title: On-site veterinary medical evaluation and care of working dogs and horses at the 2012 Republican National Convention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe on-site veterinary medical care for working dogs and horses deployed for the 2012 Republican National Convention (RNC) in Tampa, Fla, August 24 to 30, 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  130 dogs and 45 horses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data collected included breed, age, history, task assignment, reason for evaluation, and physical examination findings. A patient encounter report was recorded each time an animal was seen by veterinary staff for a physical evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  46 of the 130 (35%) dogs and all 45 (100%) horses underwent at least 1 on-site veterinary evaluation, for a total of 478 patient encounters. The most common reason for an on-site veterinary evaluation was a wellness check (446 patient encounters). On the basis of veterinary recommendations, 1 dog and 4 horses were removed from continued service for the duration of the event. In addition, 1 dog and 1 horse were removed from active service for 12 to 24 hours but allowed to return to service for the duration of the event following a veterinary reevaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggested that working dogs and horses deployed for large planned events face different health concerns, compared with concerns previously reported for animals deployed following disasters. Pre-event planning and training of handlers and riders may have helped reduce the number of health concerns, particularly health concerns related to high heat.
authors: Jenifer A
authors: JA
authors: Chatfield
authors: Reneé
authors: R
authors: Dewell
authors: Astrid J
authors: AJ
authors: Miranda
authors: Stefania
authors: S
authors: Wilcox
authors: Ty J
authors: TJ
authors: Vannieuwenhoven
mesh_terms: D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D000846:Anniversaries and Special Events; D004285:Dogs; D005431:Florida; D006736:Horses; D035846:Law Enforcement; D011057:Politics; D011635:Public Health Administration; D012637:Security Measures / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States; D014730:Veterinary Medicine