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Thanksgiving week for the last couple of years has meant an extended hunting trip for Dad and me. With Maggie’s situation and more precipitation in the forecast, it was looking like we may have to cancel or reschedule this year’s trip. Knowing that we weren’t going to get Maggie’s results until Tuesday, I decided that if Maggie was doing ok we’d still take off for the trip with Belle shouldering the load.
Saturday night it was looking like the crew at home would be fine…except for Lily. I just couldn’t feel good about leaving the little devil at home terrorizing Maggie and Chrissy while they tried to keep Maggie quiet. So after all the gear was loaded in the truck, we put the small kennel in the back and decided to take the little cocker on her first big hunting trip.
Sunday we awoke to snow and icy roads, which meant we got a late start. When we arrived out West the roads were muddy gumbo, and it was looking like Mother Nature was going to have a hand in the hunt once again. We decided to make the best of it and hit a pheasant spot with Belle, as the grouse covers were going to be tough to access. The plan with Lily was not to hunt over her, but rather take her out on training sessions and runs when Belle needed a rest. Since we got a late start that first day she only got one run and had plenty of energy in the motel that night. When her favorite activity was jumping between the motel beds, I was worried this may have been a mistake:
The next couple of days were a different story, and she quickly became part of the hunting team. I’m still doing all my training sans collar but did run her in the field with the Astro…just in case. How can something this cute be so, so naughty:
The first couple of outings went very well, and I decided that I’d have Dad start firing the blank pistol when I’d give her retrieves and we eventually graduated to the shotgun. Do you think she was having fun:
She even undertook important tasks like learning to drink out of the water bottle:
By the third day of the trip we were firing on all cylinders. We had found a small pheasant hot spot where we had ended the previous couple of days with some success. Belle was struggling a bit with uncooperative grouse but she was smoking hot on the pheasants. During the course of the field Dad had dropped a double. Belle was in thick cover over by me. Unfortunately the greatest downfall I have found with these setters is that they are not super enthused about hunting dead. We covered the area for about 30 minutes looking for the downed pair with no success. We marked the area in the cover and continued to hunt with a plan to come back later.
We finished out the field and headed back to the truck and drove closer to the spot of the downed birds. It was just after sunset and the light was fading fast. I decided I’d get the little dog out along with Belle “just in case.” We again scoured the area to no avail. I decided to head to the adjacent ditch and make one more swing up it with Lily. About midway up a truck came screaming over the hill and I called Belle in to grab her by the collar. Just as the truck past and I released the dogs Lily went straight in the ditch and bounced on a bundle of grass. To my udder shock and amazement the first wounded rooster was recovered. Dad happened to have his camera on him and wanted a picture of the event. As we made our way to a spot to take the picture the little dog ran up the ditch and bounced again recovering the second rooster. Two birds that we thought had been lost were suddenly discovered by this little white wonder. I love this picture because if you look close the bird is longer than the dog:
A trip that was looking like the previous three, with poor weather, had certainly turned into an amazing adventure. The next day the roads had dried some and we were finally able to give the grouse a legitimate attempt. I’d like to tell you how Belle handled the birds superbly and the trip was a success. This wasn’t the case with these late season birds. They were continually running and jumping on the little setter and the dog that was nailing roosters less than 12 hours previous was not looking like she hadn’t ever seen a game bird. I managed to scratch down my birds, but they weren’t over flawless dog work, which was a little disappointing in an otherwise memorable trip:
All-in-all a memorable trip in a year that had been filled with frustration and heartache up to this point. My Dad made a profound observation during the trip that really gave me pause. By most people’s accounts I’m a relatively young guy; however, here I was on a trip with essentially my second generation of hunting dogs. It seems just like yesterday when I had traveled to Missouri to pick up Emma or Green Bay for Maggie, and here I was in one of my favorite places on earth to share with my dogs without either of those girls. It really drove home the point that time waits for no one. Thankfully it looks like Maggie will once again be up for future adventures, and while nothing will replace the memories of the adventures we’ve had in the past…I think this second generation of bird dogs have already started to write their own chapters in my heart:
Well, it’s been a continued roller coaster ride since my last Maggie post. On Friday I received a call from the surgeon that the initial pathology reports were looking more like cancer than an injury. We would know more after they performed some special stains to help sort out what type of cells were present, and whether it was a response to injury or a cancerous process. That meant another weekend of waiting, because the results would not be available until Monday, late in the day, or Tuesday.
