Here’s a confession: I despise click-bait headlines like that. Too often, they only have one worthwhile item buried in the list. I wrote it as a bit of irony because I didn’t think “Stuff Joe Still Forgets After More Than a Quarter Century” had the same ring to it.
The truth is, even though these dogs are my career and my hobby, life sometimes gets in the way and small things slip through the cracks. Those seemingly minor omissions can turn into disasters if not addressed, or if they start to pile up. The five topics I chose here are all fresh from the last couple of weeks with either my own dogs or client dogs.
Number 1 – Foot Care
The dogs ran with me a lot this summer on mixed surfaces, and as a result their feet were in great shape and their nails wore down on their own…until they didn’t. We went from pleasant to hot, humid, and miserable, and the dogs spent more time in the A/C than running with me.
The other night my wife and I were planning schedules when she looked at Boomer’s feet and was shocked by how long his nails were. We got them trimmed before they became a problem, thankfully. In past years, I wasn’t so lucky. Before you hit the field, be sure their nails are appropriately trimmed.
When I think early-season foot care, nail care is at the top of my list and conditioning the feet is a close second. If you haven’t worked on conditioning your dog’s feet, you’re going to need to ease into the season. I’ve heard far too many reports of dogs having to take days off during these early-season western trips.
Number 2 – Weight Management
If I were to put together a list of “things clients say that drive me crazy,” the comment “he’s heavy now but he will lose weight by the end of season” would be very, very high on that list.
Early season is the exact time when we don’t want these dogs carrying extra weight. That extra weight can contribute to issues like heat stroke, injury, and poor performance. There is zero benefit to having a dog a little heavy at the start of the season… ZERO.
The truth is this can sneak up on you too. Both of my dogs have been in superb shape for most of the summer. During the same recent heat spell that allowed Boomer’s nails to get a little long, his housemate Vi also put on a little extra weight.
It is imperative, especially with premium dog foods, that we adjust amounts throughout the year to keep these dogs in optimum body condition and not letting their weight yo-yo from season to season.
Number 3 – Heartworm and Flea/Tick Preventatives
Too often, when the first cool days hit, people let down their guard, particularly in the northern part of the country, as it relates to preventatives. While we’ve been blasted with heat, we’ve also had nights in the upper 30s with frost and freeze warnings. Now we’re back in the 80s and 90s with more heat in the forecast.
Honestly, this is probably the worst time to miss a dose, as most pest populations are at their peaks. Don’t get caught up in the excitement of the season and forget about these monthly maintenance items.
One note on that front: in the last couple of months there have been several new products on the market, from all-in-one monthly pills to a flea/tick shot that supposedly lasts a year (spoiler alert: it doesn’t last a year for all tick types).
There are a lot of nuances with the choices in the market and why your vet may choose the products they carry. I’ve been using a new product this year and in a future article I’ll dive into those changes. The one point I’ll make here is that I still feel monthly preventatives are the way to go, particularly for hunting dogs, as they also act as a monthly dewormer.
For those of us who hunt public lands, the exposure to fecal matter only increases throughout the season, especially around parking areas. I don’t see a scenario where I’d ever switch my dogs away from a monthly oral for this reason alone.
Number 4 – Vaccines
I’ve seen a trend of people assuming that all vaccines are good for multiple years, and that just isn’t the case.
As a general rule, the vaccines that cover viruses (rabies, distemper, parvo) are usually good for multiple years, while the bacterial vaccines (lepto, Lyme, bordetella) are yearly. This is a very important distinction for hunting dogs, as many of these bacterial agents are exactly what they’re exposed to in the field or when around other dogs.
Make sure you are current on the vaccines your dog may need while hunting.
One other note: technically, when traveling from state to state, your dog should have a health certificate from your veterinarian. Admittedly, most people don’t do this. At a minimum, carry a copy of your vaccine record, particularly your rabies certificate, when traveling to hunt. God forbid someone sticks a finger in a crate and gets bit at a rest stop or motel. You’ll need proof of rabies vaccination to avoid the much bigger headache of your pup being quarantined.
Number 5 – Orthopedic Issues, Conditioning, and Realistic Expectations
In the western part of the country, many seasons are already well under way. As I type this, we are a couple of days away from our upland season kicking off here in South Dakota.
This is the time of year I get inundated with schedule requests from owners whose dogs have long-term lameness issues, hoping for a fix before hunting season. Very often these are problems that have been going on since the end of last season. A problem that has lasted months usually won’t be fixed in days, or even weeks.
If your dog has a nagging issue you haven’t addressed, schedule the appointment now. Many chronic issues can be managed through the season, but they usually require an engaged and active role from the owner. Waiting until the end of hunting season with a problem that’s already long-term will only result in further complications.
Along those same lines, it’s imperative to have realistic expectations of your dog’s fitness level heading into the season. If you didn’t hold up your end of the bargain with exercise during the off-season, don’t hold your pup accountable now.
Many times, we need to ease into the hunting season and use the early weeks as conditioning that we skipped during the off-season. That may not sound like a solution if you’re starting the season with a big trip, but the reality is nothing good comes from pushing a dog beyond their level of conditioning.
While hunting seasons are far too short, it’s important to remember there are months ahead of us. Don’t let the excitement of getting started cause you to overlook these seemingly simple items. I’ve seen far too many seasons cut short by an overzealous owner pushing a dog not ready for the work.
