 The Air Force Sentry Dog on patrol in Southeast Asia. His nose and other senses together with the suspicious nature, natural aggressiveness, size and intelligence make this dog one of the most valuable tools a sentry can have. He is used best in isolated areas, away from activity, away from traffic, and as far from aircraft noise as feasible. The Sentry Dog's patrol area is not selected for his convenience, but to provide base security against a cunning and determined enemy. The Sentry Dog and Handler work at night to counter the cloak of darkness so useful to the enemy. Night duty imposes a need for daytime rest in a kennel free of disturbances. The patrol zones are changed each night. This is good sentry practice, but it presents parasite control problems. The patrol environment in Southeast Asia has its own hazards, especially at night. These range from deep sand to rocky ground, marshland and grass-covered debris, and hidden wells are not unheard of. This terrain results in bruised, cut and split pads, broken claws and occasional fractures of foot and leg bones. It is hazardous in several ways. It is a breeding ground for parasites and their intermediate hosts. Sawgrass and elephant grass have sharp edges, especially in the dry season. Cut stubble when dry is very sharp and can severely lacerate pads. Temperature in Southeast Asia has both regional and seasonal variations. Heat stroke while under control can never be ignored. In the Central Highlands, the play co-area of Vietnam, nighttime low temperatures during monsoon periods must be kept in mind particularly as it concerns the sentry dog's hair coat. Precipitation is confined largely to the monsoon rainy season in Southeast Asia. About five months of daily rain with occasional tropical storms of the typhoon class. The rains produce not only hazardous marshy terrain, but the humid environment prerequisite for the spread of eczemas, usually of the weeping lesion type. The monsoon rotates through Vietnam, occurring in different locations at different times. One of the areas are another potential hazard. Rabies is endemic and there is no rabies control program. Snakes are a constant and serious threat. The dog rather than the handler is more likely to be bitten. The four major snake antivenoms are available at each base. This is the dog. And this is where he works. Base security is his vitally important duty. Your job as an Air Force Veterinary Officer is to keep the military dogs in your care fit for duty in Southeast Asia. You could arrive at any one of a number of bases in Southeast Asia. This is the passenger terminal at Tonsanut Airfield, Republic of Vietnam. There is a possibility you won't be met at a passenger terminal. So the first job is to get transportation. Be patient. Like the phones, transportation is a problem in Southeast Asia. If you arrive at another base, you will be visited by the Staff Veterinarian Seventh Air Force within a very short time. Arriving at Tonsanut, however, you'll meet the Seventh Air Force Staff Veterinarian there. He will give you a quick briefing. You'll learn some strange-sounding names. They're even harder to spell. Tonsanut. Binh Tuy, Binh Hoa. Van Rang. Cameron Bay. Ngoc Trang, Tuy Hoa. Placu, you'll be brief on the manning situation. When no Veterinary Officer is assigned to a base, a Veterinary Officer from another base is assigned on an attending basis. The number of people assigned to each base is dependent on the overall job to be done, including the Sentry Dog Program. Your primary duty in the Sentry Dog Program is to keep the dogs fit for duty, and in the event of illness or injury, affect recovery so that they may return to work as soon as possible. The Staff Veterinarian takes you to meet the Dispensary Commander. He briefs you on the immediate situation. In addition to the Veterinarian's concern with the individual welfare of the dog, the herd aspect must be considered. These are not individual animals living in dispersed environments, but a number of animals living closely and working in the same environment. The Dispensary Commander starts you on a tour of the area in which you will be living and working. The Sentry Dog Clinic is located across the base in a somewhat remote area, as might be expected for this type of operation. You meet the NCOIC of Veterinary Services, who shows you around the clinic, the treatment room, the equipment is first class. All the medical comforts of home. Not as complete as the clinic at Cameron Bay, but adequate for routine clinical procedures. The NCOIC of Veterinary Services introduces you to the Kennel Master. He works for the Security Police Flight and is responsible for the Kennels. The Kennel is well constructed, concrete pad and steel fencing, designed for thorough sanitation, adequate natural air circulation, and shade essentials in Southeast Asia. This is where the Sentry Dog lives, where he rests, and where his health and welfare are maintained. A brief tour of the Sentry Dog's work environment, the patrol areas provides a better overview of the special health disorders to expect in the clinic. Now you are beginning to get acquainted. Visit base billeting, get your quarters and get settled, because tomorrow you hold your first sick call in Southeast Asia. During the Sentry Dog daily sick call, the dog's handler is an excellent diagnostic source of information. He has the advantage of knowing the dog's behavior and condition norms. His presence at sick call means he has recognized a recent change. One disadvantage the handler suffers is his daily contact with the dog. This may cause him to overlook very gradual changes. Normally his knowledge and experience will be helpful. Among the common disorders in Southeast Asia are eczemas, particularly the weeping lesion. These lesions are similar to those found in Southeastern United States. Another condition seen frequently is otitis, which may be complicated with ticks or mites, hematoma, or a combination of all three. Fungiuntivitis is a recurring entity. There is some evidence suggesting that it is infectious and possibly zoonotic, so our pads are prevalent in both dry and wet periods. In dry periods, the rain hazards, such as rough surfaces, result in split, cut and bruised pads. The wet season or heavy duty in wet terrain causes the pads to soften, split and peel. Injuries to the paws, especially cuts, ons and abrasions result in large numbers of lost duty days. And keep in mind for every dog unable to work, there is a handler who cannot work as a sentry. Parasite control is a continuing problem throughout Southeast Asia. Ectoparasites are controlled by dipping the dogs monthly during the monsoon season. The monsoon occurs at different times in different locations in Vietnam. For example, at Phan Rang, the topography prevents the monsoon rains from reaching the base. Endoparasites are prevalent in Southeast Asia and require constant vigilance. Footworm is one of the most serious threats to sentry dog health. Toll requires