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Hiking with a Dog

Hiking With Your Dog

There is nothing finer for a dog-owning outdoor enthusiast than hitting the trail with their four-legged friends. The exercise benefits for both dog and owner are obvious but the mental health benefits for both are just as great. The pure joy dogs exhibit while engrossing themselves in the wonderful scents of the great outdoors is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Without this physical and emotional stimulation, many dogs turn to destructive behaviors to relieve their boredom and anxiety. This can exhibit itself as inappropriate hyperactivity such as chewing objects, digging holes or excessive barking. It can also manifest itself as self-destructive behavior such as obsessive licking or chewing at an area of their body resulting in painful and even infected wounds.

It may seem simple to just load up your dog and head out on a regular basis, but there are some things to take into consideration to ensure your canine companion stays healthy. First of all, is your dog old enough to withstand a long hike or cross country run? Growing dogs, especially of the large breed variety, should not engage in prolonged heavy exercise until their bone structure is almost mature. The long bones of the limbs depend on areas of cartilage to provide bone growth and to protect the surfaces of bones found in a joint. Too much pounding pressure on this cartilage can cause developmental problems resulting in poor bone growth or abnormal joint surfaces leading to painful inflammation.

Large breed dogs like retrievers should only have moderate exercise until they are about 6-8 months old. This means no hikes longer than about five kilometers at a time and no runs longer than about 20 minutes at a time. Once they are ten to twelve months of age, most development is complete, and as long as you have conditioned them on a gradual basis, they should be able to handle as much as you can give them.

Before you get to the trail, remember that you need to transport your dog in a safe manner; safe for you and for him. Dogs should be secured inside a vehicle or in the back of a truck to protect it, and you, in the case of an accident. There are special seat belt harnesses available or regular harnesses can be tethered to a fixture in the vehicle. You should also ensure your dog is adequately vaccinated to protect him from potentially fatal viruses left behind by other dogs or even coyotes. He should also be treated for intestinal parasites and in some areas, heartworm protection is also important.

Once on the trail, it is important to be constantly aware of your dogs' whereabouts. This is made much easier if you have put yourself and your dog through a basic obedience course. Coming when called is crucial. You may want to use a long-line leash until he earns your confidence off the leash and even then you should train your dog to routinely check in with you. In order to protect the flora and fauna, you should encourage your dog to stay on the trail as much as possible.

Potential hazards for your trail-blazing dog include those you can see, like barbed wire fences and sharp rocks, to those you cannot, like Giardia parasites in pools and streams. It is a good idea to take filtered water along for you and your dog in order to avoid a serious GI upset later on. Carrying along a basic first-aid kit is also recommended. The most common trail injuries are torn nails and lacerated footpads. These are best treated with a pressure bandage until you can get to your veterinary clinic for definitive treatment. Remember not to put a bandage on too tightly or leave it on too long or you may cause more problems.

You must always keep in mind that not all hikers are dog lovers so good social behavior is needed to allow everyone to enjoy themselves. When approaching other people, call your dog over and restrain him until you have a chance to introduce yourself and your dog. Last, but not least, always pick up after your dog. Feces, apart from being unsightly, can spread viruses and parasites to other dogs and to people.

Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca

What should I do if a skunk sprays my dog?

dog swimming

When a dog or cat encounters a skunk, the experience is usually uneventful. However, in some cases, your pet may try to get too friendly with the skunk and end up getting sprayed. While this may cause a great deal of distress to your pet, there are few serious long-term health effects.

In some cases, the skunk spray may cause an irritation of the membranes around the eyes (called conjunctivitis). For this reason, it is usually a good idea to instil an ophthalmic ointment or drops into the eyes. Your veterinarian can recommend the proper medication.

A more serious and upsetting consequence of a skunk encounter to both the pet owner and the pet itself, is the skunk odour. By far, tomato juice remains the best remedy for removing skunk smell. However, to be really effective, tomato juice must be left on the coat to dry, and only then rinsed off. If dousing your pet with tomato juice doesn't appeal to you, you can try a commercial neutralizing solution (Skunk-Off) available from your veterinarian.

Because of other potential problems associated with being sprayed by a skunk (e.g. bite wounds, irritated eyes, rabies hazard, etc.) it is best to contact your veterinarian for advice if your dog or cat meets up with one.

Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca

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How do I keep ice from forming between my dog's toes when out walking in winter?

When walking outside in winter, the ice balls that form between a dogs toes can be quite painful. Clipping the long hair between the toes on the underside of the paw can be very helpful in preventing these ice balls from forming. Have a groomer or veterinary technician show you how to trim this hair to prevent inadvertent skin injuries.

When ice balls are present, some people use a very thin layer of petroleum jelly on the hair to help detach the ice. Others use silicon-based gloss hair gel or spray to repel the ice.

A good solution is the use of dog booties to keep the paws warm and dry. It is important to ensure that the booties fit properly to prevent chafing or decreased blood circulation. Many mushers use booties on their sled dogs to protect their feet.

Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca

Meeting up with a Porcupine can be Prickly.

Porcupine quills are almost exclusively a canine rather than feline problem. Pulling quills out is quite a painful process and should only be done by a veterinarian. In most cases, the veterinarian will use a general anaesthetic to remove visible quills and also to allow a thorough search of the body for quills that may be hidden (e.g. inside of the mouth). It is not recommended that owners try to pull out quills because the process is quite painful to the pet, and also because the owner may miss hard-to-find quills or may inadvertently break some off. Quills that remain in the body can migrate and cause problems in the future, or can fester and lead to the formation of abcesses.

Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca

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