Be prepared to provide care for MWDs exposed to bomb blasts and other explosions. Recognize that blast injuries may be subtle or occult for days, with MWDs appearing stable on initial evaluation. Figure 43 provides the recommended general approach to assessing MWDs exposed to blast.

 

Mechanisms

Blasts produce injury through primary effects of the blast overpressure wave, secondary injury due to penetrating objects displaced by the explosion impacting victims, tertiary injury due to victims physically being displaced into objects, and quaternary injury due to complications resulting from any combination of injury from primary, secondary, or tertiary injuries or unrelated to these mechanisms.

 

Initial Management

 

Figure 43.  General Approach to Military Working Dogs Exposed to Blasts