MRI Technology Brings Good News to 9/11 Hero Dogs and Their Handlers
By Lindsey Oechsle
Professionals in the field of veterinary medicine wear countless different hats. Renaissance people of their own trade, the services offered by these stewards of life improve areas of public health, welfare, psychology, medicine, technology, rehabilitation, therapy, research, safety, fitness, nutrition and well being.
They are doctors of every species – hardly limited to ‘animals’ – and endure strenuous schooling that continues long after they receive their degree. They use this wealth of knowledge to foster the human condition in all of its planes. Themselves humanitarians, veterinary professionals dedicate their specialized skill, compassionate ability and scientific excellence to nurturing relationships. It is in this unique connection of an extreme understanding of complex technological science applied to the healing power of companionship that the veterinary profession continues to be revered.
A devastating trend of recent societal tragedies has illuminated the selfless charity of another humanitarian group – our Nation’s servicemen. The men and women who fight both overseas and domestically to ensure our safety are undeniably heroic in their efforts. Often understated is the service provided by animals of the same intentions. Search and rescue animals dedicate their lives to their craft, and to their handlers.
On September 11, 2001, dog-human teams came from every area of America in response to the devastating acts waged on our country. They left their families and lifestyles to provide aid in the aftermath of atrocity. These animals searched through the wreckage we know as Ground Zero in attempts to search for, save and recover innocent victims, utilizing their natural abilities that the human species and all of our evolved science cannot improve upon or even replicate.
The chemical components in the dust clouds that engulfed Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks led to serious respiratory complications for many of the rescue workers at the scene. In light of medical findings shown detrimental to human health, scientists began to study the long-term effects of these agents on canines as well.
The Study
For the five years immediately following the 9/11 attacks, several of the American search and rescue dogs participated in a risk assessment study, gauging their post-response health. This sister-study, including veterinarians from Iams Pet Food, the University of Pennsylvania and the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, used state-of-the-art magnetic imaging resonance technology to track the physical changes of these response dogs.
Rescue dogs and their handlers participating in the study were given the opportunity to receive one scan every year for five years at any of the Iams Pet Imaging Centers. There are three of these Iams Pet Imaging Centers, dedicated solely to animal MRIs located across the U.S. The original center, established in 2002, is in Vienna, Virginia. The other two centers are located near San Fransisco in Redwood, California and in Raleigh, North Carolina at the North Carolina State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
Involvement in the study was unfortunately governed by participants’ personal locations and circumstances. However, eight dogs continued regular scans throughout the five years, still allowing for ample study and comparison. The purpose of the Pet Imaging section of the study was strictly to perform the MRI scans and use this advanced technology to provide information of the nasal area of the participating dogs.
The other part of the study, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania and also by the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, reviewed health and behavior surveys completed by the handlers, as well as blood tests and X-rays. This section of the study looked at nearly 97 dogs that were first-responders to 9/11 and compared those dogs to 55 other search and rescue dogs that did not respond to that site.
“If we look at both of the studies, these were probably the first long-term studies on these search and rescue dogs,” said Dr. Amy Dicke, a technical services veterinarian for Iams Pet Food who has monitored the health of the study participants over the past five years. “That was another beauty of these studies. We took the step to get in there because this is a special group of dogs. They are being exposed to things that other dogs are not being exposed to.”
True to her compassionate veterinary nature, Dr. Dicke is concerned with both the well being of the animal and the effect that has on the human-animal bond. As she evaluates these studies, she asks herself these questions: What is it that we can find that may help a handler as far as what he can do for this dog? How can we help the dog itself? Then, is there any application to humans?
Pet Imaging/The Benefits of MRI Technology
In the past, when a veterinarian wanted to use MRI, quite often they had to arrange to use a human facility after hours. Then as time has progressed, a few of these became available in a private or specialty practice. Over the last seven years, MRI has become a much more frequently used option by veterinarians as a diagnostic tool.
Even humans sometimes get a little antsy when told to be still in a closed area. If a dog or cat is told to stay still, they cannot verbally be expected to perform – therefore some anesthesia is required. A usual scan of a specific area will take about 45 minutes from induction, performing the scan, to bringing the animal back, according to Dr. Dicke. Both the anesthesia and the recovery time are quick as well.
The development of MRI allows for rapid macroscopic visualization of disease processes. The true benefit this offers is the ability to properly diagnose from early detection, allowing for treatment and therapy. In addition, MRIs are non-invasive and provide no radiation exposure by use of magnetic energy and radio waves to create the image. What Dr. Dicke finds most valuable about MRIs is the ability to look into areas that do not have good clarification with other diagnostic tools such as X-ray and ultrasound. This MRI clarification is revolutionizing diagnostic efforts in the brain and spinal cord area, the joint areas and with vascular abnormalities like a portosystemic shunt. Dr. Dicke credits MRI technology with granting the opportunity to diagnose strokes within canines.
