Heartworm, or roundworm, is very serious can affect all types of gun dogs. With gun dogs, working dogs, and other outdoor dogs, you must be especially concerned because they are more susceptible to heartworm. The worse case scenario is that an affected dog can pass it on to humans, as well as other dogs. In turn, you can also pass on heartworm to your own dog.

Known as a parasitic disease, roundworm can be transmitted from mosquito bites or other animals. It doesn’t affect dogs exclusively; other animals like foxes and coyotes can all contractg roundworm, meaning that should an affected animal come in contact with your dog, he will likely get heartworm. Because treatment is very difficult, heartworm prevention is the safest “treatment”. Heartworm can even kill your dog.

Preventing Roundworm/Heartworm

Prevention can come in the form of tablet or food additive when given to your dog as a preventative measure. A tablet can be ingested orally and mahy come in the form of a dog treat, and food additives can be added or mixed with food. Most of these treatments are monthly applications. Remember to give it to your dog each month. Use a calendar if it helps you remember.

In areas where there are four seasons, the primary carrier of roundworm is mosquitoes, which ingest infected blood and then give it to another animal as they sting them. In areas with less harsh seasonal changes, roundworm is more often transmitted from animal to animal. In all cases, giving your gun dog preventive treatment every month, no matter the time of year, is a best practice.

Symptoms of Roundworm

Unfortunately roundworm infection is not necessarily easy to identify. It may be a few months after being infected with roundworm that your dog shows any symptoms at all. While this is the period of time that roundworm is most easily treated, it is often the time when they are noticed the least.

Symptoms will begin as a cough, a loss of energy, and weight loss. You will see your dog become weaker and less interested in normal daily activities and fun. Take your dog to a veterinarian immediately if you notice these symptoms, as they can be many sicknesses, including roundworm.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Roundworm

Blood tests are needed to confirm a roundworm diagnosis. It is an easy test and most vets are able to administer a blood test right in the office. Once confirmed, the vet will have to find out what stage of the illness your dog is affected with, determine whether or not the infestation is male or female, and make a final decision on the best course of treatment.

Once diagnosis has been made, treatment can begin. If the infestation has gone on for a while, it can become costly and extensive to treat. The roundworm must be destroyed completely and this is usually done through drug treatments and sometimes dialysis. It’s very taxing on your dog’s system and will result in weight loss and listlessness, especially when the worms begin to be discharged through your dog’s stool. Follow up treatments can last for months to ensure that all the worms were eliminated.

If left untreated, roundworm infection can lead to organ damage and treatment for a lifetime. Detecting symptoms as soon as possible is very important and treatment must start right away.

When you have any sort of hunting dog, you should always keep in mind that you should always keep your dog’s health as top priority. There are also lots of different hunting dog supplies that you should have on hand for your dog such as shock collars or dog collars.

It’s summer and it seems like fleas are everywhere. Luckily, today’s pet owner has an arsenal of flea treatments at their disposal. Pyrethrin is a safe and widely used insecticide. Methoprene and Fenoxycarb are insect growth regulators (IGR) which prevent eggs and larvae from developing into pupae. Always treat bird dogs and their environment at the same time.

A flea’s life span can range from 2 weeks to 8 months. Because the pupa is wrapped within the protection of a cocoon, insecticides will not affect them one bit. This is why they are extremely difficult to kill, and also the reason why pet owners experience another flea outbreak just 2 weeks for the first treattment. As the pupa stage ends and the adult flea develops, you are left in the same position you began.

Flea Baths
Using a regular flea prevention shampoo can help with flea control. One thing to be careful about though is flea dips – especially if you have children in the house. Flea dips are very harsh and most leave a residue on your dog – they’re only recommended in cases of very extreme infestation and should be discussed with your veterinarian before use.

Spot On Medications
This type of flea treatment is administered between the shoulder blades of the pet. It’s a monthly treatment that will kill adult fleas for sure, and some brands will even prevent larvae and egg growth. These medications can only be used on dogs older than eight weeks. Water activities, like swimming or baths can make spot on medications less effective.

Pill Flea Treatment
Known for its effect as a “flea birth control”, this is also a monthly treatment. When the flea bites your dog, they become sterile and die without every laying eggs. When this happens, the fleas will die out completely, leaving you flea-free. Since this type of treatment can’t be washed off in water, it is great for pets that live indoors.

Natural Methods
Not everyone likes to use chemicals for flea control purposes. If this is the case, you should vacuum thoroughly as often as possible. In addition to carpets, vacuum furniture, pillows, and bedding. Properly discard the bag, or burn it, right away. Secondly, you should wash everything in the hot water cycle. Lastly, use dried pennyroyal, diactomaceous earth, or pyretthrum powder. Apply it on pet bedding and underneath cushions and mattresses. However, don’t use pennyroyal if your dog is pregnant. Repeat this process every few days.

Clean from inside out
Pet bedding, furniture, cushions, and thick carpets are fleas’ havens. Before treatment, always vacuum everything and everywhere in your home. Then, burn or properly discard vacuum bags immediately. Fleas love dust and hair, so this is important. It’s also important to wash all pet clothing and bedding in hot water. Insecticides are most effective on young, immature fleas.

Outside, fleas love wet, shady areas like dog houses, flower beds, and under decks or porches. Treat any location where your pet spends a lot of time. Fully mow and rake your yard. Get rid of leaves in flower beds and under bushes to increase the areas exposed to insecticides. The garage, basement and other places with non-carpeted floors should be thoroughly mopped to get rid of flea larvae hiding in crevices. Wash pet carriers and vacuum the car!

You can also choose a fogger or spray for your home, yard, and other areas, as they are very effective. You may need to repeat treatment in areas of severe infestation, usually every 2 or 3 weeks.

Flea bites cause all kinds of problems for pets and people. Intense itching can lead to skin problems, hair loss and infections. A bad infestation can lead to anemia and tapeworms. Allergies to flea saliva can cause flea dermatitis. Getting rid of a flea infestation is imperative for the health of your pet. Following these steps will help your pet and your home stay flea free.

There are lots of hunting dog supplies out there on the market, they range from dog crates, to dog collars, to electronic hearing protection. Make sure you do your research before you buy something to make sure it offers exactly what you want.

Most of us are aware that when our dog has pups they take care of most of the work all by themselves. For almost all bird dogs, having the pups and expelling the placenta is a natural process and when followed by sufficient rest your momma dog will be back on her feet and happy and healthy as she ever was. Most dogs that are healthy have absolutely no problems giving birth. There are some complications that as a responsible pet parent you should be aware of (especially if you are a breeder).

Once mom has successfully given birth it’s usually a good idea to take her to the vet just to verify that everything is fine. You should try to do this within a day of birthing and you might want to check with your vet to see if they think it’s a good idea to check out the puppies at the same time. For mom, you want to verify that she has no puppies remaining in her womb and that she has fully expelled the placenta. If mom isn’t checked out thoroughly and a baby or a part of the placenta is left in the womb mom could get a serious infection and if left unchecked she could become ill enough to succumb to infection. Often your vet will recommend a shot that will help make sure the uterus is clear and will also help mom let her milk down.

Carefully watch the bitch for several days after giving birth to make sure that there is no high fever, lack of appetite, or diarrhea, as these are signs of bacterial infection. Without antibiotics, she can die or develop serious problems. And since puppies should never be away from the mother dog, they should also have the benefit of vet care. The vet will check temperature and examine them to make sure that everything appears normal. If anything seems unusual, you should take her to the vet immediately, especially during the first week after whelping.

Watch mother carefully for the first few days to be sure nothing unusual is happening. If she is to get sick after whelping, it will be during the first week after the puppies have come.

There are some things you can do as a responsible pup parent to make sure that mom has everything she needs to make sure all stays well. First and foremost make sure that the area where mom and babies are resting is kept very clean – wash all bedding daily and clean up any messes you see immediately. Do not use any harsh cleaning products that can cause irritation to the eyes and noses if the newborn puppies.

Eclampsia is another problem to watch for in the new mother. This is often called “milk fever” and is a condition where her body does not produce enough calcium for lactation. This will occur three weeks or so after lactation begins and is a serious problem. If it is caught early, supplements can be added to her food to give her what she needs to make up for it. Symptoms will include stiffness, pain, and a fever with possible seizures. Take her to a vet as soon as you see any symptom.

