Happy dogs: taking care of your hunting dog

The sport of hunting has a ton of different facets. You can hunt deer from a stand, spot and stalk western big game, tote your rim fire rifle or a shotgun for small game, tramp miles for upland birds, or lay out decoys for waterfowl hunting. And for most of these pursuits, there are different breeds of specialized hunting dogs. Hound dogs, retrievers, pointers, flushers, and blood trailing dogs. Sharing field time with a good dog is special. 

Not only does a good hunting dog increase hunting success, but one increases the fun. And the deep-rooted bond that grows between hunter and dog is something so special that every hunter should at least consider joining the ranks of dog owners. 

Hunting dogs are effective tools, but also partners, family members, and friends. A dog is always happy to see you. They don’t judge, they don’t bear grudges, and they don’t deceive you. If treated right, a dog will always be on your side. 

Most dogs today are more than just “tools.” They’re with us most of the day and become family members. 

A lot of responsibility goes along with owning a dog. It is the owner’s duty to care for every aspect of a dog’s life. From shelter to feed, from social interaction to health, from taking a puppy home from the kennel to crying over his last breath, it’s the owner who dictates how good of a life the dog lives. 

In this article, I want to focus on health and what any owner can do to ensure a long and, most of all, happy life for his or her companion. I want to put a special emphasis on painful illnesses that may go unnoticed, as these reduce vitality and joy of life more than some even more life threatening but less painful diseases. I’m convinced that in dogs, quality of life is way more important than duration of life. A long life is wonderful, but dogs are not worried about life span. That’s a human worry. We must measure a dog’s well-being by its standards. Like the fun and joy of running, seeking, pointing, chasing, retrieving, hunting.

The starting point for dog owners is selecting a puppy. What breed do I want? Which matches my intended use, my temperament, my energy levels? What are my own capabilities as a dogman? Which puppy of what litter do I want? Are there any illnesses in the dog’s ancestry? All these questions are critical to ensure you choose the right little buddy that fits your lifestyle, your family and of course your hunting. More experienced dog owners can help a lot with useful tips. The same goes for a trusted veterinarian that can help with questions regarding typical illnesses in certain breeds. I’d personally love to own a retriever. I love their kind nature and their will to please. But my main hunting opportunity is big game hunting. A dog that wants and needs a retrieving job, preferably in water, is not a good fit for me. That also doesn’t mean a retriever can’t be a good blood tracking dog or companion. But won’t be maximizing his inherent retrieving capabilities. 

When you’ve decided on a breed, it’s time to consult a veterinarian again. A first examination, a consultation on feed, anti-parasite and vaccination programs, identification methods such as microchip implantation, castration/sterilization if that is of interest, general health and others can help lay a plan for a healthy life. 

Annual clinical examinations are a good idea, with vaccinations and blood tests where those are useful. Early signs of larger problems can thus be detected. The right steps towards correcting issues may be taken early on, which is important as the prognosis of most illnesses is better when addressed in an early stage. Owners themselves can help by practicing examinations (checking ears, opening the mouth, measuring the body temperature and so on) and by weighing their dogs regularly. Weight loss occurs in association with a huge number of health problems and can be the first warning sign. 

There are a few sicknesses that seem to go unnoticed more often than others, but are easily detected when you know what to look for. In other instances, ignorance is the problem. It’s very unfortunate, but I’ve talked to clients that projected a need for toughness onto their dogs that I just don’t understand. “My dog is tough, he doesn’t need pain killers,“ is a phrase I’ve heard often. “It’s nothing, my dog’s not bothered by that.” Unfortunately, hunters, or owners of working dogs in general, seem to represent a good portion of clients with this attitude. Still, it is rather the exception than the rule. Don’t be that guy. No one can say for sure how much a dog is bothered by pain. Let’s rather assume pain and injuries reduce our dog’s quality of life, then alleviate them.

Now, let’s dive deeper into some specific problem zones where good observation helps early detection. 

Hunting Related Injuries 

Where wood is chopped, splinters must fall. For most hunting dogs, injuries will come at one point or another. Often those are minor, small scratches or little cuts that need no further treatment than cleaning and wound protection. But sometimes, it’s worse. Bear hounds clawed, hog hounds slashed and bitten. Any dog can step on glass shards or sharp stones. Thorns, wires, and broken branches can rip ears and tongues, impale muscles, even penetrate to internal organs.  Severity can range from mildly concerning to life threatening.

Claw wounds on the hindquarters of a bear hound. Correct treatment ensures quick healing.

Either way, it’s wise for dog owners to educate themselves on first aid. Many veterinarians offer first aid courses for dogs, sometimes even specifically for hunting dogs. Learning to discern between minor injuries and bigger problems. Taking the correct first steps in helping the dog can make a difference. First aid is not supposed to spare the ride to the clinic. But it often decides how long, or if at all, your four-legged hunting buddy is out of action. On rare occasions, first aid is the only way to keep a dog alive. 

A wound like this needs surgical treatment. 

Correct judgment on which wound can be treated by the owner, and which one needs the care of a veterinarian, is an essential part of first aid for hunting dogs. When you’re not sure, that’s a sure sign a veterinarian should check. And don’t forget internal injuries. Those can be tricky to detect, but need intensive treatment. 

Teeth 

It is shocking what some dogs have to endure teeth-wise. Toothache robs vitality, as most pains in the head region do. An aching tooth often shows up with excessive salivating, reduced or strange/one-sided chewing, expression of pain while eating, dropping food and weight loss. This occurs after trauma (fractured teeth) or inflammation. 

