hartigjosh
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2019
- Messages
- 107
So when I think of rokslide I dont think of waterfowl or gun dogs but wanted to share this with you as its interesting.
My 6 year old lab has had quite the run. She is the $30k dog. Both knees have metal plates due to tplo surgery. On top of that she was ran over in August and her pelvis was crushed, literally. After extensive surgery her pelvic bone was reconstructed and more metal was added. Her backside is literally made of metal.
I worked my tail off to get this dog back to work. Surgery in August, kennel confined for 8-10 weeks, rehab the whole time to various degrees and I had her hunting by the end of December. She ended her shortened season without missing a retrieve.
So here is where its gets interesting... We hunt the Eastern Shore of Maryland and it can get cold, not Canada cold, but cold. My dog is skinny, weighs a whopping 45 lbs during season and she is a full bred chocolate lab. I noticed after a couple big retrieves in water she started acting funny. She began to limp and lick her backside. She started to emotionally freak out. I couldnt figure out if she tore a muscle or what.
I put her in the boat and then put her up in the truck as I was sure she I ruined my dog, again.
After warming up I took her out of the truck to inspect. She was fine. No limping, no tenderness, nothing. This dog has the highest pain tolerance I have seen so when she limps something had to be seriously wrong...
Turns out it was the cold.
The metal in her body was literally absorbing the cold. If you think about the plates for tplo there is not much muscle/fat/blood flow to keep the plates from absorbing the cold. The screws in her pelvis are better protected but still, they got cold.
I hope another rokslider with a gun dog reads this and learns from my experience ... 1) if you hunt get dog insurance and 2) if your dog has metal in them be aware of the cold and be prepared to keep them warm (I recommend heater buddy)
My 6 year old lab has had quite the run. She is the $30k dog. Both knees have metal plates due to tplo surgery. On top of that she was ran over in August and her pelvis was crushed, literally. After extensive surgery her pelvic bone was reconstructed and more metal was added. Her backside is literally made of metal.
I worked my tail off to get this dog back to work. Surgery in August, kennel confined for 8-10 weeks, rehab the whole time to various degrees and I had her hunting by the end of December. She ended her shortened season without missing a retrieve.
So here is where its gets interesting... We hunt the Eastern Shore of Maryland and it can get cold, not Canada cold, but cold. My dog is skinny, weighs a whopping 45 lbs during season and she is a full bred chocolate lab. I noticed after a couple big retrieves in water she started acting funny. She began to limp and lick her backside. She started to emotionally freak out. I couldnt figure out if she tore a muscle or what.
I put her in the boat and then put her up in the truck as I was sure she I ruined my dog, again.
After warming up I took her out of the truck to inspect. She was fine. No limping, no tenderness, nothing. This dog has the highest pain tolerance I have seen so when she limps something had to be seriously wrong...
Turns out it was the cold.
The metal in her body was literally absorbing the cold. If you think about the plates for tplo there is not much muscle/fat/blood flow to keep the plates from absorbing the cold. The screws in her pelvis are better protected but still, they got cold.
I hope another rokslider with a gun dog reads this and learns from my experience ... 1) if you hunt get dog insurance and 2) if your dog has metal in them be aware of the cold and be prepared to keep them warm (I recommend heater buddy)
