Clinician’s Brief spotlights projectile injury triage in dogs
Bottom line
Clinician’s Brief has published a June 2026 clinical review and companion podcast on projectile injuries in dogs featuring Colorado State University emergency and critical care specialists Dr. Claire Tucker and Dr. Kelly Hall. The article frames these cases, including gunshot and arrow injuries, through the Veterinary Advanced Trauma Life Support, or VetATLS, approach, emphasizing that projectile trauma is uncommon but high acuity, and that the visible wound can underestimate the true extent of internal damage. The piece highlights the XABCDE primary survey, early pain control with full mu-opioid agonists, and imaging choices that may range from radiography to whole-body CT when injuries are extensive or surgery is likely. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the main takeaway is operational as much as clinical. Projectile injuries account for a small share of trauma presentations, but they can deteriorate quickly, carry contamination risk, and demand coordinated triage, communication, and wound management. Merck Veterinary Manual similarly notes that much of the damage in gunshot injuries is not externally visible, that these wounds should be treated as contaminated, and that primary closure is generally not recommended. Older and newer literature also suggests some dogs present with incidental or initially unrecognized projectile injuries, reinforcing the need for careful imaging and full-body assessment even when the history is incomplete. (merckvetmanual.com)
What to watch: Watch for whether this Clinician’s Brief coverage drives broader uptake of VetATLS-style trauma workflows and more discussion around forensic handling, advanced imaging, and team training in small animal emergency practice. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Key facts
- Topic
- Projectile injury in dogs
- Publication date
- June 2026
- Format
- Clinical review and companion podcast
- Featured specialists
- Dr. Claire Tucker and Dr. Kelly Hall, Colorado State University
- Trauma types covered
- Gunshot wounds, arrows, and other penetrating objects
- Core framework
- VetATLS, including the XABCDE primary survey
- Key clinical point
- Visible wounds can underestimate internal injury
- Imaging guidance
- Radiography to whole-body CT, depending on injury extent and surgical planning
- Analgesia
- Full mu-opioid agonists after the primary survey
Clinician’s Brief is putting a spotlight on a difficult emergency topic with its June 2026 article, “Projectile Injury in Dogs,” and a related podcast episode featuring co-authors Dr. Claire Tucker and Dr. Kelly Hall of Colorado State University. The coverage centers on a dog with a gunshot wound, but the broader message is that projectile trauma, whether from firearms, arrows, or other penetrating objects, can look deceptively limited on presentation while causing substantial internal injury. (cliniciansbrief.com)
That framing fits with the broader trauma literature. Clinician’s Brief reports that ballistic injury accounts for about 1% of trauma cases in dogs and cats, while impalement injuries have a higher reported prevalence. Even though these cases are relatively rare, they are clinically intense and emotionally taxing for teams. Merck’s veterinary guidance echoes the same core principle: external wounds may hide deeper tissue, vascular, thoracic, or abdominal damage, and gunshot wounds should be considered contaminated from the outset. (cliniciansbrief.com)
The article’s practical backbone is the VetATLS framework, particularly the XABCDE primary survey: exsanguination, airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure/environment. In the Clinician’s Brief case, early priorities include hemorrhage control, airway and breathing assessment, perfusion checks, neurologic screening, pain management, and rapid imaging. The article recommends full mu-opioid agonists for analgesia after the primary survey and notes that thoracic point-of-care ultrasound can help narrow differentials in dogs with abnormal breathing after trauma. When the clinical picture is more complex, such as suspected multi-cavity injury, multiple projectiles, declining stability, or unclear surgical planning, whole-body CT may be more appropriate than targeted radiography alone. (cliniciansbrief.com)
There’s also an important background layer here around the authors and the trauma systems perspective they bring. Hall is medical director of Colorado State University’s small animal specialty hospital and executive director of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care’s Veterinary Committee on Trauma, or VetCOT. Tucker’s work at CSU has focused on acute trauma and traumatic brain injury, including translational research that links canine trauma care to human trauma science. That helps explain why the article gives as much attention to team preparedness, workflow, and communication as it does to wound mechanics. (vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu)
Outside commentary and reference material broadly support that approach. Merck advises that gunshot wounds are generally managed as open or delayed-closure wounds rather than closed primarily, and that abdominal gunshot injuries may warrant exploratory celiotomy, while thoracic injuries may require thoracotomy if conservative management fails. Forensic veterinary literature adds another dimension: projectile injuries can overlap with animal cruelty investigations, and proper documentation, radiography, and careful projectile handling may matter not just medically, but legally. One review estimated projectile injury represents about 14% of reported animal cruelty cases in the United States. (merckvetmanual.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is a reminder that projectile trauma is less about any single wound and more about disciplined trauma medicine. These cases can arrive with incomplete histories from distressed pet parents, minimal visible injury, or delayed recognition of penetration. Retrospective reports have described both obvious and incidental projectile injuries in dogs, underscoring the value of suspicion, imaging, contamination-aware wound planning, and systematic reassessment. In practice, the Clinician’s Brief article may be most useful as a team-training tool: it translates trauma principles into a repeatable workflow that can support doctors, technicians, and support staff during a volatile presentation. (sciencedirect.com)
What to watch: The next question is whether this discussion stays educational or translates into broader protocol adoption, especially around XABCDE triage, T-POCUS, escalation to CT, and forensic evidence preservation when abuse or criminal injury is suspected. Given Hall’s leadership role in VetCOT and CSU’s active trauma research footprint, this topic may continue to surface in continuing education and emergency practice standards. (vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu)