
A working search-and-rescue team are shown in a stock image.

The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization based in Santa Paula, California, that was founded in 1996. Their mission is to strengthen disaster response in America by rescuing and recruiting dogs and partnering them with firefighters and other first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters.

In early 2025, SDF responded to wildfires in Southern California, that started January 7 in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, with the Eaton fire in Altadena and the Hurst fire in Sylmar. Numerous other wildfires subsequently ignited all over Los Angeles County, aided by dry conditions and driven by high-speed and erratic winds. With gusts reaching 100 mph in some areas, air support to combat the fires was severely limited or grounded altogether in the first crucial hours after the fires started, hindering firefighting efforts, and allowing the blazes to spread rapidly.

Because of the size and ferocity of these fires, Los Angeles County had asked for and received help from numerous other agencies across the state. According to the Governor’s office, approximately 7500 state personnel were on the ground in Southern California at one point, working with local and federal partners to respond to these historic wildfires. Additional personnel, equipment, and support also arrived from across the country.

SDF-trained human remains detection (HRD) teams Jon Munguia and canine partner Clifford of Los Angeles County Fire Department and live-find SDF-trained teams Josh Davis and canine Bosco, and Garreth Miller and canine Reva of California Task Force 3 (CA-TF3) and Patrick Easton and canine Linus, and Eric Lieuwen and canine Ridge of California Task Force 7 (CA-TF7) deployed to the Los Angeles fires along with their teammates to assist in the aftermaths of the blazes that devastated the region.

Why use dogs in search and rescue operations?

The SDF realizes that no piece of technology or person can match a dog’s speed and accuracy in finding people trapped in wreckage. This is thanks to a canine’s:

Remarkable sense of smell and ability to ignore other scents and noises- even tempting traces of food and other people involved in the search.

Unparalleled ability to safely navigate unstable and slippery and terrain.

Capacity to negotiate surfaces, while keeping focus on the job at hand.

Ability to work off-leash and get to places humans can’t safely access.

Search dog rescue mission and dog training

SDF’s mission is to strengthen US disaster response efforts by producing highly skilled canine search teams that can partner with firefighters and other first responders to search for victims of national disasters and terrorist attacks. It is one of the only organizations in the US that recruits rescue dogs, provides them with ongoing professional training and partners them with firefighters, at no cost to the departments.

The SDF National Training Center (NTC) is a state-of-the-art facility occupying 125 acres of donated ranch land that includes specially designed indoor and outdoor kennels for rest and play, training facilities for advanced dogs, accommodations and classrooms for handlers, and staff offices.

Caring for a different king of rescue dog

When rescue dogs come to the NTC from across the country, they’re placed under a temporary quarantine to make sure they’re healthy and disease-free before entering the dog’s population.

The initial screening includes a physical exam, lab work, and since these are working dogs, orthopedic radiographs to look for signs of conformation issues and degenerative joint disease.

Veterinary care at the SDF is provided by the Ohana Pet Hospital in Ventura, California. Ohana veterinarians and support staff make house-calls at the campus to perform physical exams, administer vaccinations, perform orthopedic screening radiographs, and provide other basic veterinary care for the dogs in training at SDF. Ohana Pet Hospital also performs predeployment physical exams on the search dogs to ensure they are healthy before they depart for important missions, responding to the aftermath of disasters around the world.

A disaster site is a treacherous environment. It can be noisy, dust-filled, and dark. Over the 28 years since its founding, the SDF has honed a carefully crafted set of evaluations to identify promising canine candidates. “It takes an extraordinary dog—with extreme boldness, extensive drive, energy strength and athleticism, agility and focus—to approach every training, exercise and deployment with energy and determination,” Denise Sanders, director of communications for the SDF, said in an interview. “These are dogs that love to work, and want nothing more than to be out in ruble searching”

The breeds that most likely have these qualities, according to the SDF, are Labradors, border collies, golden retrievers, and German shepherds, and mixes of these breeds. “These specific breeds are ‘air-scenting’ dogs, that sniff with their noses up in the air,” Sanders said. “When they scent a victim, you can see they whip their heads around to get into scent. You can see the dog hit upon the scent and zero-in on it. It will wheel around and zig-zag on it until it gets the strongest scent spot…The dog’s ability is really phenomenal. It is built for it.”

What does it take to successfully transfer a shelter dog to a highly trained search and rescue member?Some innate abilities and characteristics, and a lot of hand work. The process has 5 stages:

Because the SDF uses shelter dogs, timing is of the essence, as a dog seemingly ‘right’ for the job can end up on the ‘unacceptable’ adoption list for having an insatiable work ethic. “With their level of excessive energy and toy obsession, some of these dogs would not make great pets,” Sanders said. “They’re more likely to chew up a couch, than be a couch-potato.”