Inflamed teeth are the result of bad dental care, for the most part. Excessive dental calculus and inflamed gums are predecessors to inflamed teeth. This is more common in older dogs. 

Excessive dental calculus is the main reason for inflamed teeth and tooth loss. 

People spend many hours on practice and education, so a minute each day to check and brush a dog's teeth is certainly no big deal. Remember, what your right (or left) hand is for you, is what the mouth is for a dog. How is a retriever supposed to retrieve a wounded goose with an aching mouth? Bad breath doesn’t help with smelling, either. It’s startling that some dogs are still able to somehow do their job with rotten teeth. But it can be easier, and they can probably do better without dental issues. Even some heart diseases seem to occur more often in dogs with bad dental statuses.

A tooth with a fresh fracture and opened root canal. This might be overlooked and only recognized once the tooth is inflamed. 

Brushing a dog's teeth may seem awkward at first, but practiced like any other trick or skill with positive reinforcement and patience is a giant leap towards great health. 

Ears 

Other, equally often overlooked and nonetheless vitality- and performance-compromising illnesses are ear infections. Owners sometimes mistake their dogs to be “only itching“ or “only shaking their heads.“ A look into the ear may reveal abnormal secretion, swelling, and redness. And touching may reveal pain. These are sure indicators of inflammation. 

Of course, the hidden location is the reason for otitis to go unnoticed so often. Inflammations in any other, more visible body location would probably have people see a veterinarian and ask for immediate help. 

I’ve met dogs that would try to bite as soon as I tried to examine the head. Sometimes even owners started to fear their own dogs. Once examined, nasty, smelling and tremendously hurtful inflamed ears were the obvious reason. After several weeks of treatment, sometimes with anesthesia to clean the ears for treatment without pain, these dogs were kind and wonderful again. It was just severe pain, plain and simple, that led to aggressive behavior. This scenario is somewhat extreme, but not that far-fetched. Less severe cases are still hurtful, and should be addressed early on. 

This grass seed would have caused a severe otitis in the author’s dog, had he not removed it. 

Otitis can happen to any dog, but is more often found in dogs that show some specific characteristics or promoting factors such as lop ears, narrow ear canals, allergies, a tendency for swimming and diving. Foreign materials such as grass seeds or even parasites may lead to otitis, too. Untreated otitis is a self-deteriorating disease, so early and consequent treatment is key. 

Joints 

Osteoarthritis plays a huge role in dogs leaving the hunting grounds for their pension. Although some genetic factors or breeding problems can promote the occurrence of “bad joints“ in certain breeds, this sickness can affect middle aged or older dogs, and sometimes even fairly young ones, of any breed. Malformed joints, for example with elbow or hip dysplasia, are highly susceptible to arthritis due to excessive abrasion, improper pressures and movement within the joints. Also traumas such as fractures or ruptured ligaments often lead to developing arthritic changes in joints. 

An elbow with severe osteoarthritis. Note the irregular bone in the bend of the elbow. This can cause pain and stiffness, and thus limping. 

Problems begin gradually, if no acute trauma is the reason. You may notice dogs getting up slowly, limping a few steps before regaining smoothness and agility or limping after bigger workloads, such as hunting, for a day or two. That sort of symptom should not be taken lightly. The aforementioned toughness some owners want their dogs to show doesn’t help. Contrary, an early diagnosis and then individually fitted treatment can slow down progression a lot. In most cases healing osteoarthritis is not possible. Restoring and enhancing the joy of life without pain and with that gaining quality years as a hunting partner are essential goals of treatment. Treatment will in most cases consist of medication (long term or at times) combined with food supplements, physiotherapy, reduced/adapted work loads and sometimes surgery or even radiation. Slim, but not thin body condition helps with reducing the forces within the joints. Various options for treatment exist and can be evaluated for any particular dog by a trusted veterinarian. 

Addressing osteoarthritis early will keep dogs in the field longer, and therefore happier. It’s a win-win situation. 

Tumors

As with human tumors, the frequency of cancerous growths in dogs seems to be increasing. That is in large part due to a longer life span (tumors are age-associated for the most part) and better diagnostic methods. Many dogs just “got old“ and died for unspecified reasons in former times, but now they’re more likely to be thoroughly examined. Therefore, more tumors and other specific illnesses are diagnosed. 

A lot of internal tumors can not be easily detected by owners, but especially various skin growths, oral tumors, testicular or breast cancers are noticeable for owners. The aforementioned yearly examination, blood tests and routine weighing show more or less specific changes that may be caused by cancerous diseases, of course among others. More important than knowing what is going on right away is realizing there might be a problem. Doctors can only start to look for a tumor if the dog is brought in for a check up. 

For example, breast tumors in bitches are often very treatable when approached early, but can spread to various locations in a dog's body. As the dogs often do not feel ill when tumors are small, detecting and treating them early may heal the dog entirely, or at least lengthen the time until the tumor affects the well-being.

As tumors can be totally painless or extraordinarily painful, treatment will be individually adjusted to each dog. Depending on financial possibilities treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation, if desired. Even palliative treatment should be discussed. And even forgoing treatment entirely is an option, depending on the specific cancer. A long-developed and trusting relationship between owner and veterinarian will go long ways towards assessing the right path for each dog-owner combination. 

Of course there are a lot more illnesses that occur in older or even young dogs. Not all will be easy to detect, not all will make your companion suffer. But being attentive will help to ensure a happy life for dogs and hounds. And at best a long life, too. Little things make a huge difference sometimes. So be the difference yourself.