Dog FAK?

[Whitepalm]

Whats the most common ailment of dogs that spend 2-14 days in the field? I suppose it would be a pad problem but Id like to hear what some of you have experienced. Any must haves for rambling pals?

[Smokepole]

Lack of dog bisquits. Be sure to bring a box-full.

[Whitepalm]

Treats...check. Anyone ever removed porcupine quill in the field?

[Smokepole]

No, but around here we have a lot of cactus, cholla being the worst. I can usually get the thorns out with my fingers but the needlenose pliers on a leatherman have come in handy.

The other major hazard here is squirrel bites to the nose. Never had to administer first aid, they usually stop bleeding pretty quickly. Come to think of it, if you were to have to put on a bandage or dressing, you'd have to shave the area first which would be tough in the field so maybe some kind of glue to glue a wound shut wouldn't be a bad idea.

I'll wait to hear wht the doc says.

[doctorrich]

Squirrel bite to the muzzle? You guys got some mean-ass squirrels out there.

Corn starch or flour is a good field-expedient "quick clot" type powder, no clipping of fur required unless you have a long-haired dog. Veterinarians and groomers use styptic powder to stop bleeding from quicked nails. Ask your vet for some of this... it's also good to have around the house if you do your own dogs' nails.

[Smokepole]

Squirrel bite to the muzzle? You guys got some mean-ass squirrels out there.

Well, it's about all they can do when a crazed golden retriever chases 'em down and clamps his slobbering jaws on 'em.

Thanks for the tip on the clotting stuff doc. Never had to do his nails, he gets out enough that he keeps them worn down. The best part is, he gets me to take him. One of the best "exercise programs" there is. I have my g-2 pack loaded with 48 lbs., we're goin out for a spin right now.

[doctorrich]

The gray squirrels declared war on me when they ate into my attic through the soffets on the roof and nested in the walls. I have bagged nearly 100 of the bastards over the last two years... RWS .177 rifle my son calls the "Squirrel Feeder."

Have a great hike!

[summitteer]

My pooches pads tends to wear and bleed on extended hunting trips and snow trekking trips. I carry mushers secret and blue heal to put on their paws. I am going to try some boots this year on them while hunting. If that works or helps, I am going to use them in the winter. I always have a roll of vet wrap, neosporin, gauze, blue heal, and some low dose aspirin in my hunting kit. I almost forgot, I now carry a cheap black flat comb too. I had one of my dogs get into a ground nest of hornets. The little buggers knew enough to crawl under the fur and start stinging. The only way I could get them off the dog and from under the coat was to scrape the dog with my drivers license. It worked by not very well. She got stung up pretty bad. The cheap comb works pretty well for getting out bugs that burr under the fur up against the skin.

[summitteer]

Treats...check. Anyone ever removed porcupine quill in the field?


Last year while pheasant hunting in ND, my yellow lab tangled with a porcupine. I heard her yelp, but she kept hunting. (gotta love the heart of Lab!) My hunting partner caught that she had quills in her nose. We pulled a few of them with my Leatherman, but she had them way up her nose, and we decided to find a vet as we had never pulled them before. The vet tranq'd the dog and pulled them. There wasn't any magic to it. We asked him about clipping the ends, or some of the other tricks we have heard of. He said that wouldn't matter and probably make the dog more uncomfortable by wiggling the quill around. He put a quill under a microscope and let us look at the barbed end. It looks like continuos rows of fish hooks where the black end embed's into the skin. He told us, if the dog will let you, to get as close to the skin and pull quick and hard. I was glad we went to the vet as some of the quills the dog acutally jumped when they were pulled out, and she HEAVILY sedated! I don't think we could have gotten those in the field.

IMO- If you have dog with quills use your judgement as to wether the dog will tolerate the removal and if you have the capability to pull them. I couldn't have pulled the quills way up the nostril with my leatherman. I probably would have broke the quill and left the tip in the nose. Not good.
The vet charge was worth it.

[Whitepalm]

Im going to sew up some boots and try to get him used to them early, lots of winter rambling in his future. I had a dog as a kid that was hit by a porcupine is why I asked, I know it aint easy. Could be a bummer on a extended trip. Thanks for the ideas fellas, keep them coming.

[Ralph]

The nasty thing about a porcupine quill is that the barbs open up with moisture so they go in easy but come out hard. That's why deflating the quill by cutting the end really doesn't work that well. With a good dog, who knows you are trying to help, a few quills can be extracted in the field, but if there is a lot of them, the vet is the way to go. If you do have to remove them yourself try to minimize the wiggle, get a good grip and a sharp yank is better than dawdling around trying to be gentle.

