{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,29]],"date-time":"2026-01-29T23:21:55Z","timestamp":1769728915525,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,1]],"date-time":"2022-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1646092800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The intergovernmental organization known as the United Nations (UN) was born \u201cto maintain international peace and security\u201d through different operations and tasks, including \u201cmine action\u201d and \u201cexplosive detection\u201d. Explosives are the most frequent cause of injuries in military personnel and an enormous danger for civilians. The role of explosive detection dogs (EDDs) and mine detection dogs has gained great consideration over time, leading to their intense use in military operations. Literature regarding working injuries reported by EDDs during missions is limited. The aim of the present study is to investigate the hematological changes that occurred between pre- and post-mission blood analyses in military working dogs deployed to Afghanistan in order to evaluate signs of health problems or physical adjustments. Examining the clinical records, only three dogs reported a medical issue, one with gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), and two with lameness episodes. Lack of health issues occurring during the missions was reflected by the absence of significant differences between pre- and post-mission blood analyses. Blood results were also examined by dividing the EDDs into groups considering age at departure, sex, breed and mission length. A few categories demonstrated significant changes in some parameters; however, the mean values were always included in the ranges of normality, indicating that their physical fitness and training were adequate for the required tasks.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani12050617","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,1]],"date-time":"2022-03-01T08:17:03Z","timestamp":1646122623000},"page":"617","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Military Working Dogs Operating in Afghanistan Theater: Comparison between Pre- and Post-Mission Blood Analyses to Monitor Physical Fitness and Training"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Spinella","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell\u2019Emilia, BO, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Tidu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cVittorio Veneto\u201d Division Florence-NATO Multinational Division South, 50136 Firenze, FI, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Grassato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Veterinary Clinic \u201cIl Podere\u201d, 31038 Postioma, TV, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4448-8832","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vincenzo","family":"Musella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, University of Catanzaro, 88100 Germaneto, CZ, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Micheletino","family":"Matarazzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Italian Army Military Veterinary Center (CEMIVET), 58100 Grosseto, GR, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Simona","family":"Valentini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell\u2019Emilia, BO, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"122","DOI":"10.1111\/jpn.12667","article-title":"Changes in cardiovascular performance, biochemistry, gastric motility and muscle temperature induced by acute exercise on a treadmill in healthy military dogs","volume":"102","author":"Queiroz","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. 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