SA police dog handlers are to carry compact first aid kits after the stabbing of a patrol dog. Source: AAP SOUTH Australia's police dog handlers are to carry compact first aid kits for their canines following the recent stabbing of patrol dog Koda.
The German shepherd was rested for about five weeks after being stabbed in August as police chased and arrested a man over a spate of break-ins in Adelaide's northern suburbs.
The Animal Welfare League, In Wingfield, has now put together the kit so handlers will be able to provide initial first aid.
Each kit includes vet wrap bandage, dressings, saline solution, antiseptic, scissors, forceps and a shock blanket, all contained in a pouch small enough to fit into a handler's pocket.
Koda's handler, Senior Constable Simon Rosenhahn, praised the initiative.
"We work solo the vast majority of the time and sometimes in the middle of the scrub, a long, long way from help," he said on Wednesday.
"When Koda was stabbed, we were a long way from the police vehicle so it was hard to act quickly to ensure he didn't lose too much blood."
The stabbing prompted the SA to propose new laws and tougher penalties for attacks on police animals.
South Australian police currently use 25 dogs and 36 horses.
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