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Q.) I have noticed that while retrieving in the water it sounds as if my lab is suffering from nasal congestion. Is there anything I can do to cure this?
A.) This is an interesting question. I’m going to make a guess that it is not actually nasal congestion but the dog’s attempt at not inhaling water OR that the dog did inhale some water at entry and the sound you are hearing is the resulting irritation. I’d feel even more comfortable with this assumption if it is only during retrieves (with something in his mouth) and not just while swimming. Emma used to do this quite regularly. Initially it concerned me, as it does sound like there is indeed a great deal of congestion present. However, the more it occurred without incident, the less concerned I became. I always tried to figure out exactly what part of her anatomy was responsible for the increased noise, but I could never pinpoint the source.
The exceptions to this “don’t worry” answer would be if your dog has any other breathing issues, is an older dog or this is a new condition. Occasionally, usually in older dogs, we will see conditions like laryngeal paralysis which can result in loud noises while breathing. In addition as a dog ages, the elasticity of the airways change and can result in more noise.
That being said I’m guessing this is a completely benign noise your dog is making while retrieving.
I am fortunate to have a good friend who is a falconer. Each year I get out to chase his birds with my lens. It is a challenging and rewarding experience with numerous almosts and what ifs. The combination of man, dog and bird is a truly unique team and an incredible experience to watch.
Every year we get multiple calls at the clinic about abandoned baby rabbits, birds out of nests, orphaned raccoons and cute little skunks. I often feel sorry for the people making these calls because their hearts are often in the right place, but the answers they get aren’t always satisfying. In the vast majority of cases the best approach is to leave things alone. Often times we think these cute little wildlife babies have been abandoned when in actuality the parents are probably just out looking for a meal. We can’t fathom leaving a human infant alone and make that incorrect leap to wild animals.
In rare cases when wildlife is truly abandoned or orphaned the best approach is to contact either your state wildlife agency or a local wildlife rehabilitator. I will warn you that sometimes this will take several calls to talk with someone familiar with what can and/or should be done. If your first call results in a frustrating answer from the office staff at the agency, ask to talk to a wildlife official or someone in the field. In the case of rehabilitators, most take these orphans in with the eventual goal of release back to the wild at an appropriate age. With injured wildlife that can be saved they will often place them in an educational situation to help further the public’s knowledge and education of our wild planet.
I would strongly urge against attempting to take in these often cute wild babies as pets. I would say that essentially none of them make for good pets, and there are a host of issues you would be opening by attempting to domesticate them. First and foremost in my mind are the health implications. Many of these animals have the potential to carry a number of parasites that have the potential to be transmitted to you and your family, as well as some other life-threatening diseases like rabies. In addition, laws will vary from state to state, and in some areas you may actually be breaking the law with your attempt at housing these wild critters. Lastly, while cute and potentially cuddly in the beginning, these are wild animals and most will eventually turn into unmanageable pets. The raccoon pup in the above picture is no doubt cute, but as he matures that cuteness will be replaced as his natural instincts begin to take over. As a friend who does a lot of wildlife work put it, he will be an “unmanageable little jerk.”
Many of you who have followed the site are now very familiar with the two-year long struggle my Chesapeake Emma had with the dreaded disease degenerative myelopathy. [For those of you new to the site via this blog you can see more about Emma’s plight on the main site at these links: Changing of the Guard Article, First Wheelchair Hunt, and Last Hurrah]. This terrible disease is similar to MS and/or ALS in humans. It robs these magnificent companions of the use of their bodies while keeping their minds incredibly sharp. The last two years with Emma were both amazing to witness and the most devastating of my life.
There was one silver-lining to the timing of her having this condition. Early in the diagnostic process I was the Chair of the American Chesapeake Club’s Health Committee. During this time I was contacted by a neurologist/researcher at the University of Pennsylvania who had recently diagnosed degenerative myelopathy in a prominent male dog in the breed. He was interested in looking at the disease in Chesapeakes, as the smaller gene pool of the breed may help lead to a research breakthrough. I was more than willing and the club’s health committee immediately got behind the project.
