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I apologize for the sporadic nature of my posting over the last two weeks. The hosting company we use has been having problems with the BLOG portion of my site due to the fact my site is hosted on an “old” server. Thankfully our relaunch of the site, only a few short weeks away, will coincide with a migration to a more modern server with better BLOG-hosting capabilities.
My intentions are to continue to post with the same schedule I have used since the launch of the BLOG; however, some days I am unable to access the site (i.e. Monday’s Ask the Vet and Wednesday’s News this week). I apologize for the slight interruption in consistency but please stick with us as we undergo this transition over the next couple of weeks and I promise the new site will deliver content light years beyond the current.
Thanks,
Joe
While penetrating/migrating seeds should be a big fear for all dog owners, as illustrated in our last case, sometimes the very covers we spend hours and days in every fall can be just as harmful. My officemate had a lab that came in last fall with a small wound on his foot after pheasant hunting corn stubble all weekend. The wound appeared to be a small injury on the bottom surface of the paw, which was cleaned and the dog was placed on antibiotics. The dog appeared to be getting better with the wound on the bottom healing; however, about a week later the owners noticed a similar wound on the top of the paw.
With this new development a migrating foreign body was suspected and the dog was anesthetized for surgery. In this picture you can see how small the wound appeared at the time of surgery:
After the wound was explored it was quickly evident the extent of the wound on how deep the problem was:
Once the area was explored a piece of corn stalk was extracted. In the picture you can see the length of the piece. This dog had hunted for an entire day after the injury and outside of a small wound on the surface showed very little discomfort. 
Dogs will never cease to amaze me with the level of pain and discomfort they are able to endure while doing what they love. Even with adequate veterinary care, they are sometimes able to mask the seriousness of the problem. It is for this reason that I can’t stress enough the importance of understanding your healthy dog to the fullest so that when things are even slightly off kilter you may be able to pick up on them and address the problem before it becomes a serious issue.
Take the time to examine your dog after every session in the field and deal with problems as they occur to help ensure the best outcome for your hunting partner.
An exciting new website was launched this month, Strideaway.com. The website is sure to offer a unique insight to the sport of field trialing by providing information on this great American tradition from the unique perspectives of the top dog trainers, judges, competitors, photographers and veterinary health professionals from all parts of the country.
There are a number of dog- and hunting-related “discussion” boards on the internet, but nothing quite like Strideaway. In my mind what places this site at the head of the class is that you will know the qualifications of the person authoring the post when it is made. While wonderful resources in their own right, the numerous discussion board-type sites are essentially unpoliced and rampant with internet experts who oftentimes boldly post at a whim with no basis in the poster’s knowledge or personal experience. Now, this isn’t to say that you will always agree wtih the content of the entries at Strideaway; however, at the end of the day you’ll be able to evaluate what is being said against the expertise and the experience of the person making the post. A truly unique and exciting method in this internet age and a move forward for a sport that has arguably been reluctant to embrace change.
To borrow from the site’s introduction page:
“Strideaway is an online publication dedicated to
and promoting the great sport of American Field Trials and the dogs
that compete in them. The objective is to present the voices and ideas
of experienced trainers, handlers, breeders and other knowledgable
participants whether they are involved with All Age or Shooting Dogs,
horseback or walking trials with particular emphasis on wild bird
trials and the dogs that compete in them. We will be adding interviews,
articles, stories and quotes on a regular basis and hope to provide an
expanding source of information relevant to field trials.”
To learn more visit the site here: STRIDEAWAY.COM
Q.) We have a male black lab that is 11 years old About four or five years ago he developed a growth on his head. At first it looked like a black tick. Since then it has gradually grown and is now more than half-inch across, and a quarter inch high with a lumpy, uneven surface. It bleeds easily if bumped but doesn’t seem to bother him. What should we do?
A.) I’m not one for messing around with lumps and bumps. They aren’t supposed to be there, so I like to get them off and find out what they are. In this particular case there are a number of red flags that would make me want to get it off even quicker: the black color (I’d worry about melanoma), the fact it is growing in size, the irregular nature to its shape, and the fact it bleeds regularly. Any of these alone would result in my recommending it be removed, the fact they are occurring together would be even more concerning.