When my phone hadn’t rang by Tuesday at 2 pm I knew something was up and called back down to Iowa State. I was told that the pathologist on the case was out of town and we wouldn’t have results for another week. This was completely unacceptable to me, so I got on the horn to the pathology department, and as luck would have it one of the pathologists I hold in the highest regard was in the process of sorting out the slides even before my call. He called me back within 30 minutes and after talking him through the history and comparing the information from my end with what he was seeing, he was very confident that all of the abnormalities were associated with an injury and the repair process. The cells definitely had the characteristics of a cancerous tumor (basically tumors grow rapidly, as does damaged/repairing tissue), which explained the slowness of the diagnostic process. Two weeks after the initial event, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Maggie continues to improve dramatically, though we are still facing two more weeks of forced rest. After that we’ll start the physical therapy process, and I currently have the over-ambitious goal of one last end of the season hunt. I have two posts that I’ll try to share in the next week, a detailed account of the events of the last week, and a recounting of the unbelievable number of injuries and near-death experiences this dog has had in her seven short years.
Even though we have been busy taking care of Maggie, between icing the leg and sitting in the waiting room I did manage some site updates:
- New Podcast - In addition to our regular content we feature an interview with Upland Journal Creator Brad Eden. For more information on the podcasts visit the Podcast Page.
- Ask The Vet - I updated with two new questions this week. We address ACLs and tendon injuries in the latest update to the Ask The Vet page.
We’re still waiting for the results of a biopsy, but I thought I’d post a quick update. Monday found us on the road bright and early back to Ames. A recheck ultrasound showed that the “mass” was more visible and a follow-up aspirate still was suspicious of cancer. Several emergencies were presented on Monday which meant that Maggie had to wait until Tuesday morning for surgery. After dealing with this for nearly a week my patience was wearing thin and Monday night was a long night in the motel room.
After a sleepless night, Tuesday finally arrived, and I’m happy to report that surgery went extremely well. The “mass” from ultrasound was a large conglomeration of blood clots present in the muscle itself. A disease known as compartment syndrome. Several of the surgeons, many with over 30 years of experience, had never seen it present like it was in Maggie. Because of the odd nature of the injury they still took some biopsy to see if we could find an answer for the suspicious cells and the resulting bleeding. With how much of a hard charger she is it’s now the opinion of all we are dealing with an injury.
Currently she is resting comfortably and if all goes well we will be able to start activity again in two weeks. Once I have the biopsy results I’ll post the full story, including images from the ultrasound and a discussion on how the injury likely occurred, what’s going on in her body and the resulting nerve damage (hopefully temporary). Needless to say Maggie’s days of pheasant hunting are over, at some point I’ll make a post of the crazy injuries she’s had as a result of pheasant hunting, and if she fully recovers she will be resigned to a prairie bird dog…though I’m guessing there are worse fates.
Many thanks for all of the kind words and thoughts. Keep us in your prayers and as soon as I get the final word, later this week, I’ll post the rest of the story.
Thanks,
Joe (and Maggie)
This season has been one bad dream. I live my entire year for fall, and I’ve yet to have anything go right. Wednesday I attempted to get out to salvage the vacation that was ruined by the blizzard that hit South Dakota. After getting some office work done in the morning I loaded the three dogs up in the truck and headed for some public shooting areas.