Assessing a dog’s innate energy and endurance is critically important, as these qualities will need to carry the dog through its career for the next 8 to 10 years. “We’re looking for laser-like focus and a huge toy-seeking drive (or a drive to hunt and search in general),” Sanders said. “The dogs at the NTC come to know that their toy is their ‘reward’ and there are the kind of dogs that will play fetch until they collapse. These dogs will not quit unless you make them, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for. We look for those qualities at the outset and continue to enhance them during the training period.”

In fact, the first thing the dog learns at the NTC is that it can bark to get the toy it loves. “The dog tends to have a lightbulb moment in which it realizes that not only can it bark for toy, but it’s also encouraged to bark for a toy- and is rewarded when it does,” Sanders said. “The dog learns that it can use what was originally concerned bad behavior to its advantage.”

As soon as this concept ‘clicks,’ the canine trainee starts picking up on the rest of its training, like locating hidden people in barrels. “We line up several barrels together, and only one contains a person. Once the dog barks at the barrel that contains the person, the toy comes out as the reward,” Sanders said.

As the dog progresses, the trainers make the challenges increasingly complicated. For example, the barrels are next spread apart, so the dog has a greater area to cover, and then the barrels are placed haphazardly throughout the training area. “Each step of the way, the dog is rewarded and told it is a fantastic dog- that it is doing great work,” Sanders said. “The dog is learning and building it’s confidence at the same time.”

The goal is eventually to get the dog on a ruble pile that’s similar to an actual disaster situation. Volunteer ‘victims’ hide in the rubble, and the dog is tasked with finding them to earn a toy.This simulation equips the dog to find people. “If the dog isn’t willing to go up on a rubble pile- especially one with precarious or uneven footing- or even footing that’s moving-for a toy reward, it won’t make it. If the dog’s drive isn’t enough, it’s not going to workout during the training. We don’t ever want to force a dog to do something it’s not comfortable with.”

The dog has to learn to mind its handler, making obedience training a necessary part of the NTC program. Whether the dog is at home, at the fire station, or the disaster site, it has to mind its manners.

Picking the right handler can be just as important as picking the right dog. “The dedicated men and women have to love the process and the training to be ready to deploy when disaster strikes,” Sanders said. “We want to ensure that they understand the commitment and have a full support network in place.”

The firefighters volunteer their off time to search-and-rescue training, with a small stipend from FEMA or the State for disaster deployment. During this time, the handler is evaluated on skill level, personality, and mannerisms, all of which are important aspects of the team.

At the end of the two-week course, the SDF’s training team passes the leash from trainer to handler. Then the firefighter takes the dog home, continuing to train under the SDF’s supervision.

After graduating from the SDF, the handler-dog team goes through an additional year of training to achieve Type-1 certification through either FEMA or the State. The process consists of a foundation skills assessment that tests the dog’s agility, obedience, and basic search skills.

The dog needs to negotiate two 10,000-square-foot piles of wood, ruble, and debris, locating victims during a certain timeframe determined by FEMA or their state. Success in these tests is that no victim is left behind, which at the end of a given disaster day is the dog’s ‘job.’

To date, SDF has trained more than 200 teams that have been deployed to 281 disasters and missing person searches. There is currently 95 SDF teams located in California, Florida, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Baha California. Still there is a shortage of canine disaster search teams in the US, as it is estimated that 450 teams are needed to adequately respond to disasters.

Search dog teams deploy to Los Angeles fires. News release. National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. January 11, 2025. Accessed March 28, 2025. 

https://www.searchdogfoundation.org/los-angeles-fires/

More than 7,500 firefighting, emergency personnel deployed to fight the unprecedented Los Angeles fires. News release. Governor Gavin Newsom. January 8, 2025. Accessed March 28, 2025. 

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/01/08/more-than-7500-firefighting-emergency-personnel-deployed-to-fight-unprecedented-los-angeles-fires/#:~:text=Jan%208%2C%202025-,More%20than%207%2C500%20firefighting%2C%20emergency%20personnel%20deployed%20to%20fight%20unprecedented,historic%20wildfires%20in%20Southern%20California

Articles

The Natural Disaster Search Dog Foundation teams relied on canine rescuers during the 2025 California wildfires

Search dogs provide a lifeline during disasters 

Lee Pope, DVM, shared some common compounding pharmaceuticals requests from veterinarians..

