9/11 Search-and-Rescue Dogs Largely Unaffected from Exposure to Disaster Sites
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, researchers headed by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s Dr. Cynthia Otto, D.V.M., Ph.D. have been tracking the health of search-and-rescue dogs deployed to the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Fresh Kills Landfill site on Staten Island, where debris from Ground Zero was further searched. Almost five years after the attacks, researchers report the search-and-rescue dogs that were deployed at the disaster sites have not suffered measurable health effects. Preliminary findings were published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s September 15, 2004 issue.
Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the world's premier veterinary schools. Founded in 1884, the School was built on the concept of Many Species, One Medicine™. The birthplace of veterinary specialties, the School serves a distinctly diverse array of animal patients, from pets to horses to farm animals at our two campuses. In Philadelphia, on Penn's campus, are the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital for companion animals, as well as classrooms, laboratories and the School's administrative offices. The large-animal facility, New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square, Pa., encompasses hospital facilities for the care of horses and food animals as well as diagnostic laboratories serving the agriculture industry. The School has successfully integrated scholarship and scientific discovery with all aspects of veterinary medical education.
Visit us on-line at www.vet.upenn.edu