Lily was on the ground first and is really coming along with her work in the field. I’m still not doing anything more than taking her for walks, working on obedience and laying the groundwork for retrieving. With that being said, she is a blast in the field nonetheless. Next up was Belle. There was still a fair amount of snow on the ground, and it was in the process of melting quickly. I was soaked after running Lily and figured we would just be going on a walk, because I suspected the pheasants would want no part of the melting snow. Almost immediately Belle went on point and up popped a tight sitting rooster that I managed to connect on. Next up was a hen point and a second rooster that sat so tight I kicked the cover multiple times before finally stepping on the bird. Belle had done her part, but the close-sitting bird had managed to scare me, and I promptly whiffed on three quick shots. We continued with two more stellar points on hens. Belle had been somewhat iffy all season and her performance was nearly perfect and her intensity on point had returned.
It was getting late in the day and I needed to get back to town to take my beautiful bride out for her birthday. Not wanting Maggie to be left out I took her out for a quick 15 minute run down a fence line and back. When I got back to the truck from running Belle a friend was in the parking lot and walked with me as Maggie burned off some pent up energy. I lamented on how good of bird dog she was but was just a walking accident due to only having one speed while working. Back at the truck all seemed fine after a quick once over and we headed for home.
At home I went to let the dogs out of the truck only to find Maggie not using a back leg. Initially I wasn’t too concerned, as the crusty snow had dinged up their feet and I figured it was a momentary irritation. I went about unloading the truck prior to letting them in the house. She was still carrying the back leg so I decided to have a closer look. I nearly threw up when I felt her calf: it was huge, rock hard and painful. All of these can be symptoms of a ruptured Achilles, but with her history I was also worried about some type of weird tumor that had been traumatized during the run. I would have only been thinking injury; however, she was completely normal at the truck and it was whatever happened during the ride home that resulted in the lameness. We canceled our dinner plans, started icing the leg and hoped for the best.
We awoke the next morning to a leg that was about three times normal size. I took her into the clinic for x-rays, which only showed the swelling and was quickly on the phone with one of the best veterinarians I know, thankfully still practicing at my alma mater, Iowa State. After a quick rearranging of the clinic schedule I loaded up an overnight bag and headed for Iowa State.
After being examined by internal medicine specialists, surgeons and radiologist, an injury was highest on the list, but with the oddity of the swelling (none of them had seen anything like it) cancer was also on that list. On ultrasound there was a defined area within the swelling and I was going to have to wait overnight for the results of the aspirate. That night in the motel room I took some pictures of the affected leg:
The next day we returned to the hospital and the news was not good. The samples taken from the swelling within the muscle showed cells that were highly suggestive of cancer. This wasn’t a guarantee of cancer, but it suddenly rose to the top of the list of possibilities. I couldn’t have been more devastated. Even though it was the very reason I made the trip, I had hoped it was just an overreaction on my part. The rest of the day was spent doing more ultrasounds and x-rays of Maggie, looking for any sign of cancer in her body. Thankfully everything kept coming back clear.
The surgeons took another look at her to determine whether they could go in and take a look for an exploration of the abnormality. It was determined that the best course would be to wait through the weekend and hope some of the swelling and hemorrhage in the leg resolved. Late in the day on Friday we pointed the car back home and drove the five-hour drive in rain, sleet, snow and wind.
We have spent this weekend icing Maggie’s leg and giving her a cocktail of medications to help with pain, discomfort and swelling. I’m very happy to report that she appears to be responding well to the treatment, and while it doesn’t necessarily help with the diagnosis we’re at least going in the right direction. For comparison here are some pictures from today:
and
and one from the inside:
We’re heading back bright and early in the morning for a follow-up ultrasound, followed by a surgery to explore the site, if the suspicious mass is still present. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next couple of days. This little dog has been nothing but trouble since day one, but at the end of the day she is a one-of-a-kind and we love her. I’ve never in my life wished so much that a dog had a terrible muscle injury, but in this case it would make me a very, very happy guy.
I’ll keep you posted.