Cindy's dog, Gretchen, a shephard/collie mix, was about the smartest dog I ever knew, but it took twice before she realized that biting a porky is not a good idea.

[sab]

I am going to try some boots this year

Be sure to video tape the first trial with the boots! We lived in NW MN for a few years, just 15 miles from the Canadian border. It was quite cold up there in the winters, so we bought some boots for our pooch. I wish I had video the first time he wore them, because that was one hilarious dance he did...

Scott

[Lab-Roamer]

My hunting partner caught that she had quills in her nose

"Ah, dude, your dog has quills in her face."

"No , it's just frost on her whiskers."

"Umm......, pretty sure them are quills"

"Oh BEEP, they are!"

That was a learning experience. Glad we chose the vet on that one. He was a solid guy and taught us alot that day.

I carry a dog first aid kit in my truck and give my oldest lab a baby asprin after a day of hunting. One thing nice about living in the country is the dogs feet are always on rough ground, keeping them tough.

One other thing I do is keep my dogs in good shape year around and then get them in GREAT shape for hunting season. I think this helps alot.

[SoldierSpike]

I now carry a cheap black flat comb too. I had one of my dogs get into a ground nest of hornets. The little buggers knew enough to crawl under the fur and start stinging. The only way I could get them off the dog and from under the coat was to scrape the dog with my drivers license. It worked by not very well. She got stung up pretty bad. The cheap comb works pretty well for getting out bugs that burr under the fur up against the skin.
The cheap black comb (or any other color of comb) also works especially well for cholla/jumping cactus/teddybear cactus "pads" that we tend to get down here in AZ.

Marc

[DK-9]

Regarding the boots. Up here in AK for the dogs running the Iditarod and Yukon Quest, they almost always put boots on their dogs, but they will go through 500-1000 of them over the course of the race. Lesson learned, make lots if you want to have them for your dog throughout the hunt. One way to build up a dogs feet prior to hunting season is to tie them out for a few hours each day. This helps them acclimate to the weather in your area, and will also help toughen their feet. I have never had pad problems on my dogs doing this, even when on the trail constantly over several days and on concrete a lot. Snow has never been a problem either, but if your dog does need a little extra, make sure you sew up plenty. The racers around here just use fleece fabric and cut a piece about 8-10 inches long and 2 inches wide, fold it long ways and sew the sides. They also sew a strip of double sided velcro that they wrap around the dog's leg to hold it on. Simple but effective I suppose. Good luck.

[Whitepalm]

Ended up skipping the booties. After moose season we were hiking 6-12 miles a day on varied terrain 5 or more days a week. That changed to skis in Nov and Dec and now back to boots or snowshoes due to the lack of snow (and work). Outside of a cracked nail (due to his nails getting a little long on me) that we are watching right now his feet have been fine. Im surprised how well he has handled the temps. He is fully acclimated, spent a few nights out over solstice well below zero.

Thanks for the sewing tip though. Interesting website, where in AK are you operating?

[DK-9]

Whitepalm,

I am actually currently in Bogota, Colombia, so getting some good jungle training in with my pal, but I am stationed at Fort Wainwright (Fairbanks, AK). We get well below zero from about November to February. It is not unusual to have highs for the day at -20 degrees. If your dog is healthy and relatively well bred (meaning that they did not breed weakness into your lines) then your dog should be able to adapt to most any climate. I have German Shepherds and Belgian Shepherd dogs and they all do fine outside in Fairbanks. I personally don't leave them out 24 hours a day, but they get several hours out each day no matter how cold and frequently run or hike with me. They build a good undercoat and have tough feet. Tougher when there is snow as it is abrasive. Obviously people don't want to take a dog that lays around all day and with no training take it for a 2000 mile hike or anything, but if you use common sense and train your dog along side yourself, then there should be little problems.

I will be back in Fairbanks in June and then out of the Army the following summer. The site will be operating as a BLOG and video/photo and possibly podcast site. I also plan to launch my product line -- which I have been making for several years with a well respected training facility in the industry -- this summer as I am relatively sure I will be deployment free from that point on. Please feel free to continue checking the site as I try to post weekly at least on articles. You can also join me on Facebook and Twitter. If you have any ideas about equipment you would like, I am very interested in building to suit the needs of hunters and military. That is what I have been doing for about 4 years now. Interestingly, my vest line started when I built a system to utilize Kifaru pockets with my dog equipment. The first prototypes were built specifically for the Claymore and side zip Long Pockets.

Hope this helped.