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New Ohio Law
ers to treat an injured dog or cat at the
scene of an emergency. The bill, HB
in both the House and Senate and was
The law, which went into effect
Bob Swickard, the director of an EMS
ern Ohio, contacted state Republican
Rep. Tim Ginter with concerns about
police dogs. In seeking guidance from
Swickard said he found "a missed
loophole" — it was clearly illegal for
EMTs to treat animals. He and Ginter
were especially concerned that para
to police dogs that came in contact
with prescription pain pills or heroin.
"There is the possibility that a dog
could get a snout full of something
and go down," Ginter said. The best
that they could do before this law was
the scene or call for transport." Emer
gency personnel standing by would
would an innocent life be lost, but the
for the dog would also be lost.
The new law clarifies that first
emergencies to treat humans can
animals before transferring them to a
earliest possible moment, which is in
the best interest of the animal. Most
importantly, this bill will protect ca
may be injured at the scene of a re
sponse,” said Rep. Ginter.
ered in the bill:
Opening and manually maintain
ing an airway
Using direct pressure to control
hemorrhage
Bandaging
HB 187 also grants immunity from
and professional disciplinary action
acting in good faith in the absence of
deliberate misconduct.
does it now make it OK for people to
call 911 when their pets get injured or
sick. People should still call emergen
cy animal hospitals in these situations.
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