K9 Copper returns to duty following life-saving stomach surgery

COCOA, Fla. — K9 officers not only put their lives on the line while on duty, but they are also at risk to illness and disease like their human handlers.

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Earlier this week, Cocoa Police Department’s K9 officer Copper, a hound dog, returned to duty after recovering from live-saving emergency surgery.

On Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, Copper’s handler, Officer Cierra Johnson, noticed “non-productive repetitive vomiting” shortly after visiting a school in the morning.

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Cocoa Police Dept. - K9 Copper K9 Copper returns to duty following life-saving stomach surgery (Cocoa Police Department)

Johnson, concerned with her condition, immediately called the Rockledge Animal Clinic, reported Copper’s symptoms and brought the K9 in for care.

Copper was diagnosed with Gastric Dilation and Volvulus (GDV), commonly referred to as “Bloat,” and doctors immediately performed surgery.

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GDV is a life-threatening disorder most commonly seen in large, deep-chested dogs that in the first stages, the stomach acutely fills with gas and causes abdominal discomfort.

Sometimes, the condition progresses no further than this.

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In other cases, the condition will progress, like Copper; in which the enlarged, gas-filled stomach twists upon itself so that both the entrance and exit of the stomach become blocked.

To decompress the stomach and rotate it back to its normal position, a procedure called a Gastropexy was performed to permanently attach the stomach to the body wall, to prevent recurrence in the future.

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On Thursday, after two weeks of recovery, veterinarians gave Copper a clean bill of health after a follow up examination.

Copper has reported back for duty.

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