A K-9 partner with the Cache County Sheriff’s Office has died. This is the second local K-9 officer to have died in less than a year. The officer’s name was Storm, a 2-year-old Malinois who joined the sheriffs’ K-9 team last year, around the time another K-9 team member, Endy, passed away.
Cache County Sheriff Chad Jensen said Storm attended a public event with his handler Tuesday night where they gave demonstrations of their skills and partner abilities.
“Wednesday morning, our K-9 deputy noticed a change in behavior in Storm, and he was taken to a local veterinarian to be examined,” Jensen said. “Upon exam, Storm had a lot of fluid around his lungs and in his chest.”
At the advice of the veterinarian, Storm was taken to a Salt Lake area veterinarian for immediate care. A chest tube was put in to drain the fluid and x-rays were taken. It was determined Storm had inhaled or ingested Foxtail weeds. Surgery was scheduled to remove the infected areas as well as remove any other Foxtail weeds. During the surgery, Storm passed away.
“Foxtail weeds have barbed seed heads, and they can work themselves into any part of an animal’s body,” Jensen said. “The danger with Foxtail are the seeds do not break down once inside the body and can cause massive infection.”
Sheriff’s officers are planning a memorial service to honor the K-9 partner.