As part of my own diagnostic process with Emma I traveled to the University of Missouri for an MRI and evaluation of Emma by Dr. Joan Coates, one of the leading degenerative myelopathy researchers in the country. After this visit and through subsequent follow-ups over the next two years, the researchers collaborated and the Chesapeake information was added to studies already being conducted on Boxers and Corgis.
Earlier this month the Missouri research team announced that they had identified a gene mutation that is a major risk factor for the development of degenerative myelopathy and that a test will be available sometime in July. One of the key points to note is that this is one piece of information in the understanding of the disease and an early step in the process that may lead to the elimination of this dreaded disease. Through testing and continued research, we will hopefully gain a better understanding of the genetics of this problem. At this early stage it is important that all of the information is examined and evaluated as part of the breeding process so that an over-reaction doesn’t occur to test results. Because understanding genetics and inheritance is still in its infancy it is possible that a knee-jerk reaction to one gene (i.e. eliminating all dogs with a positive test, even just carriers) could result in the magnification of another gene that may have an even worse outcome.
Here is the release from the website, they go into much more detail about the disease and what the test can mean:
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Q.) I have a two-year old weimaraner that I recently noticed had a lump. We had it removed and it showed to be a Grade II Mast Cell tumor. She was staged to see if the cancer had spread and all came back clear. I was planning to breed her but now that this has happened I do not know if I can. Is it still possible to breed her?
A.) It is still possible to breed her, but the real discussion and thought process you will have to undertake is should you breed her. The short answer, if she was my dog, would be that I wouldn’t recommend it. While some breeds of dogs have a higher tendency towards developing Mast Cell Tumors, off the top of my head, I can’t recall any genetic studies showing it has the possiblity of being an inherited trait. With that being said, I would not take the risk of passing on these genes and would not recommend breeding this dog. Two is very young to already be developing tumors, and I would at least wonder if there will be other health surprises down the road. I don’t say that intending to alarm you, or to have you sitting around waiting for the next dose of bad news. A vast majority of Mast Cell Tumors (MCT) are removed, never to be heard from again. But there are obviously some abnormalities with this particular dog that by the age of two have already manifested as cancer. There are three grades of MCTs, Grade I being the least severe and Grade III being the worst. The fact hers was a Grade II, rather than I would also concern me some.
A couple of years ago I went through a Grade III MCT with my setter Maggie (see article). While many of these tumors are very treatable, and potentially curative with removal, any type of cancer is an abnormality that likely has a component in the dog’s genes, and I wouldn’t risk passing that trait on.
My soapbox stance on breeding is that there are only two reasons to breed a dog: 1.) You have a dog that when bred to a chosen mate has the potential to better the breed, OR, 2.) You have a dog that epitomizes your chosen breed and you want to perpetuate those genetics. I realize the second point is open to interpretation; however, I think if viewed with the rose-colored glasses off and with a critical eye towards what you are looking to accomplish, you can at least attempt to make that decision objectively.
Chrissy and I recently celebrated our 10th anniversary with a trip to Lake Superior’s North Shore. We arrived to be greeted with thick, thick fog, but once it cleared we had a great time exploring the area. We had taken our honeymoon in the Duluth area but as poor college kids, at the time, it was a quick trip and we only ventured as far north as Two Harbors. This trip found us even making an excursion north of the border into Canada.
The lake for the first few days:
A couple of waterfall pictures:
Split Rock Lighthouse
We had taken a break along the shore when a flock of waxwings descended on the scene. I went back to the car for the camera set up. These were about the friendliest birds I have ever photographed. During the session I had two land on top of my head:
Posted by: The Gundogdoc @ 7:00 am
I’m going to cheat a bit with this week’s case and use one of my own dogs as an example. A little over two years ago the dogs at our house were giving us more stress with their health conditions than could be imagined. We were in the early stages of diagnosing Emma with degenerative myelopathy (see the homepage for more on Emma) and Maggie had just undergone an aggressive surgery and oncology workup after a Grade III Mast Cell Tumor diagnosis (see article).
One Saturday during all of this I was grabbing my coffee and getting ready to head out the door when I looked down at my then 14-week old puppy to see her outside right toe pointing nearly backwards. I couldn’t believe my eyes. What could have happened to cause this precious little package to have such a terrible injury?