“For a while, we felt that strokes were really happening in dogs, but we didn’t have the capability to say, ‘Okay, here is the hemorrhage of the blood that’s occurring in the brain’ until we had that MRI and we could see the hemorrhage and then see resolution of it.”
The Iams Pet Imaging Centers do not perform in-house surgery, but rather serve as a tool for veterinarians and their referrals. Veterinarians can refer animals to MRI centers for a variety of symptoms. Typically, animals are referred for the brain and the spinal cord area. Clinical signs may include seizures, some type of paralysis and possibly lameness. Based upon a vet’s physical and work-up, if diagnosis leads toward those areas, an MRI would be excellent.
With over 10,000 scans done at the original Vienna Center, Dr. Dicke is excited about the future of veterinary technology. “It has allowed us to apply our findings and our knowledge even more broadly because we’re making a library of those scans so that vet schools can utilize them in teaching capabilities. So, it’s been nice to see that they have had further use not only in diagnosing and helping the pet itself, but then allowing vet students to gain some knowledge and experience with MRI too.”
Rescue Dog Participants in Post-9/11 Study
Most search and rescue dogs are usually the larger working and boarding breeds of dogs. This includes German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers and Labradors. Occasionally, Dr. Dicke sees Australian Shepherds and some Border Collies, but more often it’s the larger dogs that typically have a longer build on their nasal area – a crucial aid in their rescue work.
“If we look, for instance at a German Shepherd, they have about 220 million olfactory cells in there,” explains Dr. Dicke. “Compare that to a human who only has five million, and that certainly gives us some explanation as to why their olfactory senses are so much better than ours.”
All search and rescue dogs differ in their areas of expertise and ability. While some are trained for tracking and trailing duties, commonly referred to as ‘live finds,’ others are trained for finding human remains, and some can be cross-trained to do both. Other dogs are trained specifically for water search. Recent literature has introduced the utilization of dogs in identifying bladder cancer in human urine.
Though the capabilities of these working dogs are remarkable, it is the working relationship and bond between the handler and the dogs that Dr. Dicke finds most amazing.
“These dogs are just so dedicated and so willing to please. When you work that closely with an animal, the bond is just extraordinary. There’s no question that handlers want to save lives and help where they can, but there’s also that deep commitment to doing the right thing for the dog.”
These dogs are spending as much as eight hours in one day with their nose to the ground inhaling any type of toxins, dust and other debris with no protection. Currently, no types of protective devices exist that would allow them to perform and function at the caliber that they can bare-nosed.
It has been estimated that a single dog team – one handler and one dog – can be as effective as 20 or 30 trained human searchers in locating a missing person in a set amount of time… and people wonder why the dog comes from clear upstairs when they open a can of meat.
Early Estimation and Final Results
With a collection of known background information, scientists and veterinarians estimated that they would find something that would indicate health problems and complications in these dogs – specifically in the nasal area. In the canine respiratory track, the majority of tumors (60-80%) are found in the nasal area, and nasal or respiratory tumors only comprise about 1-2% of the total tumors found in dogs. This led research teams to assume that the nasal area would be the most likely area to find any type of growth as a result of what the dogs have been through. Another study taken into consideration examined effects of second-hand smoke inhalation and found a greater incident of problems in the long-nosed breeds. With this background information, the researchers focused on the nasal area in the five-year study, expecting to find signs of nasal carcinoma.
“You know what?,” exclaims an ecstatic Dr. Dicke. “It didn’t! We did not find evidence of nasal cancer. The dogs who remain in the study appear to be healthy and free of any nasal conditions.” While some hero dogs have passed on from old-age and non-related health issues, the canine participants in the five-year study have shown no signs of cancerous tumors that can be linked to their rescue mission work.
The larger study from the University of Pennsylvania that compared 97 dogs that were first-responders to 9/11 to 55 other search and rescue dogs that did not respond to that site also had positive reports. From September of 1996 to September 2006, they found no statistical difference in the mortality rate between the two groups, or in the frequency of cancer as a cause of death. Further, in comparing an everyday dog not involved in search and rescue to these rescue dogs, they found no statistical difference the average age of cancerous death of these two groups.
For Dr. Dicke and the humble researchers and scientists called veterinarians, the most rewarding and valuable aspect of the five-year study was delivering the results.
“It was information to be handed over to the owner to say, here, at this time, with what we have looked at, we can’t see that your dog’s long-term health is any different than if it had not been at Ground Zero. These handlers want to know that.”
