Ever have to carry your dog off a trail?

[ropeup79]

Heat exhaustion. I’ve seen it with cow dogs a few times. They have so much drive they’ll go till they drop. Have had to give them a ride on my horse with me until they get recovered. If I take a dog on a long day of moving cows I bring enough water for both of us and have them drink at every stream or tank we come to.

 

[KurtR]

Thanks for the responses everyone. It's great to hear honest advice and I consider it all. Her weight was last checked about five months ago and it was 95 so since then we cut her food back some and she walks almost everyday with my wife for about 3-4 miles in the mornings before the heat cranks up. She looks healthy with her ribs showing and all her muscles are visible and her mom was 95 pounds and her dad was 100 something. I do worry about hip diplaysia because it's very common in labs. I play with her in the park with a chuck it everyday and a couple times a day on weekends but I don't know really how healthy that may be and if that contributes to hip diplaysia. I won't be taking her back up to that trail until the weather cools down because If I remmebr last trip it was in the seventies and overcast. The sun is so much hotter when you go from 5000' elevation to 7300' elevation. She's doing well tonight and ate well so she seems to have recovered but there will be no playing this week.

It’s common in labs who had breeders that did not get the hips of the parents checked. If they did the ofa and had good to excellent hips then chances go way down. That big of dog arthritis will be the bigger problem

 

[Hoghead]

Sorry to hear you lost a your good dog, that would make the hike so difficult.


I could be a cramp for sure, hard to say.

That's interesting to hear of your same experience. She'll be resting the rest of the week.

It was about 85 degrees so not terribly hot. I gave her a lot of water and rested in the shaded areas. We had just did the same hike a couple weeks ago with no issues nd she takes walks, 3-4 miles, almost everyday, she's really fit and muscular. I won't take her back up to that particular trail anymore though.

She was a great dog. Unfortunately its a job hazard. I still hunt 2 of her pups. One of them is the catch dog I had to carry out with the dislocated wrist. Heat exhaustion is real . I have had dogs get wobbly legs on me before. I carry Icepacks in my first aid kit when I'm hunting and lots of water. If they get hot cool them down. I put them on there back and put the ice packs on the inside of there rear legs. A lot of blood flows there give them water but not too much to fast. You can also put water on them to cool them down faster. I'm not a vet so don't take this as gospel but it has worked for me.

 

[Yoder]

I thought my chubby Golden Retriever was going to die last week on a hike. We didn't go that far, but it had a steep incline and it hit about 85 with probably 80% humidity. I only brought a couple bottles of water and the dogs drank them way faster than I expected. I tried stopping for a while for her to rest but it didn't seem to help. She was so hot. I wound up just walking really slow until we finally hit a small creek. She drank forever than just flopped down in the water and laid there. I waited about 15 minutes until she cooled off. That really scared me. I was really mad at myself for not bringing enough water and not getting on the trail earlier.

 

[CobraChicken]

Ive had dogs "quit" on ya. Just a sign that heat is getting to them. Always carry and msr dromlite with me. Get their underside real good and get them in the shade. Better yet if near a river, let them get in and cool off.

I luckily have not had to carry a dog out yet. I tend to run them early in the morning though

 

[Wallace]

I had a young setter get hot on an 80 degree day in North Dakota going after pheasant. Happened quick. One second he was fine, the next minute he was walking like he was drunk.

He has an off switch in the house, but in the field he doesn't have one. The only way to get him out of there without him killing himself trying to hunt was to throw him over my shoulders and hike about 2 miles ... Ironically it felt like I was going to die of heat after that. He was fine within an hour of being in the truck with the a/c, I gave him a day off, we killed birds over him two days later.

 

[MNGrouser]

I had to carry one of my dogs out of the woods twice. Once I believe it was heat exhaustion or nearly so. Early season grouse hunt and he just went too hard. I made him stop and drink water and he just laid on his side and threw it up. Panting heavily. I made the decision if he couldn't slow himself down, I was going to do it for him. The other time he impaled his belly on a stick. Carried him out of the woods that day too. Turns out it was "only" a flesh wound and did not internal damage.