Common compounding questions

Veterinarians often have questions about compounded drugs. In an interview with 

, Lee Pope, DVM, a veterinary consultant with Revelation Animal Health, a division of Revelation Pharma, discusses some of the most common inquiries about pharmaceuticals for veterinary patients. By asking these questions, veterinarians are helping to ensure adherence to treatment plans and a more positive patient experience, leading to improved outcomes.

The following is a transcript of the video:

Veterinarians will call and say, ‘Okay, this drug, can you make it into a liquid?’ Can you make it into a chewable tablet? Can you make it into a topical? So, basically, this is what we have FDA approved or are allowed to use. But can you make it in this different formulation for me?

Other requests: Will the pet take it? So it needs to be flavored. Is this flavoring good? Do cats take this flavoring? Do dogs take this flavoring? Do they approve of it? Can it be easily dosed?’ So, just because you can make a compounded into a medication, well, if you're trying to give a cat 15 milliliters of a liquid, nobody's going to be very excited to have to do that. So can it be easily dosed? Is it a volume that we can realistically give to our patient? Can we make scored tablets to where I can easily give a half a tablet, a quarter of a tablet, without turning it into dust?

Can I use this in the office? Can I have this for office use to dispense? Now, that will vary depending on the state, so you have to check with your local regulations on that.

And the last one for that, I would say, is basically quick shipping. How quick can we get this? This patient is here today. They're sick today. We're all inpatient people now. How quick can we get this medication and get the patient started on it?

Videos

In a dvm360 interview, Lee Pope, DVM, shares what veterinarians most-often request of their patients' medications.

Susan Kogut, JD, president of Petco Love, and Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM, chief veterinarian of Petco Love discuss access to vaccines, the Vaccinated and Loved campaign, and National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month

Bridging the gap in access to pet vaccines

To highlight National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month this March—an initiative created by Petco Love, a nonprofit dedicated to pet health and welfare—

spoke to Susanne Kogut, JD, president of Petco Love, and Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM, chief veterinarian and board member of Petco Love, about the organization’s 

 campaign, which provides free vaccines to pets in need, National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month, and the importance of educating pet owners about preventive care.

In the talk, the gap in access to pet care was also discussed. According to Kogut, survey data from 3.35 million vaccines distributed throughout the US by Petco Love revealed that only 36% of the pet owners receiving these free vaccines reported that their pet had previously been vaccinated, underscoring the significant access gap that the organization is working to close.

In an upcoming event on March 30, 2025, Petco Love is focusing on vaccinating 1000 pets at a free drive-through pet vaccination clinic at the Wheatley Height Sports Complex in San Antonio, Texas, in partnership with San Antonio Animal Care Services (ACS).

 At the event, San Antonio ACS will provide free DAPPv, HCP, and rabies vaccines, along with free microchipping services. 

Below is a partial transcript, lightly edited for clarity:

So, you know, Petco Love recognized a big gap in this country around preventable diseases that we see in pets, and really wanted to go after providing free vaccinations for underserved communities, specifically around some of the common infectious diseases we see in certain parts of the country. And so that's going to be [parvovirus] and distemper in dogs and panleukopenia in cats. So, you know, really trying to promote access to care through vaccinations with preventable diseases.

We created March as National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month back in 2022 and it was really to bring more attention and to create more awareness about the importance of vaccinating our pets. We also wanted to celebrate our 

 campaign as we sought to get millions of pets vaccinated by offering free pet vaccines.

Another kind of goal that we want to come out of both the 

 campaign and National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month is through prevention of these diseases, you know...veterinarians and shelters will be seeing less of these diseases come in. [These diseases are] a mental strain on the profession, [they’re] a financial strain on pet parents, and so, you know, while we are focused on the overall numbers, getting pets vaccinated—and that

 a key in this campaign—we can't forget about the downstream effects on benefiting both pets, pet parents, the veterinary profession, and, you know, the animal welfare industry.

Petco Love declares March as National Pet Vaccination Month, celebrates success of Vaccinated and Loved campaign. News release. Petco Love. March 4, 2025. Accessed March 26, 2025. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/petco-love-declares-march-as-national-pet-vaccination-month-celebrates-success-of-vaccinated-and-loved-campaign-302390978.html

Susanne Kogut, JD, and Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM, discuss access to vaccines, the Vaccinated and Loved campaign, and National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month

How a nonprofit is bridging the gap in access to pet vaccines

Privo Technologies, a phase 3 clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in drug delivery and cancer treatment in the human healthcare space, recently announced the launch of a new subsidiary called Benevet Oncology. This new branch, according to the company, will use Privo’s drug delivery technologies to tackle unmet needs in veterinary medicine.