Your dog may develop an infection of her mammary glands which can be common and you should be aware of. This is especially true as your mom pup nurses her babies and they start cutting teeth. Mastasis can also happen shortly after birth and is distinguished by purplish spots on the teats accompanied by a fever. This is relatively easy to treat with a topical cream.

Sometimes, agalactia can set in. This is a condition where the bitch can only produce little milk, or sometimes, not at all. The vet will be able to see if this is a problem during the first examination and take effective measures to treat the problems.

Although the conditions and problems above are serious, you’ll find that whelping is a very natural and healthy process, with little care required from you. Most dogs produce healthy puppies and will be fine after birth.

People who own hunting dogs seldom treat their dogs like the tools (that they were intended to be), instead they treat them like any other dog owner treats their dog, a loyal friend and companion. One of the things you’ll discover very quickly is that a gun dog makes a great pet, and like any other dog, training them to live in the home is a necessity.

Training a bird dog to behave in your house is not difficult and only requires persistence and love. You’ve trained your gun dog to be great in the field, so now it’s time to turn that same training into house living. If your dog is a puppy, this is even more important and will take longer to teach—puppies, while smart, are easily distracted and forget what they’ve learned quickly. Again, persistence is key. Teaching your bird dog, whatever its age, to go outside to potty, to not tear up your furniture, and so forth is most easily and humanely done by crate training.

Although many see crate training as a form of cruelty they couldn’t be more wrong. Dogs aren’t human (even if we treat them like they are) and they have totally different natural instincts than we do. If you create an environment in the crate where your dog feels warm, safe and can be quiet, this is the perfect environment for your dog to relax and is good for their well being. Keep in mind that gun dogs instinctively have a den mentality – they prefer small places that offer security and safety and if you create that environment in the crate, your dog will take to it naturally.

Crate size is extremely important to your dogs well being – they must be able to stretch their full body out in the laying down position, they should be able to stand naturally (i.e. no hunching) and they should be able to make a complete circle in the crate. Hunting Dogs will usually require a medium or a large crate when their full grown – but don’t make the mistake of getting one too big or the dog may decide that part of it is for use as a bathroom. However, if the crate is too small, the dog will not be happy with his cramped quarters. Keep in mind that you can use readily available dividers in a large crate to make it the right size for a puppy meaning you won’t have to buy a new crate as your puppy grows to adulthood. It’s important that you remember that dogs will seldom use the area where they’re going to sleep as a bathroom, making the crate ideal.

The reason there are people that think that crate training is cruel is because they are under the assumption that the dog spends most of its time in the crate. This is untrue, and if it is true, then that person is incorrectly using the crate. The dog should only be in the crate when you aren’t home or unable to properly supervise the dog’s activities. Dog’s are very smart, and will catch on fairly quickly. In order to prevent an accident you should take your dog out every half hour or so until he is successful. Rewards work very well to let your dog know that he has done well. Rewards can be a treat, a certain toy to play with, or simple praise works wonderful too.

Speaking of puppies, remember that they do not have the control of an adult dog and will probably have accidents inside their crate. First and foremost, do not berate or punish your puppy for this as it sends a mixed message that puppy won’t understand. Instead, put puppy in a safe area and clean up the mess. Make sure that puppy doesn’t see you cleaning up, as this also sends the wrong message.If your dog is still a puppy you’ll have to be patient because they simply don’t have the control of their needs as much as an adult dog does and accidents do happen (both inside and outside the crate). Dog’s are not able to easily understand what they’re doing wrong so don’t punish them for this because they simply won’t understand – the other thing to avoid is cleaning up a mess in front of them because they can get into the habit of thinking this is fine because you’re cleaning it.

Routines are your friend when you’re trying to train your dog. If you do your level best to take them outside at pretty much the same times day in and day out they will eventually figure out that’s when it’s time for them to go to the bathroom and you’ll be happier (and so will they). If you’re using a crate make sure that the dog understands when he has to be there (i.e. when you’re sleeping or working) and don’t forget to take them out of the crate regularly for exercise and play – just like training them to go outside to do their business, they’ll get into the routine of playing and exercising at the same time every day making your training much more effective.

Most people feel that crate training is the humane way to housebreak your dog and it’s typically the quickest and most effective method of training your gun dog to use acceptable indoor behavior.