Tips to Keep Your Hunting Dog Healthy
In Bozeman, MT, we certainly love our furry hunting companions! There is nothing so fulfilling as watching the instinct and natural talent of Retrievers, Spaniels, Setters, Griffons, Hounds, etc., as they get to work in the wild. Their excitement and joy are palpable, and as owners, there is so much pride in seeing a successful point, flush or retrieve from the dog you’ve trained.
The undoubted bond we have for our hunting dogs is strong, and because of this, we cannot forget or undermine the additional health concerns and increased opportunity of injury that our hunting dogs face.
To start, increasing your dog’s caloric intake is a must, as many hunting dogs will cover dozens of miles in one day. Second, it is crucial to do full-body scans after a trip outdoors for any injuries or foreign bodies that may have stuck around. While you’re in the wild, keep a careful eye out for some of these common hunting dog injuries: paw injuries, skin lacerations, foreign bodies in the skin/ears/nose, eye injuries, porcupine encounters, soft tissue injuries and lameness, torn nails, and others.
Maybe your dog has never had an injury from hunting, (we hope that is the case!) but the increased risk is unfortunately inevitable. The silver lining? If something does happen, the team at 101 PAWS Veterinary Center is here to help. Recently, we had two cases involving hunting injuries.
Arlo
A one-year-old, Chesapeake Bay Retriever went on his first-ever pheasant hunting trip. The hunting environment contained many cacti, and Arlo’s owner reports that he removed multiple cactus spines from Arlo’s paws. Two weeks later, Arlo suddenly came up lame on his left front paw. His owner brought him to our small animal vet clinic in Bozeman, 101 PAWS Veterinary Center. During the exam, we could see a tiny puncture on the central paw pad. With gentle pressure, a small amount of cloudy fluid was extracted. This suggested an infection and raised the concern of a lingering foreign body within the pad. Arlo was sedated, the puncture was explored, and with patience, we extracted a ½ inch cactus spine. It was buried almost an inch below the surface of the pad! We flushed the wound and placed a light bandage, and Arlo was on the mend. Because his owner was proactive and brought Arlo in at limp onset, he only missed one week of hunting!
Wyo
A three-year-old hound, his owner just discovered a very small, hard lump under the skin on his side. There was no wound associated with the lump, and it did not seem to bother Wyo. The client brought Wyo to 101 PAWS Veterinary Center, and I was suspicious of a foreign body. Wyo was sedated, and a minimal excision was made over the lump. Out popped a copper BB! Apparently, Wyo had gotten into some unfriendly fire on one of his hunting trips. No additional treatment was needed, and Wyo did not miss a single day of hunting!
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your hunting dog, and if you have a fun story to share, send it our way via Instagram or email!