February, 2000
Tip of the month... Dog care for recreational dog related sports...
This month the tip will about dog care, or better yet
, ski-joring and mushing
dog care. This info can also apply to any
dog that you take care of. This info was provided by Dr. Carol
Stewart, a Fairbanks veterinarian and ski-jorer. The info provided
is only a guide, if you are not sure of how to treat a specific
condition, please see your regular vet, thanks...
The info is broken down into many of the different areas of the dog that should be looked after, enjoy.
Feet
A skijor or mushing dog's performance and happiness depends on
healthy feet. A simple 2 minute examination with good lighting
will permit
detection of the following: pad cracks, erosions or cuts, inter
digital
discharge, bruising (often caused by snowballs caught in the fur),
swelling
and redness, foreign bodies (conifer needles, pebbles, twigs,
gum, etc) and
frostbite.
Oral exam
The old adage: "you won't know if you don't look" is
the basis of
your skijor dog exam. Check mucous membrane color for pinkness
(in a
non pigmented area) and for moistness (as a quick hydration check).
Raw
areas on the tongue tip may indicate cold damage from touching
a metal feed
bowl left outside or metal rings on collars. A dental check will
reveal any
fractured teeth, gingivitis, mass/tumor growths. Check the hard
and soft
palate areas (roof of the mouth) for lesions that may be caused
by chomping
on sticks, bones, or your favorite skiboots!
Booties
Booties are used for foot ailment prevention. As temperatures
drop
the texture of the snow changes and becomes more abrasive like
sandpaper
which can irritate a dog's feet particularly on longer runs. You
can test
this yourself by swiping the palm of your bare hand over the snowpack:
if
it stings or feels like sandpaper, it may be a good time to "Bootie-up".
In areas where moist snow accumulates, wearing booties prevents
snowball buildup between the toes (which would feel, for us, like
having a
pebble in our shoe).
We use booties for other functions such as covering a foot that
has
topical medication or light bandage applied.
There is one GOLDEN RULE about using
booties: monitor often for
excess tightness. You can strangulate bloodflow to the foot if
not careful.
An easy trick is to stop several times during your run and adjust
the
bootie as necessary, and always take them off immediately after
your run.
Rear End View
Probably not cocktail party material but you never know... A quick
check under your dog's tail will give you valuable information
your dog
would have told you him/herself if s/he could. Diarrhea stains,
perianal
masses/tumours, tapeworm parasite segments,intact male dog scotal
frostbite, intact female estrus (heat) cycle status.
Harness Savvy
Reflective tape on harnesses and collars is an important safety
feature for any dog traveling at night or winter's low-light conditions.
Trails are often shared with other skiers, snowmachiners, and
mushers so
visibility is critical to prevent entanglements.
Harnesses need to be sized to each individual dog. Watch for
injurious rub marks by the shoulders.
Vaccinations
Immunization protocol for various canine infectious and contagious
diseases should be discussed with your veterinarian. Fecal examination
for
intestinal parasitism and deworming is particularly important
if you are
using public trails where other dogs and humans may be exposed
to dog
feces. Some areas in the U.S. and Canada may have stoop and scoop
by-laws.
Nail trimming
Keep nails trimmed to reduce chances of fracture and breakage.
Don't forget the dewclaws, if any. Some sled-dogs experience trauma
to the
dewclaws during outdoor activities such as punching through snow:
solutions
include surgical removal (in perinatal period) or using protective
booties.
Dog Blankets
Here's Cap in his stylish "Joker Jacket". Blankets are
handy during
overnight winter trips when the dogs don't have their regular
houses and
sleep outside. They are particularly useful for reducing the effects
of
windchill. Some folks skijor with their dogs with the blankets
on: these
are usually for dog breeds with little or no undercoat such as
the Labrador
Retriever. Be cautious about overheating.
Some dogs need specially designed dog coats: for example, some
dogs
have a special belly guard added to cover the poorly haired abdomen
or
females that have whelped may have a teat guard added to prevent
frostbite
to the nipples.
Trail Hazards
In Alaska's interior, a major hazard on the trail is moose. As
gentle as they may seem, they can be very belligerent in midwinter.
Since
footing is easier for them on the hardpacked trails, they prefer
traveling
here and thus there are frequent encounters. We always give them
a wide
berth even if this means retracing our steps and taking another
trail. Dogs
stomped by moose are not uncommonly seen at our veterinary clinics.
Grommit with porcupine quills
Throughout winter porcupines can be out and dogs just can't be
content looking at them from afar. Keeping them "on the line",
that is, not
free-roaming can reduce these incidents. We seem to see more incidents
in
the early spring months when mushers and skijorers are doing more
overnight
camping trips and more wildlife is becoming active. Removal of
quills as
soon as possible is important to prevent quill migration deeper
into the
body. Sedation or even general anaesthesia may be required for
complete
treatment.
First Aid Kit
Contact your veterinarian about an animal first aid/safely kit
that
would best suit your needs and experience level. Day trips require
less
than overnight camping trips and week(s)-long outings.
Some helpful materials for backcountry trips: firestarter (matches,
lighter), emergency flare, flashlight, leatherman tool, digital
thermometer, medications to induce emesis, animal-specific
anti-inflammatories, analgesics and antibiotics, appropriate
tranquillizaion medication, antihistamines (all doses will be
evaluated by
your vet). NOTE:The chocolate bar is for the human that has to
deal with
the adventure / tragedy.
First Aid Kit
Other useful items for a backcountry kit include: bandage material
(female hygiene pads are great,inexpensive absorbent wound dressings),
DUCT TAPE is the solution to all problems,
cord/rope, flagging tape, candle, chemical hand warmer, plenty
of dog booties, surgical tissue adhesive, antiseptic scrub, gloves,
bandage wrap eg. Vetwrap., ophthalmic ointment, foot ointment.
The Cobie-Man on Ice
On sloping ice it's easy for a skier to get out of control
especially when dragging a pulk. Dogs can also injure themselves
slipping
on ice and overflow. This picture shows Cobie-Man, a 10-year old
skijor
dog who was unhooked from the line to negotiate an ice patch in
Denali
National Park.
Unless you're an expert skiier and a skilled surgeon, it is
discouraged to use metal-edged skies to skijor.
Lined out and Ready
Most people skijor with one or two dogs, occasionally three, rarely
four.
Gotta Love Those Dogs
A cousin sport to mushing, skijoring includes a skier pulled by
dogs. Both skier and dogs get great exercise this way.