We are very excited to announce that Janeen at Smartdog’s Weblog has bestowed upon us the prestigious honor of a Superior Scribbler Award. For those of you who haven’t checked out the Smartdog site it should definitely be added to your favorites. Janeen’s site was one of the first blogs I started checking out regularly and find it a continued source of excellent information and writing. Without further ado:
In accepting this highest honor there are a few rules that we must keep in the spirit of the award. These include:
- Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
- Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
- Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
- Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post
and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to
keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor! - Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.
Now that we have dispensed with the formalities of the award, in no particular order, I’d like to name my five scribblers:
- Dr. Shawn Waymett’s Setter Feathers and Grouse Tales–Birddogdoc Chronicles BLOG. Shawn has pointing dogs, an English Cocker and may be the only veterinarian I know that gets to hunt more days than me. He shares some great information and spectacular pictures from his adventures. We’ve talked about getting together for the last two years, and after seeing some of his pictures from this year I have to try to make it out there.
- Next up is Strideaway a site devoted to the great sport of American Field Trials. The content of the site features articles, stories, photography and so much more.
- Stepping away from dog specific sites, but keeping in the outdoors is Matt Crawford’s Vermont Field Journal. I’ve never met Matt outside of the internet’s hunting bulletin boards and email. I enjoy his writings (both internet and print) and while the Vermont Field Journal may have a regional ring to it, I would recommend checking it out.
- From north of the border, is ChiendogBlog. Taking from Craig’s tagline: “Random, vaguely relevant thoughts of a dog nut with too many cameras.”….hey I may resemble that statement. I’d be completely remiss if I didn’t also share a link to Craig’s photography site HERE.
- And last, but certainly not least on my bloggie list is a site that features some great pictures of dogs and western bird hunting with links to other blogs that feature dogs and western bird hunting: Brad McCardle’s site For Love of Dogs and Birds. I always thought that I lived in paradise here in South Dakota, but after my trip through Montana early this fall, I have to concede that it is Brad that is living in paradise.
We’ve added a couple of updates to the site this week:
- New Photo Gallery — I have a new rig for the camera while hunting. See some of the dog shots HERE
- New Ask The Vet — Dealing with pad cracks CLICK HERE
- Case of the Month — Its actually the case for October, and it is a rehash of an old blog on a hip dysplasia post. CLICK HERE
Monday morning dawned with the sliver still embedded in Belle’s eye. I had purchased some new equipment, borrowed some magnification and tried like heck to get the little piece out Friday and Saturday, but it just was too small. I set the alarm for four in the morning and loaded Belle up and we headed to Omaha to visit Dr. Tonya McIlnay at Veterinary Eye Specialists of Nebraska. I had spoken with Dr. McIlnay via phone a couple of times over the last year, but this was going to be my first visit to her facility.
Veterinary ophthalmologists are few and far between in the Midwest, and I’m happy to report that we have a great one in Dr. McIlnay in this part of the country. Prior to her recent arrival in Omaha our closest options were Ames, Iowa, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Unfortunately it is one of the few veterinary specialties that is a necessity for many dog owners. It is important on two fronts: one, because the eyes are such fragile organs and for anything beyond the basics a boarded specialist is needed, and two, because in order to get a CERF performed on a breeding dog the exam has to be performed by an board-certified ophthalmologist.
Thankfully for Belle the appointment was a quick one. I had planned on spending most of the day in Omaha, as I was certain they would end up having to put her under and they were working me in on an already busy Monday. With me holding, Belle cooperating, and Dr. McIlnay’s steady hands, we attempted to address the issue in the exam room. The initial attempts were unsuccessful, as the plant piece was incredibly small. Dr. McIlnay had one more trick to try prior to going the surgical route, which involved physically grabbing Belle’s eyeball with an instrument in order to better manipulate the foreign body. It’s times like this that I’m thankful for well-behaved dogs, as Belle was a trooper and Dr. McIlnay was able to remove the offending piece. After arriving home it became obvious how much discomfort Belle had been in, because she immediately returned to eating with veracity and her winning personality returned.
