socks 32,253 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 towards the end of last season tegan took a very hard knock as she run into a tree stump ... to be honest i thought she was dead when i first heard the collision but then she screamed the place down and came hobbling back to me ... she cried for another few minuets then gradually calmed down ... i checked the dog all over and couldnt find anything wrong with her so i let her settle and do her own thing walking around etc so she didnt stiffen up ... within 10 minuets she was back catching bolted rabbits and seemed fine .... a few weeks later on her fitness seemed to be on the downside so i gave her a rest as she had been working very hard and i thought she may have been a little fatigued ... however this made no difference and she got worse and worse ... in the end a trip to simon gower was arranged and after a chest x ray and bloods it was discovered that the bitch had an infection deep in her lung and this had caused the bitch to be anemic ... he was suprised that she was even running as her bloods were so bad .... she was put on anti biotics and had to have strict rest for 5 weeks ... on top of this she had to have extra red meat to help with the anemia .... so not only was she not allowed to do anything but she had to have extra food which obviously resulted in her putting on extra pounds ... i took the bitch back last wednesday and her bloods were looking good .. on one of the tests he expected an open race fit greyhounds blood count to be between 58 - 60 and tegan was at 58.5 which he was amazed at seeing as the bitch had been rested for 5 weeks ... i put this down to the bitch being extremely fit prior to her accident which started all the problems .... which brings me to my main point of keeping dogs fit and healthy at all times ... even in the summer my dogs are kept at least 85% of their top fittness this way they find it easyer to get over any injurys or illnesses they may get and when the season starts again i am not trying to get a soft unfit dog ready in a comparitively short time thus cousing excessive strain and increasing the chance of early season injurys .... the only problem i have now is the weather as it is obviously much more difficult to condition a dog and get them back at full fitness in excesive heat ... tegan had her first run out on friday just gone and she was like a geriatric which was to be expected after 5 weeks off and carrying an extra 2 - 3 lbs ... then there is the lack of obedience and work because the dog has been penned up for so long ... it would be quite easy to get miffed with the dog as it seems that all you have taught them has gone out of the window ... so its a nice steady couple of weeks ahead of re education and a combination of early morning and late evening training sessions with plenty of swimming sessions thrown into the mix ... hopefully in a couple of weeks my efficient inteligent fit dog will be back and the fat potlicker will be gone ......... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mole catcher 1 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 towards the end of last season tegan took a very hard knock as she run into a tree stump ... to be honest i thought she was dead when i first heard the collision but then she screamed the place down and came hobbling back to me ... within 10 minuets she was back catching bolted rabbits and seemed fine .... not being funny but on the occasions any of my dogs have taken a whallop its home i go. reason for this is im sure you know a dog can after a knock run on adrenilin without showing the true signs of an injury. better to be safe than sorry i find. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
socks 32,253 Posted May 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 thats why i gave her time to settle to see how she was ... she is a working dog that will get knocks her whole life whilst out hunting ... if i had any doubt that she wasnt right i would have put her in the truck ... as it was she carried on hunting and caught plenty more rabbits that day ... i know my dogs well enough to know whether they need to stop or keep going .............. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Caravan Monster 323 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Any advice on ways of keeping the dogs fit during the summer? I' ve seen a couple of dogs ruined by their owner running them on hard ground during the summer, resulting in permanent injuries. Probably made me bit over cautious about ground conditions. Obviously, its important to get out at the cooler times of day, but what do folks do different from general walking up hedgerows during the season? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dennned 172 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 any dog , having taken a good thump , should automatically have been retired for the night , it's stupid , to think the dog was ok , ( as your aware your not a vet ) common sense should have prevailed in the situation , im sure you know your dogs very well , most owners do , but the imminent damage , could have been very serious , so being really cautious and retiring for the night should have been ( your only) decision , p.s im glad your dog is ok now , but let that be a lesson to you , never , continue , allways be cautious . yours in sport dennned Quote Link to post Share on other sites
socks 32,253 Posted May 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 any dog , having taken a good thump , should automatically have been retired for the night , it's stupid , to think the dog was ok , ( as your aware your not a vet ) common sense should have prevailed in the situation , im sure you know your dogs very well , most owners do , but the imminent damage , could have been very serious , so being really cautious and retiring for the night should have been ( your only) decision , p.s im glad your dog is ok now , but let that be a lesson to you , never , continue , allways be cautious . yours in sport dennned for starters it was in the day hence the bolting rabbits she caught ... and secondly what happened to the bitch MUCH LATER was a result of her bump BUT it would have made no difference if i had taken her straight home there and then ... its all very well sitting behind your computer and telling me what i should have done ... you wernt there i was i have kept dogs for a long long time and my dogs get the best of everything from feeding to housing to medical care ... if i thought that bitch needed to be retired for the day then thats what i would have done ......... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
