS Project), the team's veterinarian participates in routine training and the dog handler brings search and rescue dogs to NCHU Stray LOHAS clinic for health examinations each year, ensuring the physical health of search and rescue dogs.
The only veterinarian for search and rescue dogs this time was Veterinarian Chiu, who was a graduate student that participated in the Department of Veterinary Medicine's USR Project. After he graduated in January 2022, he was contacted by Associate Professor Shiun-Long Lin, the Principal Investigator, and formally became the team veterinarian for search and rescue dogs. He subsequently went with the team to participate in the international IRO testing for search and rescue dogs. The purpose of a team veterinarian is to ensure the safety of search and rescue dogs during missions, and provide necessary medical services for animal welfare.
In the past, professionals in search and rescue teams included physicians, nurses, and dog handler, but they did not have a veterinarian. After years of effort by Taichung City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office and Fire Bureau, NCHU and Taichung City Government signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Search and Rescue Team Veterinarian and Dog Medical Care" in January 2022, making it the first and only team in Taiwan to have veterinarian. The purpose is to ensure the safety of search and rescue dogs during missions, and provide necessary medical services.
Taichung City Fire Bureau's search and rescue team dogs and veterinarian completely following Germany's training module, and comply with foreign standards in training, diet, and living environment. Under the NCHU USR Project "Stray LOHAS: Stray Animals Reduction and Fulfillment of Welfare" (Stray LOHAS Project), the team's veterinarian participates in routine training and the dog handler brings search and rescue dogs to NCHU Stray LOHAS clinic for health examinations each year, ensuring the physical health of search and rescue dogs.
The only veterinarian for search and rescue dogs this time was Veterinarian Chiu, who was a graduate student that participated in the Department of Veterinary Medicine's USR Project. After he graduated in January 2022, he was contacted by Associate Professor Shiun-Long Lin, the Principal Investigator, and formally became the team veterinarian for search and rescue dogs. He subsequently went with the team to participate in the international IRO testing for search and rescue dogs. The purpose of a team veterinarian is to ensure the safety of search and rescue dogs during missions, and provide necessary medical services for animal welfare.