I can’t thank Dr. McIlnay enough for her help and I have to strongly recommend her to any of you who are in this part of the country. For more information you can visit their website at: Veterinary Eye Specialists of Nebraska.
Belle and Dr. McIllnay after the offending piece of plant had been removed:
I’m happy to report that it would appear that everyone is back to full-strength. Maggie has been getting around well and shown no further symptoms of her back issues. I’m still in the boot but my foot is actually beginning to feel better, and Belle no longer has a stick in her eye. Of course as I type this the wind is howling and the snow is coming down hard with the season’s first blizzard. But hey, at least the dogs are healthy.
So far this season has been a disaster. I should just be thankful that I’m able to get out, but with the calamity that has resulted I’ve been anything but thrilled to this point. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but if it weren’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have any luck at all.
Last weekend Dad and I managed to sneak away for a multi-day hunt. The first day of the trip we were treated to winds over 60 MPH. Yes that was SIX ZERO miles per hour. While hunting the first spot of the day Dad had a rooster flush in front of him, and at less than 30 yards I could not hear the discharge of the gun. As we neared the truck we both agreed nothing good could come of hunting in these conditions. All was not lost though, as the small stock dams had a good amount of waterfowl on them, and although we didn’t have a retriever along, the wind would help us on that front. I managed a successful sneak on a group before breaking for lunch for the day.
The next day dawned nearly perfect and we decided to hunt hard to make up for the previous day, most of which was spent napping in the truck. The dogs, I thought, were in fine form:
Maggie had other plans, managing to rough up both front legs (between the feet and wrists) at the first spot we hunted. At the second spot I went through a panic situation that I hadn’t had to endure for a number of years. Maggie stumbled up to me with a bug-eyed look and clearly couldn’t see well. Her gait became very herky-jerky and I knew she was in trouble. The day was very cool and I had been using an in-the-field supplement to prevent this type of problem. For the last three or four years she hasn’t had any issues like this, and I thought they were well behind us. I immediately grabbed the first-aid kit to get the dog some sugar (in the form of dextrose), as I was certain she was experiencing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). We alternated carrying her out of the field and the little dog was done for the day.
With Maggie on the bench we asked Belle to shoulder most of the load. By the end of the day she was tapped. As luck would have it we ran in to a friend of mine who I had been trying to hunt with for the previous few years. The timing had never worked out before, but fate intervened, and we ended up arriving at the same area late in the afternoon. The birds were less than cooperative, and during the last field I left the gun in the truck and followed with the camera. My friend’s GSP Annie was a joy to watch in the field and put on a show on a couple of pheasants:
The next day was even more beautiful than the first, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing from a hunting perspective. We did manage a couple of birds prior to heading home and both dogs hunted like a million bucks. My wife had tickets to a dinner event where Tom Brokaw was the keynote speaker, and my presence was strongly suggested, so we cut the trip short and returned home.
I awoke Wednesday to an all too familiar squint from Belle. I examined her eye closely and didn’t see anything immediately obvious. Even after staining her eye, I noticed only a few minor scrapes along the top part of her eye but nothing concerning. Later in the day I brought home the head loop from the clinic for a magnified view only to find an extremely small sliver embedded in her eye. The small plant piece was less than the diameter of a piece of hair and about 1mm long. I couldn’t believe it. Here we were heading into the month of November, looking to make up for lost time, and I was looking at Maggie with two raw legs and blood sugar issues, Belle with another corneal foreign body and me with a stress fracture of my left foot. This fall wasn’t exactly turning out the way I had hoped with all three members of the team trying to play injured.
I made several attempts to remove the object from Belle’s eye, but in the end I couldn’t find an instrument fine enough or magnification strong enough to get it done. In the morning we will be pointing the car south as we head to Omaha for a visit to an ophthalmologist. I’m really hoping it turns around from here.
Stay tuned for Belle’s latest adventure. I love these setters but it is getting to be a little like hunting with glass figurines.