periodic treatment and application of herd techniques. We will see a good example of this later in the handling of parasites at Nha Trang. Heartworm is a serious malady throughout Southeast Asia. This has been to a air base in the Mekong Delta. Foundation for the base is all earth fill. Surrounding area, swamp. An ideal breeding ground for the mosquito. Heartworm is especially acute here. On base, marshy areas are filled and fogging employed. These controls are almost ineffective because of the swamp. Aerial fogging is difficult, if not impossible, because of hostile forces. This is Bien Voie air base on the Saigon River. Heartworm is prevalent here as well because of the river and marshland. Mosquito nets and screens in the kennel area are desirable, but of little real value because the mosquitoes are out at night when the dogs are working in the open. The most effective control in general is insect repellent. Treatment of the disease involves a loss of two to four weeks of duty time for each dog. In areas with a high incidence of heartworm infestation, additional handlers and dogs may be required to maintain the base defense posture. The commander of security police and the staff veterinarian should be advised of dogs off duty because of treatment. This is an important factor in their security force availability planning. Leptospirosis was a hazard in Vietnam at one time. Sanitation, however, has essentially reduced the incidence to a non-hazardous level. An active road and control program also contributes to maintaining the marked decrease in incidence of this disease. The first line of defense against Leptospirosis is still thorough sanitation. This zoonosis is present in Vietnam and deserves constant awareness. Serological diagnosis is difficult because of the confused picture of titers in the blood of dogs that were immunized. Rabies is endemic to Vietnam and there is no rabies control program. Many of the animals are strays. In one six month period, 150 dogs involved in biting incidents were examined. Of these, 46% of the heads were positive for rabies. Data collected in Thailand indicate a high incidence of Sylvatic rabies among bats and rats. For example, 79 dog-faced brute bats were examined for rabies. 2.5% were positive. For ratus norwegicus and ratus ratus, 260 were examined and 4.2% were found positive. Because the Mekong River is the only natural barrier between Thailand and Vietnam, it would be dangerous to assume that Vietnam is free of rat and bat rabies. Because of required immunization, rabies has not been a threat to century dogs. The incidence of heat stroke has been vastly reduced as of December 1966. At that time, proper kennels were provided with adequate natural air circulation and there was a severe curtailment of daytime activities. A feed problem existed at one time in Vietnam. Because of large quantity procurement and excessive storage periods, the dog food was stale and infested with weevils. A change in procurement practices and shipment frequency has alleviated this condition. Be alert, however, to the possibility of its recurrence. A semi-annual physical is required by Air Force regulations. In Southeast Asia, this examination includes what is not limited to the following. Eyes, ears, anal glands, abdomen, viscera, paws and pads, auscultation of lungs, heart and abdomen. Review the animal's weight record. Examine for microfilaria, RBC, WBC and a differential and a hematocrit. Evaluate the hair coat, both undercoat and coarse outer coat. Examine for hip dysplasia and other skeletal irregularities. When indicated, make radiographs. Observe the dog working, particularly in the training area. Compare his performance with his record. Observe him for energy, agility, endurance and general disposition. Again, the handler is a valuable source of information. Finally, review the entire medical record for any past conditions that might indicate a future problem or the need for a more extensive examination. As an Air Force Veterinarian, you will see few combat injuries among Air Force sentry dogs. When they are encountered, however, good clinical judgment must be exercised regarding treatment, evacuation or euthanasia. Combat injuries, including the booby trap type, will be encountered occasionally in Army scobbed dogs, treated by Air Force Veterinarians. These must be examined, and again, good clinical judgment is the rule. Even accidental gunshot injuries may be encountered. In Southeast Asia, the Veterinarian should be especially familiar with ballistic trauma, a subject of almost academic interest to the Veterinarians in continental United States. Accidental injuries more commonly encountered are dog bite, broken claws, especially due claws, and broken bones, especially of the leg. An example is this operation to pin a broken femur. The dog was air-evacked from Pleiku to Cameron Bay and treated immediately. Examination showed that in this situation, an open reduction procedure was called for. In following this procedure, the pin was installed and the broken bone joined. Proper pin installation was verified by radiography. A full recovery and return to duty were affected. Inter-theater transshipmen presents few difficulties. Emergencies are rare. Normally, dogs arrive from the Pack-Aff Dog Training Center with handlers. In Southeast Asia, the sentry dogs are all in one kennel and work the same sentry posts, each dog rotating through all the posts. The Air Force Veterinarian must consider each dog as an individual and also in terms of his membership in a herd. A good illustration is the hookworm problem at Na Trang, a difficult hookworm problem which resisted all efforts of eradication. All the dogs had been treated and each time they were reinfested within a few days. On the advice of the staff veterinarian, the base veterinarian took soil samples from each sentry dog post. The soil samples were 60% positive four-hook worms. The dogs were picking up larva from the soil and after development to mature worms, each animal was seeding and reseeding each post. Reinfestation was a simple matter of the next tour of patrol duty. Treatment then was directed at all dogs rather than at individuals. Current practice in Southeast Asia is for handlers to practice dental prophylaxis on their dogs by means of daily brushing and when necessary, scaling. The aim is to reduce the number of occasions when a veterinarian must scale the animal's teeth. This requires anesthetizing the dog or at least heavy tranquilization. In either case, the animal will lose duty time. Your tour in Southeast Asia will be challenging, instructive, and as rewarding as your dedication and energy. Support of the Sentry Dog Program in Southeast Asia is an essential mission of the Air Force Veterinary Service. The mission objective is keep the dogs fit for duty. In playing this important professional role, you will have more challenges and gain more experience on your one-year tour here than you would normally get elsewhere in three years.