The bombs have bulked up in past months, putting dogs and handlers at more risk. To protect handlers, some dogs are now trained to wear backpacks with radios and respond to remote voice commands.
"As much as I love these dogs, their job is to take a bullet for me," says trainer Sergeant Douglas Timberlake.
The military estimates spending six months and US$25,000 to buy, feed, train and care for the average dog. They are tended by 440 Army veterinarians worldwide.
The dogs get two physical exams each year, more often than most people. They get blood tests, X-rays, and electrocardiograms.
When dogs break teeth with their powerful bites, military vets sometimes do root canals to save the teeth.
"Here we treat them, because that's part of that dog's equipment: to use his teeth," says Lorraine Linn, a dog surgeon at Lackland.
Dogs have been weapons of war since ancient times. Thousands were enlisted in this country's fights in World War I and II and in Vietnam. Dogs cannot be awarded medals under military protocol, but commanders sometimes honor them unofficially.
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