Dago the dog, wounded in Jenin battle, treated alongside IDF handler

Along with the wounded IDF soldiers and Border Patrol officers who were evacuated to the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa on Monday morning from the battle in Jenin, a dog named Dago from the Oketz (Sting) unit that was with the fighters in the hit vehicle was also evacuated by helicopter with the wounded.

The soldiers of the unit and the Rambam doctors noticed upon the dog’s arrival that it was suffering from an unknown injury, so while treating the soldiers in the emergency room, imaging personnel from Rambam and a veterinarian who conducts research at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine were called in for a comprehensive examination. They were joined by Dr. Y., a veterinarian of the Oketz unit.

Wounded canine found to be suffering from internal bleeding, fractured pelvis

Dr. Anat Ilivitzki, director of the pediatric radiology unit at Rambam’s Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital and an attending physician and radiologist in Rambam, performed a quick ultrasound examination on the dog that raised the suspicion of internal injury.

The canine was transferred to an urgent CT scan that confirmed the fear of internal bleeding and a fracture in the dog’s pelvis.

The unit’s veterinarian decided that in this situation, the preferred treatment was sedation and rest without moving. Dago remained lying on the bed of the soldier, a sergeant who fought with him in the damaged vehicle. The soldier was described as lightly wounded and the dog as moderately wounded.