Hunting dog saved in the field

[Sundby]

I though this would be a good topic to start to help us all out while in the field, and what we can do in certain situations, last season me and my hunting buddy were hunting pheasants along a irrigation ditch, his lab decided that he wanted to go for a swim in it and jumped in, before we knew it he was swept into a culvert that went under the road, it was one of those 4 or 5ft culverts that was about 30 feet long, we did not know what to do and started to kinda panick, about 30 seconds or longer, which felt like an eternity he popped out the other end of the culvert floating, we quickly got him on the bank and he wasn't moving, his eyes were rolled back and we didn't think he would make it, we had no idea what to do so we started pushing on his chest and blowing in his nose, about a minute later we finally got his eyes open and he started throwing up, and came to, it was a very scary moment, he was shivering the whole way home and still throwing up, my buddy said he still didn't seem himself and brought him to the vet where he sad he had hypothermia and treated him for it, all said dog is doing great a year later and a eye opener for us.

[Rod W]

Just yesterday, I heard on the radio where 2 dogs out for a walk/run with their owner had jumped into the fast flowing river which carried them rapidly downstream and pulled them under the ice--------------I can't imagine what the owner was thinking afterwards! We've all been there, just luckier. My heart goes out to the gent!

[mountaindogs]

scary stuff!

Here are some useful links
https://www.avma.org/public/EmergencyCa ... wners.aspx follow the links on this page to specific topics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JHdrojxzSw

[lugmastro]

I am glad that is not a concern I have right now. That would be a really bad day. Thankfully your buddy's dog is fine and still hunting.

[ChetB]

Quite a few years ago, one of my GSP's took a violent head-over-heels tumble while chasing a rabbit in a stubble field. From my vantage point about 50 yards away, it looked pretty bad as she just lay in a heap until I got to her. She was very wobbly when she finally stood up, her left eyelid was half closed and her eye appeared to be rolled up and outward. We were more than an hour away from home, but I was fortunate enough to find a Vet nearby who just happened to have weekend hours. Her cornea was scratched, he removed some debris from her eye and administered some drops that he instructed me to use three or four times a day. In the end, everything turned out fine, but I'm darned glad I was able to get her immediate attention.


Chet

[Ms. Cage]

Years ago a friends Chessie jump in the river at spring break up. Swept under the ice and never seen again. My friend and young children stood on the bank , helpless and horrified.

[Sundby]

That is too bad. I always think about that pheasant hunting during early ice, along sloughs and creeks.

Years ago a friends Chessie jump in the river at spring break up. Swept under the ice and never seen again. My friend and young children stood on the bank , helpless and horrified.

[41magsnub]

My uncle lost his favorite lab retrieving a pheasant that way years ago. He still tears up a little when he talks about it.

[reba]

45 years ago I had a black lab sucked into a pool and down into a 3 foot diameter culvert. I ran to the other side of the road to see him shoot out into the full three foot diameter stream like a rocket and he was stroking full tilt. We were truly blessed that day.

[natel24]

Just this past Saturday my dog and I were hunting at a nearby club and he gashed his chest open somehow, I'm guessing on some old barb wire somewhere. I didn't notice until after the hunt when I was checking him out. (something I think everyone should do) it wasn't life or death by any means but I was glad I had my first aid kit (something every hunter should have) with just to get it cleaned up and bandaged. 15 or so stitches from the vet and he's doing fine.

[Sharon]

Years ago a friends Chessie jump in the river at spring break up. Swept under the ice and never seen again. My friend and young children stood on the bank , helpless and horrified.

Wow. That's always a fear of mine. The fact is that when we let that dog off the leash , a myriad of bad things can happen. That's the risk we take in having a gun dog.

[Trekmoor]

Some horrifying things can happen even when the dogs owner thinks everything will be O.K. I've had a GSP run at full tilt into the end of a broken branch hidden among some cover. It skewered his chest and then broke off about level with his skin. The vet had to remove the branch end from him.

I've had a lab return to me with her guts sticking out of a tear in her stomach, I have no idea what she tore herself on but the vet said it took him ages to remove all the bits of bramble prickles from her gut before stitching her up.

Near where I live is a piped culvert and I avoid it now. My cocker "Dax" is a bit of a water baby and I found out the hard way that he likes going into it and out the far end just for fun. I am scared that one day he will go into it and get stuck partway along by jammed branches or similar.

Bill T.

[Odin]

Just recently took first aid course and noticed the offered a pet first aid course, might look into it. As hard as my dog goes there are very few times that he doesn't end up with at least a few cuts.

[hi-tailyn]

Was roading "Brandi" my then 2 yr old GSP 30 min then free run back to where we started. The turn around point was just past a 500yd long bridge that crossed a small shallow finger of area lake. About half way across the bridge while I was driving a couple hundred ft. behind her. She stopped then turned 90 degrees and hit the rail and leaped off the 30+ ft high bridge. I raced to where she jumped off and leaned over looking every where for her. I noticed it was only about 3 ft deep. I thought she might be stuck on the bottom. I actually debated several times if I should jump off to be able to help her. After yelling for her and racing up and down the rail I couldn't see her. About what seemed like forever I went to the other side of the bridge and there she was swimming around in circles. I ran down the bridge leaning over the rail coaxing for her to swim that direction. After climbing down the large boulders of the bridge footing. I got to the water and waded a few feet to grab her struggling through the mud and water. Carried her to top of road and looked her over and let her relax a little. She got up and acted like she was ready to finish her free run. I decided I was done for the night and put her back in kennel and she never showed any signs of bruising from body impact from the height of the bridge.
Little did I know that was the first of many scary incidents over Brandi's 17 yr life together. The rewards of what they give can never be paid back.
Like some have said earlier, they make us nervous with their independence and desire to find game and please us.

[sdsujacks]

Was roading "Brandi" my then 2 yr old GSP 30 min then free run back to where we started. The turn around point was just past a 500yd long bridge that crossed a small shallow finger of area lake. About half way across the bridge while I was driving a couple hundred ft. behind her. She stopped then turned 90 degrees and hit the rail and leaped off the 30+ ft high bridge. I raced to where she jumped off and leaned over looking every where for her. I noticed it was only about 3 ft deep. I thought she might be stuck on the bottom. I actually debated several times if I should jump off to be able to help her. After yelling for her and racing up and down the rail I couldn't see her. About what seemed like forever I went to the other side of the bridge and there she was swimming around in circles. I ran down the bridge leaning over the rail coaxing for her to swim that direction. After climbing down the large boulders of the bridge footing. I got to the water and waded a few feet to grab her struggling through the mud and water. Carried her to top of road and looked her over and let her relax a little. She got up and acted like she was ready to finish her free run. I decided I was done for the night and put her back in kennel and she never showed any signs of bruising from body impact from the height of the bridge.
Little did I know that was the first of many scary incidents over Brandi's 17 yr life together. The rewards of what they give can never be paid back.
Like some have said earlier, they make us nervous with their independence and desire to find game and please us.

I had a similar but experience. An area along a river I usually take my dog too has a boat ramp. My dog loves jumping off the dock and into water. The river drops about 8 feet in the fall, so the dock next to the boat ramp was out of the water and about 8 feet high off the ground at the end. Well, I let the dog out and before I know it he sprints straight to the dock and runs down it and jumps off into no water... I saw him gliding through the air with his legs extended like hes going to land in the water like a dock dog and just prayed he wouldnt break a leg or something. All was fine.. he hit the dry ground hard and got up and ran out into the water.