Off to the clinic we went to determine how we were going to fix the toe of this little puppy. As I am apt to do with my own dogs I immediately thought the worst and started a complete diagnostic workup which included x-rays. I will apologize for the quality, as these were taken prior to my photography days and “fancy” camera equipment:
A closer look at the offending toe showed that it appearred to have been whittled down to a point:
For a comparison here is what that joint looks like on her good foot:
What I had on my hands wasn’t a horrendous injury but a developmental defect. Very likely, early in life she suffered some trauma to the end of the second toe bone which resulted in resorption of the end of the bone. Because of it being out at the end and not bearing a lot of weight the toe luxates (pops out of place) with no pain or problems.
Over the last two years not a lot has changed with the toe, but with that being said it has to be protected when out hunting. Without a tight joint to hold it in place it is prone to constant trauma and if she is not booted the area gets severely irritated in less than a half-day hunting.
I wanted to use this case to compare it to the discussion on hip dysplasia. Belle has an orthopedic problem causing an abnormal joint, sounds familiar right? The difference is that the likelihood of hers being some type of heriditary problem is next to zero. Too often people want to lump genetic diseases, congenital diseases and developmental diseases all in one category and that simply is not the case. A genetic disease is one written in the DNA of the dog and can be passed from generation to generation. A congenital disease is one a dog is born with but is not always genetic. So, all genetic diseases are congenital BUT not all congenital diseases are genetic. Similarly a developmental disease is one that occurs during the growth process. Here again, this may be genetic, congenital or influenced by outside factors like environment, injury and nutrition.
Back to Belle, it is a running source of banter from my wife that I think that the little dog is perfect. My response is that just like when Achilles was dipped in the River Styx and had to be held by the heel leaving one vulnerable spot; so it was with Belle when God was creating her he had to hold her by that one little toe to dip her in the perfect bucket. My sceptical wife scoffs at this explanation and points to the wonder dog being tormented by song birds in the backyard.
A number of veterinary publications and pet-related blogs have been abuzz with a story from across the pond in which a top government veterinary official warned of the dangers of sleeping with pets…on the bed or even in the bedroom. Unfortunately (or fortunately for two tri-colored setters) his rationale did not contain much logical thought or reason. He sited examples of SARS coming from various animals and the Hendra virus from bats. The last I checked none of the animals he discussed were commonly found in the house, let alone the bedroom, of most pet owners. One interesting and potentially concerning fact is that the article did note that it is thought some 10 percent of dogs carry the superbug MRSA—a very resistant bacteria.
I’ll be the first to admit my dogs share our bedroom. They each have their own dog beds and go to “their place” when the lights go out. Our youngest setter, Belle, occassionally finds her way to our bed in the middle of the night and it does not bother me in the least. I’m not advocating this is for everyone; however, a species-jumping disease is about the least of my worries. About the only thing I worry about catching from my girls is a sore back from an awkward sleeping position to make room for them on the bed.
It just goes to show that sometimes even the experts can get a little off track with their thought process. To read the article take a look here.
Q.) I have a one-year-old yellow lab. Yesterday we had a get-together at our breeder with a lot of dogs and a lot of running. When we got home we noticed that she had worn off half of her right rear foot pad. It is still attached just flopping there. There is no bleeding just tender pad under the flap. Will this heal on its own or should I go see my vet?
The second, and most common, is more of an abrasion injury where the surface of the pad is either worn off or torn off. The thick outer layer is disturbed leaving an area of open wound exposed below. These are often very tender injuries, and you can expect a dog to be lame for a number of days with this type of injury. When dealing with these injuries there are two things you will want to do: keep the area clean and provide a good healing environment. My typical recommendation is to clean the affected area twice a day with a simple saline rinse and then apply a product like EMT gel or spray.
If it looks like the area is getting worse, becoming infected, is deeper than an abrasion on the surface or you are concerned, do not hesitate to have your veterinarian take a look.
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I have becomed obsessed with the native birds of the prairie. Each spring I trek out in the wee hours of the morning to capture images of these magnificent birds as they go through their spring mating rituals. I had hoped to make multiple trips out to photograph these amazing birds, but a number of factors conspired to limit me to this one trip.
And a godwit for good measure
