MCAS Cherry Point –
Sailors serving aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point received training from Army veterinary specialists to administer first aid to four-pawed warfighters in late February, 2026.
Corpsmen from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Cherry Point partnered with Soldiers from the Veterinary Readiness Activity, Fort Bragg to learn the basics of Canine Tactical Combat Casualty Care, familiarizing themselves with the unique aspects of providing battlefield medicine to Military Working Dogs.
“Military Working Dogs play pivotal roles in explosive and drug detection, patrol work and security operations,” said Army Capt. Emily Spink, DVM, “Providing MWDs with appropriate care, especially at the time of injury, is critical for both their welfare and mission success.”
Spink is the Officer-in-Charge overseeing the day-to-day operations of the veterinary clinic and the food protection mission on MCAS Cherry Point and Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue.
The training included instruction from Spink and her team as well as practical application on Rooster, Spink’s dog who stood in for a K9 training mannequin that had been reallocated for separate training on Fort Bragg.
“Treating an MWD requires an understanding of species-specific anatomy and physiology, differences in drug dosing and responses and the need for restraint or sedation for safe handling,” said Spink. “Additionally, MWDs cannot verbally communicate, so assessment relies heavily on physical exam findings and handler input.”
Sailors received an introduction to providing medical care to wounded canines, with the first step being to muzzle the dog for both the animal and Corpsman’s safety.
The training was valuable to Hospitalman Priscilla Ruiz, a Corpsman serving at NMRTC Cherry Point. Ruiz found value in how her knowledge of traditional Tactical Combat translated into providing care for a wounded animal, she said.
Instruction then moved onto topics such as providing care for massive hemorrhages, breathing difficulty, choking and administering decompression needles.
“It is imperative Corpsmen [be able to] provide aid to Military Working Dogs,” said Hospital Corpsman Second Class Jazmin Yaudes, a native of Marshall, Michigan. “They [the MWDs] are a part of the mission and should considered a warfighter just as much as our human service members.”
Throughout the training, Spink emphasized both the similarities and differences when caring for wounded humans and canines. Most notably, the difference in how a wound appears on a dog and variance in the vital signs that may signal the animal is in distress or not.
Though the Corpsmen do not expect to provide care to Military Working Dogs while serving at NMRTC Cherry Point, the training provided an orientation to what will be expected of them when serving in and alongside units deployed to operational environments.
“Often veterinary personnel are not at the point of injury for a MWD so empowering human providers with the knowledge and skillset to triage and treat an MWD is critical,” said Spink. “Appropriate care as soon as possible greatly increases the outcome for working dogs.”