GunDogDoc

What Really Matters in a Hunting Dog Vet

Not all vets are created equal—and being a hunter doesn’t make someone the right vet for your hunting dog. In this post, I break down what really matters when it comes to finding top-tier care for your canine athlete. It starts with passion, not hobbies.We tackle it below.

Continue reading: What Really Matters in a Hunting Dog Vet

Mini Course

Building The Complete Canine Field Emergency Kit

Dr. Joe Spoo, DACVSMR, will help guide you in building a complete field emergency kit that will allow you to address everything from simple injuries to catastrophic issues.

YOUTUBE

The premier online source for hunting dog health and veterinary information.
Educating empowered dog owners.

Too often I hear advice floating around that the #1 thing hunting dog owners should look for in a vet is whether they hunt.

I love this hunting world as much as anyone, but when it comes to keeping your dog healthy, experience with veterinary medicine matters a lot more than experience in a duck blind.

If you can find both? That’s rare air. But if you have to choose — choose skill.
That’s what this series is about: helping find the right veterinary partner, and stack the deck in your dog’s favor.

Because come fall, it’s not about your vet’s personal hunting stories.It’s about yours.

#sportingdog #veterinary #birddog #canineathletes #duckdog #vetmed#huntingdog #gundog #VeterinaryCare #BirdDogLife #HuntingDogHealth #GunDogVet #RetrieverTraining #WorkingDogCare #VeterinaryTips #FindingTheRightVet #HuntingDogCare #GunDogTraining

What Hunting Dog Owners Should Look for in a Vet

Puppies and parasites go hand-in-hand and it’s the reason I check a fecal sample as soon as I get a new pup home. Even the cleanest, most vigilant breeders in the world can have parasite issues. Before you get your new pup home have that first veterinary check scheduled and bring with you all the health record information your breeder provides along with a fecal sample.

#gundog #DogHealth #VeterinaryCare #huntingdog #workingdog #canineathletes #vetmed

Important First Step with a New Puppy

Many hunting dog owners struggle to find the right veterinarian for their hunting dog. Too often I think this is because they think they need a veterinarian that hunts. In this video I dispel that myth and lay out my recommendations for choosing a good vet for your hunting dog.

#dogvet #huntingdog #sportingdog #duckdog #birddog #canineathletes #workingdog #vetmed

Finding the Right Vet for Your Hunting Dog

In this video we discuss dewclaws and whether they should be left or removed by breeders. Spoiler alert, I have owned dogs with and without dewclaws and if I were getting a puppy tomorrow they may have them or not. It's not a deal breaking scenario to me....with some caveats.

https://www.gundogdoc.com/the-dirt-on-dewclaws/

#huntingdog #sportingdog #duckdog #birddog #canineathletes #workingdog #vetmed

Dewclaws — Remove Them or Leave Them?

In this video I take a deep dive into my journey with the TPLO. For an athletic dog that we are looking to return to performance this is the procedure of choice after a cruciate ligament injury. I didn't always feel that way. In the video I'll take a look at what I hate about the procedure and what you can do as an owner to help increase your odds for a successful outcome.

https://www.gundogdoc.com/tplo-surgery-dogs-my-journey/

#huntingdog #sportingdog #duckdog #birddog #canineathletes #workingdog #vetmed

How I Came to Embrace the TPLO

Too often owners are given the instruction to rest for two weeks and to give some anti-inflammatories. While often there are cases this may be the best course, many times it is given without an accurate diagnosis. In this video, I discuss how to get that accurate diagnosis and the decision process I use to decide whether to hunt or not.

https://www.gundogdoc.com/how-i-got-my-favorite-breed-wrong/

#huntingdog #sportingdog #duckdog #birddog #canineathletes #workingdog #vetmed

Too Hunt or Not? Can, or Should, You Hunt a Lame Dog?

It seems like a lifetime ago that this was the procedure I recommended for ALL of my patients, regardless of size or activity level. While we may not utilize it as regularly as we once did it should still be a part of the conversation when discussing cruciate ligament disease in dogs. In this video, I discuss the procedure along with my personal thoughts on when the procedure may be the right option.

https://www.gundogdoc.com/why-extra-capsular-technique-matters/

#huntingdog #sportingdog #duckdog #birddog #canineathletes #workingdog #vetmed

Examining the Lateral Suture in Athletic Dogs

As has been typical the blog post is more to the point and these videos contain more editorial color. I do both to allow people to take in the content through their preferred method of learning.

Read the blog post:
https://www.gundogdoc.com/honest-look-cruciate-ligament-surgery/

#huntingdog #sportingdog #duckdog #birddog #canineathletes #workingdog #vetmed

Joint Series Continued —Introduction to Canine Cruciate Ligament Surgery

It is surprising to me that male dogs don’t suffer injuries to their maleness more frequently than they do. The most common issue that we see with male dogs is irritation to the scrotum either because of heavy cover or during cold weather. Occasionally though the prepuce does get injured and occasionally the penis is involved. When these occur they can be a bloody mess due to the degree of blood vessels in the area. The main concern is determining if the injury is just to the prepuce — not as big of deal—or it it involves the penis—big deal.

#sportingdog #veterinary #birddog #canineathletes #duckdog #vetmed #huntingdog #gundog #VeterinaryCare #vetmed

Male Injuries in Dogs

Load More… Subscribe

Joe Spoo DVM, DACVSMR

The Original GunDogDoc

Dr. Spoo is a veterinarian of small animal medicine with a special passion for sporting dogs and, more specifically, the gundog breeds.

He believes in a cradle-to-grave approach to managing the canine athlete over the course of its lifetime rather than just focusing on the problem of the moment. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and has dedicated his career to the unique needs of our hunting dogs.

Our Philosophy

More Than a Hunting Partner

These incredible canines that we share the field with have unique problems, conditions and obstacles they encounter. In addition, they require optimum nutrition and conditioning to keep them in peak condition. Our goal is to provide you the necessary tools and knowledge to keep your best friend in the best condition possible.

our courses