The other dog I carried out of the woods was one of my brother's hounds. We were raccoon hunting at night and he found a porcupine in a hallow tree. Had so many quills in his face and throat I don't know if he suffocated or the stress caused a heart attack. I carried that body out of the woods so my brother didn't have to.

These dogs can sure be hard on us, can't they.

 

[COJoe]

Thanks for the true stories and heartbreaks with some. Were we live it's at least 90- 100+ every day of the summer but thankfully the humidity is very low, like 12-20% usually so it makes the heat bearable but it's hard on her for sure. She had a slight limp with her left hip this morning so no playing until this weekend probably which just makes her stir crazy, lol. I carried my smaller dog for about a mile or more once when she got bit by a red ant that we couldn't see up inside her paw. It was really painful for her and she couldn't walk. Seems like there's always something to watch out for. I had wet her down before we started the hike yesterday so that helped her some thankfully. My wife hoses her down before her morning walks too.

I was getting close to strapping her into my load shelf and hauling her out which would have been interesting to say the least. Hopefully my story helps others make better decisions than I did going forward which is what makes Rokslide valuable to all who read and contribute.

 

[medvedyt]

it was only 26c or 79f today here (warm for us anyway) and i did a long walk in the forest around a lake with my dog. she enjoyed to cool down 3 times in a lake and a little creek.

when she was around 4 months old she suffered heat with the same temperature and i had to carry her in a river. that cool off her very fast.

she s 4 now. and a griffon.

we pay more attention about the warmth even here as it is starting to be an issue.

-40f or c the same is not a problem for her and she enjoy a walk in that kind of weather and enjoys a lot going after ptarmingans in the cold february ...

 

[COJoe]

-40f or c the same is not a problem for her and she enjoy a walk in that kind of weather and enjoys a lot going after ptarmingans in the cold february ...

When I lived in Fairbanks, AK I used to take my chocolate lab out at -30 F for ptarmigan but they were so hard to see against the white snow and ice fog. But you could hear them making that clicking sound. That dog was such a tough dog to endure those winters with me but when we moved to southern Colorado he struggled greatly with the heat here. Water can be scarce here at times on mountain trails unfortunately so we bring plenty of water.

We used to watch the Alaska Goldkings hockey team play the team from Whitehorse. We went to a fight and a hockey game broke out, lol. It was good men's league hockey. It's what you did on Friday night. They moved to Colorado Springs in the late 90's though. Not sure if they are still around.

 

[Seubs070]

One of the gun dog vets I follow on just recently did a thing about running dogs in the heat. His rule is if the temp and humidity % add up to over 150 its to hot and he doesn't run his dogs.

 

[Mike 338]

In my early 20's, my uncle and I backpacked into the Uinta's about 6 miles. He took his 3 legged German shepherd which did fine all the way in. The dog just gave out as we were packing up to leave and wouldn't get up. We wrapped him in a foam sleeping pad and tried the rope to the top of my backpack for support and I carried him out in my arms. I had to rest every 75-100 yards or so. It was rough. Might be the hardest thing I've ever done. The dog went on to live a few more years. It was a memorable trip, both good and bad.

 

[TSAMP]

I recently read about a trick to check your dogs hydration, especially in warmer temps. You pinch the skin between your thimb and finger and give a slight pull then release, If there is any memory to it and it doesn't immediately spring back, thats a indicator your dogs dehydrated and near heat exhaustion.

I've been going through some orthopedic issues with my one of my hunting dogs. I'll probably put another thread together on that as i think it could be helpful for others.