More specifically, BeneVet plans to adapt Privo’s platforms, which were originally created for human medicine, to treat animals. According to BeneVet, their therapies leverage nanotechnology, polymer science, and potent oncology drugs.

 Moreover, their nanoengineered technology targets tumor and lymph nodes, offers immunomodulation and immunogenesis, has no systemic toxicity, employs chemo-housing nanoparticles, and more.

“With a team of experienced veterinary oncologists, pharmaceutical researchers, and animal lovers, we focus on developing targeted therapies that attack cancer cells with fewer side effects, ensuring pets experience the highest quality of life possible,” BeneVet states on its website.

BeneVet’s early research and development will be on cutaneous and subcutaneous solid tumors. This research consists of intratumoral therapies of solid tumors, with BeneVet using Privo’s PRV131 intratumoral injectable to deliver targeted treatment to tumors in cats and dogs with improved precision and fewer adverse effects.

 According to BeneVet, the company’s investigational PRV131 injection has had no reports of toxicity or weight loss in cats, including following multiple intratumoral injections—a contrast to other chemotherapies, which some feline patients do not tolerate well.

Additionally, the new subsidiary will work on topical treatment of shallow tumors through the development of sustained-release treatments that aim to offer long-term relief for chronic pain conditions in pets.

"Our pets are family members, and they deserve the same level of innovation and care that we dedicate to human health," Manijeh Goldberg, PhD, MS, MBA, CEO and founder of Privo Technologies, said in a company release.

"BeneVet will build on Privo's technological foundation to bring groundbreaking treatments to veterinary medicine, starting with solutions for conditions that currently have limited or inadequate options."

To make sure its solutions are clinically effective and practical for real-world use, BeneVet also plans to work with veterinarians, veterinary researchers, and pet owners. The company will also explore opportunities for collaboration with animal health organizations to drive progress in advancements in veterinary medicine through joint research.

"By creating BeneVet, we are reaffirming our commitment to innovation and extending it to improve the lives of our beloved companions," said Goldberg.

"This new chapter is a natural evolution of our mission to make impactful, science-driven advancements accessible to those who need them most."

Privo Technologies Inc. announces the launch of BeneVet Oncology: Advancing companion animal health through innovation. News release. Privo Technologies Inc. March 24, 2025. Accessed March 27, 2025. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/privo-technologies-inc-announces-the-launch-of-benevet-oncology-advancing-companion-animal-health-through-innovation-302408525.html

About us. BeneVet Oncology. Accessed March 27, 2025. 

Benevet Oncology will adapt Privo Technologies’ platforms to advance cancer treatments for animals

Human biopharmaceutical expands into veterinary medicine with new subsidiary

Ollie, a 7-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, and his owners Sarah Christie and Dan York from Sacramento, California, enjoy traveling to their second home in Del Notre County in northwest California. However, Ollie’s recent health scare shed a light on a disease that Christie and York did not know was a possibility, raising their awareness for Ollie’s outdoor activities.

Christie shared that recently Ollie begged to go outside for an urgent bathroom break, but as the day went on she noticed that he was lethargic and trembling. Worried about him, they rushed him to an emergency veterinary clinic where his tests were inconclusive. The team gave Ollie antibiotics and advised his owners to look out for vomiting because his intestines were full, but not necessarily blocked. Christie shared that the following day, Ollie was not eager on his walk and was appearing to still be ‘under the weather.’

Two days later, Ollie was not eating and vomited, so his owners brought him back to the veterinarian, where it was confirmed that he was not blocked and provided him with anti-nausea medication. However, Ollie’s health continued to decline, and he was not responding to medication, so Christie made the choice to bring him to the UC Davis veterinary hospital. There, he was evaluated and stabilized by the Emergency and Critical Care Service before being transferred to the Small Animal Internal Medicine Service.

Ollie, a 7-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, was recently treated at UC Davis for salmon poisoning 

The team at UC Davis collected background information about Ollie, including his outdoor habits with his owner York, prompting them to ask if he had gone swimming in any rivers or encountered any raw salmon, giving them an idea of what could be going on with Ollie.

“Ollie presented with classic clinical signs of salmon poisoning disease – low platelet count, enlarged lymph nodes, and changes to his spleen,” said Emily Hirsch, DVM, a second-year resident and co-chief house officer of the hospital, in an organizational release.

 “Knowing that his owner is an outdoorsman and Ollie might be around salmon in those situations, I was almost certain that was the case.”