Certainly there are a number of benign masses that also can have these characteristics. The fact that it has been there for years is also a good thing from the perspective of being benign. For my own dogs I’m a cut it off and send it in to find out what it is type of guy, and I strongly recommend this to my clients as well.
Now I’m sure there are some readers out there with lumpy-bumpy dogs that are thinking I’d go broke taking off every single mass that my dog gets, and you may be correct. I strongly recommend initially taking masses off; however, once a pattern of benign masses is established I’m also comfortable with monitoring some lumps and bumps by doing needle aspirates instead of full-on surgical removals. The key here is to know what you are dealing with first and to make an educated plan with your veterinarian.
The dog in these pictures is not a sporting dog; however, the condition I treated him for is by far one I absolutely dread in sporting dogs. This year’s combination of a cold wet spring and a humid summer have combined to produce one of the worst crops of foxtails I have ever seen in the five years that I’ve lived in South Dakota. While plants and seeds appear harmless and often provide cover for the very birds that we pursue, they can also harbor deadly consequences for our dogs.
For those of you who have followed the site you may remember Maggie’s near death experience with a migrating Canada Rye awn (very similar to a foxtail), take a look at my BLOG entry HERE for a recap. In addition the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Club has devoted an entire page, committee and task force to dealing with this problem of migrating grass awn foreign bodies, see their page HERE. This is a very serious condition that, depending on the location of the seed, can be expensive to treat (several thousand dollars) or, a much worse outcome, is a very likely death for some dogs.
Tuesday I had an appointment on the schedule that was listed as a “check ears.” Since summer is a time when we see a lot of ear and skin problems, I didn’t give too much thought to the case prior to walking in the room. After talking with the owner it sounded like the dog had been outside and all of a sudden started having problems with the right ear. On exam the left ear looked completely normal; however, when I shifted to the right all was not right. While the ear did not look like an infected ear, the dog would go absolutely crazy with me just attempting to look at the ear. At this point I strongly suggested we sedate the dog to take a look.
After sedating the dog, the external portions of the ear still did not look too irritated after I was able to lift the ear flap:
Upon deeper exam I could only see what looked to be “odd” hairs that were protruding from the ear drum. I inserted an alligator forceps through the scope to remove the out-of-place hairs. A terrible sound imminated as the object came back through the ear drum. As I got the material out I was in shock to find a migrating seed awn that had penetrated the ear drum:
I had to go back in and remove several other pieces of the seed. It was the only awn present on the dog after a thorough exam, but had it been left to migrate any further could have had devastating effects.
Ironically the morning of this incident found Maggie aggressively licking at a rear foot. Upon closer exam she had an area that appeared to be a ruptured abscess between two toes, very likely the result of a seed awn migration. On Sunday we had trained in an area loaded with foxtails. I had healed the dogs around the area and closely examined them after the training session, but sometimes with even the best defenses these plant awns can sneak through.
The moral of the story: Check your dogs after each time in the field and attempt to avoid cover with these types of plants. If your dog should experience an unexplained swelling or infection that your veterinarian cannot explain please bring up the possibility of a migrating foreign body as it just might change your friends life.
The AKC Humane fund, in conjunction with Pfizer Animal Health, has launched a website to help battle canine obesity. I’d love to tell you that while obesity is a problem in the general population, it isn’t with sporting dogs, but that would be a lie. I’m continually amazed at the number of overweight dogs that come in to the practice with owners who insist they are a top-notch hunting dog. I often cringe in disbelief, as I can only imagine these overweight, out-of-shape dogs suffering from heat stroke early in the season and an ACL injury down the road.
I often bring up that these hunting dogs are athletes in the truest sense of the word, and as such, they need to be kept in optimum shape year round, not just during hunting season. If your hunting partner has a problem battling the bulge check out the site at:
StopCanineObesity.com
Note: I apologize for my absence in posting towards the end of last week. I took part in a sprint triathlon this past weekend and spent the end of last week focusing my efforts on not drowning. I made it through the event and am here to post another day.
Q.) I have a seven-month old lab that has a very large fluid-filled lump on his ear. It is not hurting him and he still plays and is acting the same. I have been giving him Benadryl with no changes. What could this be?
