Dave W Posted May 26, 2003 Report Share Posted May 26, 2003 Hi, I have an 18 month old bc that goes everywhere with me including backpacking trips. We are now planing an extended trip on the Appalachian trail. She will also be wearing her own backpack. So with that and being in the woods for so long I am debating cutting her coat to about two inches to keep her cooler and to make it easier to check for ticks,abrasions,control matting,etc. I would like to hear your thoughts :confused: :confused: Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted May 27, 2003 Report Share Posted May 27, 2003 Hi Dave, This topic was recently discussed inthe general forum: http://bordercollie.heatherweb.com/cgi-bin...ic;f=1;t=004305 I think it boils down to a matter of preference. Remember that a longer coat can help protect the dog from cuts and abrasions, but a shorter coat will make it easier to find ticks (except that the disease -bearing ticks are very tiny--pinhead-sized--and so may still be difficult to find). As for keeping your dog comfortable in the heat, make sure she has access to plenty of drinking water, and if you happen along streams/springs, let her get her belly wet to help cool off. Bill Fosher posted an excellent article on how to tell if a dog is heat stressed, but I imagine it was lost when the archives had to be dumped. Just remember that an 18-month old is not fully mature and so don't overload her backback. Good luck--sounds like y'all could have a blast! Oh, you may already know this, but just in case (and for other readers): while you may want to let her cool down in pools and the like, beware of letting her indiscriminately drink water--she can get infections that way just as humans can. Be sure to pack something in your first aid kit that will help with diarrhea, as the dehydration that can result from that could be a problem. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted May 27, 2003 Report Share Posted May 27, 2003 Great advice from Julie, as usual. You might also ask your vet if he'd consider giving you a dose of metronidazole ("Flagyl") for Giardiasis. Dogs do get it, and it can be nasty diarrhea. If your dog has diarrhea for more than a day or so, this could be the cause. Most vets would like to do a fecal before prescribing it, but mine has done it on a "just in case" basis for longer trips. (Then again, he tested for it several times prior to getting the medication ahead of time....) Regular diarrhea medicine may cure the symptoms temporarily, but will not kill the organism. There are other water-borne critters too, but this one is ubiquitous - and curable. Have fun! diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_Davis Posted May 27, 2003 Report Share Posted May 27, 2003 Speaking of conditions that come from bacteria in water, the past two years my dogs have had frequent bouts with eye inflammtion/infection -- heavy yellow discharge, etc. -- from quite a few different far-flung bodies of water. There's a great ointment that clears it up really fast, I always carry this with me now too. But you have to be careful which one you get, there's some eye ointments that can be very bad -- anyone remember the specifics on that? Anyway, I think the one I have is called Tri-Optic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmetteabrakai Posted May 28, 2003 Report Share Posted May 28, 2003 Have a great time on your trip! The ointment in question might be triple antibiotic w/o steroids, as they can be harmful if there is an actual injury to the eye. Good idea about Metronidizol too. One thing I might add is ask your vet about the water and mud related skin infections that your dog could be exposed to along the way. Here in the midwest there are some that I never heard of. Of course I work at a vet school and lots of the stuff we see is strange to begin with thats why we get it. But it would be worth the mention to your vet. For what it's worth I believe that your dogs hair would be an advantage for protection on your trip. As previously mentioned from cuts abrasions etc and from the eliments in general. Plus if your dog is not used to the difference in hair coat it may affect the way heat and cold is handled unless you acclimate your dog first. Maybe I am overthinking this have a good time it ought to be beautiful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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