First emergency air transport program for canine officers takes flight
Photo courtesy of Corewell Health
Michigan State University's Veterinary Medical Center, Corewell Health™, and Munson Healthcare have partnered to launch Michigan's first emergency air transport program for canine officers. The partnership creates a new pathway to specialized emergency veterinary care for critically ill and injured public-safety working dogs across Michigan.
The program combines specialized emergency veterinary care from Michigan State University's Veterinary Medical Center with emergency air transport from Corewell Health Aero Med and North Flight Aero Med, a joint venture between Corewell Health and Munson Healthcare. Together, the partners have created a new option for on-duty canine officers in law enforcement, the military, and other public safety organizations who need immediate medical attention.
Canine officers play an important role in protecting communities and serving alongside public safety professionals across Michigan. When one of these highly trained animals experiences a serious injury or medical emergency, timely access to specialized veterinary care can make a critical difference.
"At the push of a button, a robocall goes to our team saying, hey, you need to get to the Hospital now. There's no question about it," said Dr. Matthew Beal, Emergency and Critical Care Specialist, MSU Veterinary Medical Center. "So, if it's 11:00 at night, two in the morning, Sunday, we hit the button. And our teams from surgery, anesthesia, emergency medicine, critical care, blood banking, imaging—everyone's going to flood into this place and we're going to be ready when that canine arrives."
The partnership was developed through planning, training, and coordination among veterinary medicine, aviation, and emergency transport professionals. Clinicians from Michigan State University's Veterinary Medical Center worked with Aero Med and North Flight Aero Med teams to develop training, protocols and operational procedures to support safe canine transport. Following specialized training, communication exercises, and a live transport drill, the service officially launched and is now available to support working dogs across Michigan.
"Our mission is to provide critical care transport when every minute matters," said Leslie Schutte, Manager, Clinical Flight Operations, Aero Med, North Flight Aero Med, Corewell Health. "When we identified a gap in access to specialized emergency care for canine officers, our teams committed to learning new skills, developing protocols, and training alongside veterinary experts to safely provide this service. This program creates a new option for agencies across Michigan and helps connect these highly trained animals to the care they need during an emergency."
The service is intended for on-duty dogs working in law enforcement, the military, and other public safety organizations that require emergency transport to advanced veterinary care. Flight teams are trained and equipped to support canine patients experiencing trauma, severe bleeding, heat illness, airway emergencies, cardiac arrest, burns, poisoning, and other critical injuries or illnesses.
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