KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) said history was made on Tuesday when the first K-9 officer was flown for treatment in Tennessee.
K-9 Luca, a six-year-old Belgian Malinois, is a K-9 officer with the Clay County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina. On Tuesday, he was flown to the UTCVM after being “inadvertently exposed to concentrated ozone” in a confined space while on a call, which can cause acute lung injury.
Officials said Luca’s handler found him in respiratory distress and vomiting. He was taken to Big Bear Vet in Hayesville, North Carolina, where he was stabilized and sedated prior to being flown by Erlanger Life Force Air Medical to Knoxville.
This was the first official air transport of a K-9 officer in Tennessee, officials said, after Life Force performed a dry run in September in Knoxville and two more with emergency veterinary groups in Chattanooga.
UTCVM said the Life Force helicopters are equipped with specialized veterinary supplies, including muzzles, oxygen masks, and chest tube kits, in addition to their standard emergency and critical care equipment.
K-9 Luka and his handler, Det. Steven Smith(Clay County (NC) Sheriff’s Office)