 

[H@mstar19x3]

thankfully not a hiking trail. i was running with my Black Russian Terrier. 100 pounds. we had been regularly doing 5-6 miles in some hot temps no problem. well, it happened to be an overcast day in Houston. temps were relatively low compared to the rest of days, but the humidity was up. he starts trailing behind me. so i stop and he lays down and just does not want to get up. i had to carry him a pretty decent clip to my truck.

heat exhaustion. got him home and cooled down over a long afternoon. but after that he never had the same heat tolerance.

 

[BKIdaho]

My DD is heat sensitive. Gus is 95lb, lean and long. I won’t run him if it much over 50 and sunny. If no direct sun, I can go to 65-70 but only a very few miles.

My Setters are smaller, 55, and less heat sensitive. But, they have such high drive they only run at full tilt so have to watch them close.

I never run out of water, and frankly due to heat and cheat grass here in SW Id, rarely run them late July to late Aug. Drives me nuts not to exercise them, though drives them even more nuts, but I just worry too much. Rest of the yr my dogs are out 2-3x week, no leash, coving ground for 1-3hrs. I’m retired.

Come Sept 15 opener, first 4-6 hunts(Chukar/huns) are shorter work outs. By the time I’m done with most of my deer/elk hunting they are in shape. Nov-Jan is ideal, also no worries about snakes.

I know two people who killed their dogs by overheating. They are the types who think dogs are just tools. I can’t handle those types.

Carry water, some sort of quick sugar(honey packets), tools for traps/snares, pliers for quills, a sling to carry, and meds for emergencies Sounds like a lot, but isn’t half what should be in your emergency kit for your elk and deer hunts.

Luckily I’ve never had to carry one, but I’ve had close calls and learned from my mistakes.

My 8yr old Setter Sophie is likely getting TPLO surgery Monday. 2-3 mo of very restricted activity. Man is this gonna suck, but man is she worth it. They deserve our best, or very close to it.

 

[Reburn]

Couple things I learned running hog dogs in Texas for 15 years.

After a dog heat strokes they will heat stroke the next time easier for some reason.

if a dog is stroking, water to drink is good. Water to lay in is better, water to lay in and a liter of lactated ringers sub q will save them. I always carried a liter of LR in my cut pack with an iv setup. Just put the needle sub q and squeeze until a ball forms then move the needle to another location until the liter is used. It will rehydrate them faster then drinking.

https://www.chewy.com/icu-medical-lactated-ringers/dp/173586?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=13246986426&utm_content=126424332367&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwk8e1BhALEiwAc8MHiD4vRbp4P7teWuxoyfCsfAeV2jxdZ5P9fXBf4OC7gE_ePhqiC8iPfRoCKp8QAvD_BwE

I recently read about a trick to check your dogs hydration, especially in warmer temps. You pinch the skin between your thimb and finger and give a slight pull then release, If there is any memory to it and it doesn't immediately spring back, thats a indicator your dogs dehydrated and near heat exhaustion.

I've been going through some orthopedic issues with my one of my hunting dogs. I'll probably put another thread together on that as i think it could be helpful for others.

This is exactly right.

 

[H@mstar19x3]

also important to note, indoor dogs just like people will be more sensitive to hot and cold. it's acclimation.

 

[COJoe]

The dog went on to live a few more years. It was a memorable trip, both good and bad.

That's perciverence and love for your dog even when it hurts. I had to keep stopping and rebalancing my dog over my shoulder.

 

[weekender7]

Took my 70# walker coon hound hunting at the coast of NC for my first time in the area. What I didn't know about was the oyster beds. My dog got after a coon and after a while just kept barking in the same place, no trees close. I went to him and when I got there I was sick. His pads were literally shredded from the oyster shells. I felt so bad for taking him there. I had to carry him about 3/4 mile to where I could get my truck close. At the time I only weighed about 135 and had to set him down many times to rest. It was really tough walking in the mud. That was my one and only trip to the marsh with a dog.

 

[z987k]

Ya, and it's why I will only have medium sized dogs now. 35-45lbs. I need to be able to easily pick them up or put them in a pack and carry them.