(EP: 018) Products to have on hand to help keep your hunting dog safe and healthy.

Full transcript for Episode 18: (EP: 018) Products to have on hand to help keep your hunting dog safe and healthy..

Tyce

Hey everyone, welcome to the Bird Dog Podcast. My name is Tyce. Today I want to share the products I keep on hand for dog health and field safety. Quick disclaimer: I'm not a veterinarian. These are things I've used or found effective over years of working with dogs, but always consult your vet for serious injuries or health issues. That said, getting into a vet these days can mean waiting a week or going to an emergency clinic at double the cost. Having the right things on hand can make a real difference when something happens in the field.

First: a basic field first aid kit. Keep adhesive bandage wrap (the kind you see on animals at the vet's office — it sticks to itself, not to fur), gauze, and iodine in your truck. If the dog gets a cut in the brush, you can flush the wound with diluted iodine, pack it with gauze, and wrap it to keep debris out until you can get to a vet. That combination keeps the wound clean and stable and buys you time. Also worth adding: a medical stapler. You can find them online for not much money. For a deep enough wound, you can staple it closed, which dramatically reduces the risk of contamination while you're getting to a vet. This is one of those tools you never want to need but will be grateful for if you do.

For paw care: Musher's Secret Paw Wax. It's an all-natural paw balm with vitamin E and food-grade ingredients. If your dog is doing hard rocky work — chukar country especially — its pads can get raw and sore. Mushers creates a protective barrier, moisturizes dry cracked pads, and helps them heal. We keep it at the kennel and use it on dogs that are working hard on rough terrain. It's around $16 on Amazon. Buy a jar and keep it in your kit.

On the medication side: metronidazole is something I keep on hand for gut issues, including giardia. Hunting dogs drink from water sources in the field and can pick up intestinal parasites. If you have a dog that develops loose stools after spending time in the marsh or hunting near water, giardia is a common culprit. Metronidazole is a prescription antibiotic — talk to your vet about keeping a course on hand so you're not scrambling to get an appointment for something that can be treated quickly with the right drug. Your vet should be willing to work with you on this if you explain your situation as a working dog owner.

The overall principle here: don't go into the season without basic supplies. Hunting puts dogs into rough country, water, ice, brush, and all manner of hazards. A first aid kit in the truck and a few key products can be the difference between a manageable field injury and a real crisis. Take care of your dogs out there. Thanks for listening.