woz 260 Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 i always run my dogs into tree stumps and carry on running them,i also keep my dogs peeked all year round so they burn out or sicken!!! exellent post.....any diet secrets??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mole catcher 1 Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 ... its all very well sitting behind your computer and telling me what i should have done ... you wernt there i was fare comment but when you said you thought she was dead by the way she hit the stump can only meen she took a good whallop. i once saw a dog twist awkwardly whilst picking up a rabbit, she yellped, but she showed no outward signs of injury to the chap who owned her, because of adrenalin in her system she wanted to carry on running. It wasnt untill the following day she could hardly walk and i was called to run the chap and his dog to the vets that an xray showed a fracture in her wrist. ok the damage was done but how much worse was it made by not taking her home when it happened? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
socks 32,253 Posted May 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 if you took your dog home every time they had a bump then you would spend half the season in the house ... you cant wrap the dogs in cotton wool and part and parcel of running at top speed over undulating ground after fleeing game is that the dogs get banged up now and again ... the call on whether to run the dog after that can only be made by the guy thats there that owns and knows that particular dog ... some dogs with a weak constitution will be finished for the day if they get so much as a nettle sting on their pads other dogs will want to work on even if they broke their leg .... as long as you have given the dog time to settle after the knock and you have thoughrely checked the dog over and found it to be ok then the call to let the dog carry on hunting should be made by the owner ... you obviously keep a close eye on the dog and if it shows any signs of not being right then you should re evaluate and perhaps call it a day .... on this occasion the bitch recovered well and was more than able to carry on hunting for the rest of the day with no problems at all ....... i spoke to simon gower the vet at lengh as to what the reasons for the anemia and he was of the opinion that it would have made no difference as to whether the bitch was taken home or worked on that day to the end result ....... i a seriously wonder how many people on here actually work their dogs regularly .... it seems to me that there are a great many that can talk a good game over the net but in reality rarely take little fluffykins out into the big bad fields where he might get a thorn in his pad ....... WOZ i have plenty of diet secrets but they would be no good for a mungrel that burns out and sickens just because it is kept fit .... god forbid you should give your dog a hard season of work it may well burn out before december ............ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skycat 6,173 Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Handbags aside, the original post goes to prove that no matter how well we look after our dogs infection or something nasty can creep in without our knowing: its knowing the dog inside out, (well, not quite!) that allows some owners to see if the dog isn't quite right and take the appropriate action. Trapped nerves in necks is a good one: the dog may stop striking properly, or if it has a low pain threshold then won't try at all, may have trouble turning sharply on one or both sides: I wonder how many people have seen a dog like this and just put its lack of oomph down to the dog losing interest or not trying. The moment I see one of my dogs that was previously striking and running well start to not work as it used to I suspect a trapped nerve or some muscle damage I have failed to find myself. Then its a trip to the back man: pronto. P.S. We had Robert Meek pay us a visit a while ago: I can highly reccomend him to anyone with running dogs: this guy really does know his work, and is a fully trained osteopath as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mole catcher 1 Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 i had a visit from simon smith, you know the one, the well know dog man from down south. i can honestly say if you have to wait to get on the running field to see that theres something wrong with your dog, ie a trapped nerve then its to late. just being there and letting the dog run in a way to show you its got a problem is causing it more harm. doesnt anyone spend time on a pre night out massage and check? doing this will hopefully show signs of any thing a miss rather than only when the dog pulls up, thus causing more probs? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skycat 6,173 Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 I check my dogs all the time, but when you get a really tough high pain threshold dog they can work through discomfort as their adrenalin is up and they want to catch. If I went to the doctor every time I got a little niggle I'd never be out of the surgery. LOL. No working dog is going to be completely damage free once it has a couple of season's hard work under its belt: it's par for the course, just like human athletes. But like you say MC: massage before work pays dividends in loosening up tight or sore muscles. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mole catcher 1 Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 No working dog is going to be completely damage free once it has a couple of season's hard work under its belt: it's par for the course, just like human athletes. tell me about it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dennned 172 Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 (edited) ok , socks , my reply to the post , ( was my thoughts only , thats what i'd have done) as we are all different , i for one look after my dogs very well , ( too well if the truth be known ) i've had them for well on 29 years , so yes i think i know a little about them ,as i said it's what i'd have done , not every lurcher owner , can notice when their dog is not moving properly, so being cautious is the right thing to do. Edited May 20, 2008 by dennned Quote Link to post Share on other sites
socks 32,253 Posted May 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 i for one look after my dogs very well , ( too well if the truth be known ) i've had them for well on 29 years , so yes i think i know a little about them holy shit you must look after them very well if they have lived to be 29 ......... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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