Picking Up Dog Injuries

[ormeview]

Out again today with dog that ripped her leg 2 weeks ago, it has healed nicely. Just hope it holds.
I was going to try some cohesive bandage to protect it, but probably more trouble getting it to hold in place.

Dave.

[trekmoor]

I've had quite a few of my dogs get barbed wire injuries over the years. I sold my last GSP because he tore open his penile sheath on barbed wire. I can no longer lift any dog bigger than a spaniel over fences so I no longer keep large breeds of dogs. I discourage jumping fences unless I specifically command a dog to jump and when I do that it is never over barbed wire fences.

If I habitually train or hunt dogs where barbed wire fences exist I take an army trenching tool with me and dig dog sized holes under the fences. Dogs soon get to know where those scrapes under the fences are and use them.

My cocker Charlie was a nightmare inducing fence jumper when picking up at shoots. He didn't jump fences out on walks etc. but the excitement of retrieves on shoots caused him to make flying leaps at fences in pursuit of shot birds. His method was to dive with head, body and legs fully extended between the top of the mesh fence and the single strand of barbed wire just six inches above the mesh ! He did that for two seasons giving himself many wounds on his head , his neck and his back. On his return with a bird I had by then got myself up to the fence to scruff him and the bird back over all at the same time. Charlie was and still is crazy !

I gave up picking up at that place on the shoot leaving it to other more macho minded pickers-up to cover ! Not once did Charlie's often bleeding little body ever stop working or wanting to work and all I did was to clean the wounds as best I could . There is no way I could have afforded to take him to the vets every second week !
Dogs don't look at wounds and blood as we do so it doesn't bother them too much.

Wullie

[Contender]

Barbwire... Horrid stuff created to cause as much damage as possible to humans and now other living creatures! Luckily, most around here now put in dog gates or stick to a plain wire on top but there is still lots of the old wire around We all carry rather sophisticated dog first aid kits which includes skin stapler and wound powder which will clog even aterial bleeds. I teach my dogs an "under" command which means they will look for gaps to crawl under a fence rather than try and jump over but I'm not always near them in which case some of them will try and jump in some cases which is always nerve wracking.

As others have mentioned, the dogs are rather tough creatures - I've got one dog here which went through a patch of snapping claws until he pulled one out cleanly yet he was back working 4 days after that. They heal very quickly as long as the cuts are kept clean the first 48 hours. It's a long season up here with the grouse as well so 6 months but it's mainly when we move on to pheasants that the dogs are more likely to suffer cuts.

It's of course also an excellent excuse to have lots of dogs just in case you have to rest one because of injury

Natasha

[ormeview]

Well I did try the cohesive bandage, it did not stay on for long!!
It absolutely *issed down with rain for the first drive (you know the horizontal stuff).
Just plastered some vaseline on it, seemed to have helped till the last drive across the river.
Has just opened the edge of the wound, should be OK though.

Just drying everything out now.

One of the other pickers up said his feet were wet, silly sod tucked his overtrousers in his wellies

Dave.

[westcountry]

This is a really odd coincidence. Took my old springer bitch beating back in November and on the first drive she came back with a nasty gash to her hind leg. Took a month to heal and finally she was out last Saturday on a different shoot and had a really nice day. Monday she was back on the commercial shoot where she hurt herself and the same drive was the first. She was only off the lead for 2 minutes walking 100 yards of
hedge down and came back on recall with a large flap of skin hanging down from the inside of her elbow. Poor girl has had 3 days out this season and been injured twice on the same drive.
Makes it worse when this was about to be her last season before retirement. At least the shoot have offered to give something towards the vet bill as she needed several stitches.
Leaves me with one dog for the rest of the season and he was exhausted yesterday,poor fella.

[munstyman]

Sorry to hear that. For what its worth I would be checking that stretch of ground for discarded barb wire as my main suspect, might save another dog getting injured.

[CockerCanuck]

Obviously there are times and injuries which need to be rested and treatment. However, they are pretty tough. I had a springer bitch many years ago who was coming up shoulder lame after each day in the field. I took her to my Vet who was also a shooter and raised Labs. He pushed and pulled and looked thoughtful and said. " Well normally I would say give her 30 days rest but it is mid-October so that is out of the question. Gundogs need to be like professional hockey players, they need to learn to play hurt! Give her half a Bufferin tablet and go hunting." I did and she ended up just fine. Whatever it was she got over it.

[westcountry]

I am no wuss when it comes to working dogs,but stitches in the front end of a spaniel that takes on heavy cover with a passion is just not fair on the dog and will never allow it to heal. I am a hard task master on dogs but also sensible. I also value my dog.

[ormeview]

Update, after a weeks rest and treatment I have been out 3 times since with the dog that ripped her leg on barbed wire, the wound has healed nicely but the scar tissue is still very thin and looking rather red today. I am not sure that the hair will grow back over it, but hey she ain't no show dog.
Although the boss thinks differently, what have you done to my Babies this time?

Dave.