Dog question for the brain trust here

Dani

I'm a old duck hunter from way back. When I hunted my labs in the field.I used to have neoprene vest on them in the field. Also neoprene leg wraps I seen on some dogs. Take a old pair of chest waders cut them to size and have them stitch. They work great and save many dogs legs , Happy New Year!!!
 
Mark, I have actually considered something along those lines for Belle. I am gonna stop off at the pet store and see if it is something that squeezes the leg or if there is room for movement. I may pick one up anyway to see how it is made, get a pattern from it perhaps. As Tim stated, chafing can and is a big problem for gun dogs that wear vests of any kind. Finding the right fit can be difficult with skid guards for dogs. I have some of Steve's old hunting pants that I can cut up that has the brush guards so maybe I could sew to the inside of the pant shin guard a super silky fabric that would not rub her raw. Like swim suit material. It could all be made as a prototype and see how well it works before I buy something like cordura.

As y'all can see, Belle takes a lot of beating in her upper legs especially. The picture doesn't show it but there were lots of pricks from thorns and spines still stuck in and scratches. And of course she licks at it. This is her from one afternoon of hunting for quail. I know that she would be rarin' to go again the next day if we went out but it will of course only get worse. In MT she didn't have to deal with this as much as just tearing up her feet. Belle wouldn't look like this until after almost two weeks of hard hunting but after some rest it cleared up fairly quickly. Each location has their own perils I know but it would be nice to not have her look awful after two days of hunting. And I know it bothers her.

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The tshirt idea isn't going to be practical with the amount of thorny things that she runs through. It snags too badly. If she got into some really thick blackberries I'd worry that she would be unable to get out.

Thinking about the arms for her, I am not sure if having them open in the back would be a good idea. It might be too easy for seeds and things to get inside and rub her raw so maybe the arms will need to be full arms like in the link. Any thoughts on that?
 
Seeds can be an issue under anything they wear. If it's open or not I'd check under it often in suspect cover. Open would probably be worse.
I've seen them get in under vests and skid plates. The few times I've had to pull out mean seeds already starting into Deuce they were under his collar. They get under there and seem to get rubbed in quickly. Kind of freaky when you run your hand over them and feel one sticking out. They pull out about like a long tick.

Between seeds, barbed wire, sticks, posts and other critters it's almost amazing these dogs aren't hurt more.

Tim
 
Hi Dani,

Sorry to hear about Belle. I think the vet wrap is the best option, and maybe a vest to help protect the chest area. My Brittanies run into the same problem with low thorn bushes in Maine. I have found that a warm bath with Epsom salts after the hunt helps to relieve some of the cuts and itchiness. A salt bath once or twice a day for 2-3 days should do the trick. It dries up the sores and helps heal things.

Very best,
Nate G.
 
Talking about the wear and tear upland dogs take...
Yesterday was the last day of pheasant season. I almost stayed home but decided to go out because one of the party had some good private land.
Well there were birds but all of them were in cattails and we had 30mph winds. This all made for some hard to hunt spooky birds. Within 15 minutes Deuce was eating some snow when I noticed a lot of blood coming out of his mouth. Check him out and it's a tongue cut. Bleeds bad but stops fast. The first time with a tongue or ear cut will freak you out but one gets use to it around barbed wire and prairie grass.
I think we make it through the day without further injury until the walk back to the truck after the last bird of the season. His stream of pee was very red. Not uncommon on a hard day, just made sure he got plenty of water. By the last time outside last night that was back to normal.

When we got home he had a slight limp, never limped at all during the hunt. Check his left front and it's almost twice the size it should be. It's no worse this morning, hopefully this heals up with rest and without a vet visit. Other cuts and scrapes too numerous to mention. Just another weekend in the uplands.
We both need the rest and are happy the season is done...I guess we are getting old.


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