A.) If the swelling is a large amount of fluid under the skin of the ear flap your dog likely has a hematoma. Essentially it is a pocket of blood with no place to go. Very likely your dog has been shaking his head, which resulted in the busting of blood vessels, which caused the blood to leak out and be trapped between the cartilage of the ear and the skin. Two things need to be addressed: one is to have the fluid in the ear drained. This often requires a surgery of some sort and will range from placing a drain in the ear, or the area of the swelling will be opened up (by a number of different methods) and sutured back down to the cartilage.
The second important point in treatment is to determine why your dog is shaking its head and address that problem to limit further trauma in the future. This time of year we will often see these problems as a result of fly bites in outdoor dogs. The other issue, and most common, is an ear infection causing irritation.
Ear hematomas almost always need veterinary attention to get them healed correctly. The structure of the ear, with the skin overlaying the cartilage, makes it nearly impossible for the fluid to go away on its own. I would strongly recommend having your pup looked at by your veterinarian.
Q.) I have an eight-year old Labrador that I think has come down with Lyme or Tick Fever. I talked with a vet a week ago and he told me to wait a few days and see how he does. The problem is he has not eaten much in four days, has a fever, extended abdominal area and is making a lot of gutteral sounds. Please can you help me in anyway, I administered some antibiotics twice and he isn’t getting any better?
A.) I can’t stress enough that in some cases it is just best to get an accurate diagnosis so that you can treat the correct disease. I would be worried with the distended abdomen and GI sounds that there is some other issue going on with your dog. Typically the tick borne illnesses result in lethargy, arthritis, etc and not the symptoms you are describing. Since multiple days have passed since your conversation with your veterinarian it would be a good idea to take him in to the clinic. In situations like these there just are no home remedies to try at this point.
There is also a possibility, with an older dog, such as yours, that there are multiple issues at play. I’m not advocating that you need to run to the vet every time your dog is feeling a little off; however, when that lasts for more than a couple of days, it becomes important to get to the bottom of the issue. Best of luck.
My wife and I spent the fourth working and didn’t have any major plans. Our small town puts on a fireworks display each year and these pictures were taken from my deck:
Happy Fourth a couple of days late!!!
WARNING: THE ENTRY BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES THAT SOME MAY FIND DISTURBING
We deal with a number of unpleasant situations in the veterinary field. Thankfully I have a strong stomach and very few things still gross me out. One of the big exceptions is maggots. No matter how many times you experience them, it is something I can never get used to. I had initially planned on discussing fly bites with this week’s Case of the Week, and particularly the nasty skin infections they can cause around the ear tips of dogs. Then this springer walked into the practice, and I had to discuss one of the most terrible summertime issue we see…maggots.
I’d like to be able to tell you that we only see maggots very rarely, but unfortunately it seems to be a yearly occurrence. The most common site of maggot infestation is around the rectum and down into the groin. Often it will occur after a bout with loose stools that become matted in the fur and attract flies, which then result in maggots. The other common precursor to maggots is a wound that goes untreated or is rather large. In this particular case I am about to illustrate the dog had a tumor on its foot that had become infected, which in turn attracted the flies.
This is one of the situations that is extremely frustrating to me as a dog lover. I realize that not everyone can keep their dogs indoors; however, I still think we have a responsibility as pet owners to check on them to make sure situations like this don’t occur. Maggots do not infect an area overnight. Often the area of infection has been going on for a while in order for it to get to the level of maggot involvement. To be quite honest I feel the same way about severe fly bites on the ears; there are plenty of products available to help repel flies, and while you might get caught off guard with the first episode of fly bite it is something that should be dealt with immediately to prevent further discomfort. As pet owners we have a responsibility to treat and protect the animals in our care.
This is a picture of the dog’s foot, and while the infection is nasty the result isn’t immediately obvious:
Upon closer exam things do not look so good:
Every white speck in the above photo is a maggot inside this dog’s body.
Now, before I get asked the question how I could let this dog continue to suffer while I snapped pictures, I will say the dog was not suffering. Unfortunately he had been put to sleep because of this tumor, and the maggots were discovered after. I was so disgusted that this had happened. I felt that he wouldn’t have suffered in vain if at least one dog owner prevents this from happening to their outdoor dog as a result of this post.
While summer is typically too hot for much dog training and we are just starting to think about hunting seasons a mere two months away, please, please, please don’t forget about your hunting buddy out in that kennel.