Christie explained to the UC Davis team that on a recent trip to Del Norte County, Ollie was on a walk near the Smith River, which is one of the best salmon rivers on the west coast, here, she said Ollie encountered some dead salmon. Christie said that although he did not take a bite out of any dead salmon, it was clear that he must have licked one and had enough of an encounter to be poisoned by the salmon’s parasitic flukes that contain 

“Typically, we have to take samples from the abdominal lymph nodes,” Hirsch explained. “But in Ollie’s case, we were able to get samples from his enlarged peripheral lymph nodes, meaning he was heavily burdened by this infection by the time we saw him, which is why he presented so sick.”

Salmon contracts flukes by eating snails, but not every salmon has flukes and not all flukes contain the bacteria. However, Hirsch warns that raw salmon without flukes could still be dangerous if ingested and cause other diseases, such as mercury poisoning.

For pets with salmon poisoning, they typically begin to show symptoms within a week and signs include lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea (which could possibly contain blood), enlarged lymph nodes, fever, weakness, discharge from the eyes or nose, weight loss, muscle tremors, seizures, increased respiratory rate, and increased heart rate. If the infection is not treated within 2 weeks, most dogs will not survive.

If caught in time, like it was in Ollie’s case, salmon poisoning disease is easily treatable with the proper medication. Ollie was prescribed doxycycline to clear the infection and praziquantel to clear the flukes from his system. Within a few days of taking his medication, Ollie recovered, and his owners reported that he is back to normal and still enjoying outdoor activities, but York and Christie have a closer eye on him now.

Dog’s Close Call with Salmon Poisoning Disease Shocks Owners but Raises Awareness. News release. UC Davis College of Veterinary Medicine. March 25, 2025. Accessed March 27, 2025. 

https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/dogs-close-call-salmon-poisoning-disease-shocks-owners-raises-awareness

Schmid R. Salmon Poisoning. VCA Animal Hospitals. Accessed March 27, 2025. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/salmon-poisoning

The university’s ‘Case of the Month’ highlighted the story of a 7-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever’s health scare

UC Davis raises awareness on salmon poisoning disease 

The bipartisan People and Animals Well-being (PAW) Act was reintroduced to congress by Congresswomen Deborah Ross (NC-02) and Claudia Tenney (NY-24) to help increase access to pet insurance. The bill, if passed, would make veterinary care expenses eligible under tax-advantage health care spending accounts, particularly Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).

“Pets are more than just animals – in many households, they’re family members. While household costs continue to rise, paying for pet insurance can become a financial burden that people can’t afford,” expressed Ross.

“As a dog owner, I’m proud to introduce our bipartisan PAW Act, which will ensure animal lovers can afford care for their pets by including veterinary care and pet insurance as eligible expenses under HSAs and FSAs. I’m grateful for Congresswoman Tenney’s continued partnership to make sure all families can afford insurance for their furry friends,” she continued.

According to the release regarding the bill, the proposed legislation would also provide support to veterans and people living with disabilites by imposing no limit on veterinary care expenses for service animals.

 The bill will also ensure that the IRS relies on an up-to-date federal definition of service animal for HSA and FSA expenses, including animals trained to assist with physical and mental disabilities.

“Pets and service animals are valued members of our families and lives, with many benefits including increasing our lifespan, reducing stress, and promoting physical activity. It is important we ensure pet owners can afford quality care. The PAWS Act allows pet owners to use HSAs and FSAs for veterinary care, ensuring all pet owners can keep their beloved pets and service animals healthy,” said Tenney.

Through the PAW Act, pet owners would be able to use HSA or FSA accounts to pay for up to $1000 for pet health insurance plans or veterinary care. The bill also maintains the current HSA and FSA contribution limits to help there be little to no impact on federal expenditures.

This bill is currently endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, and MetLife.

“The AVMA-endorsed People and Animals Well-being (PAW) Act helps maintain animal and human health, promotes and emphasizes the health benefits of pet ownership, and allows more people to become pet owners,” said Sandra Faeh, DVM, AVMA president.

“Ensuring veterinary care and pet health insurance are eligible expenses under Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts means more affordable care for pets, greater access to care for service animals, and an enhanced ability to detect and prevent zoonotic diseases. We thank Reps. Tenney and Ross for their leadership on this issue and urge Congress to promptly pass the PAW Act,” she concluded.

Ross, Tenney Introduce Bill to Make Pet Insurance More Affordable. News release. Deborah Ross 2

 District of North Carolina. March 21, 2025. Accessed march 27, 2025. 

https://ross.house.gov/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=06CCC11F-67AB-4A1F-9E2F-E8EA266897F1

The bill aims to increase access to pet insurance and make veterinary care expenses eligible under tax-advantaged health care spending accounts 