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.

Prevention of heartworm is crucial, especially when you consider that once your dog is infected with this parasite it made lead to death. Of greater concern is other in animals that come in contact with your dog such as coyotes, fox’s, and others may have roundworm and may transmit that disease to 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

In its early stages, roundworm is very hard to detect since your dog won’t show any physcial signs of illness. Your vet can test for the disease, or skilled vets can tell by observation. It is typical of heartworm to gestate for several months before affecting your dog. During this stage of the illness, the disease can easily be treated, but it is best when your dog is asymptomatic.

Typically a dog infected with the round worm becomes lethargic and not necessarily interested in is normal daily activities. You may notice a cough or weight loss in addition to these other symptoms. Contact your veterinarian immediately because in addition to roundworm there may be other infections that may be causing the symptoms.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Roundworm

Diagnosing roundworms requires a blood test. During the blood test one step will be to determine whether the roundworms are male or female which will help direct your veterinarian to the proper treatment course.

Roundworm treatment is extensive and may be very expensive to treat. Aside from that the treatment is very difficult for your dog and in fact may result in his needing dialysis. Almost all dogs will be listless, suffer weight loss, and has other symptoms while the Worms are discharged. Follow-up treatments will be necessary to ensure that all of the Worms are eliminate it from your dog system.

Damage to organs can also be a result of roundworm infection and can mean lifelong treatment for that as well. This is why it’s so important to catch the infection as early as possible and to not delay in getting treatment for it.

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 electronic dog collars or dog collars.

Training your gun dogs to hunt, whether it’s for flushing, pointing, or retrieving, there are great tools at your disposal. Bird and Dummy Launchers are available with remote control devices that can be used together or separately to fill your training needs.

Remote Bird and Dummy Launchers

Whether you are using a dummy launcher or a bird launcher, you can use a remote control that allows you to train your dog without having another person present with you. Without the remote, you would need at least one other person to assist in your training which of course can distract your dog.

Other extras with bird launchers include bird calls, sounds, and beeps that can be used to train your dog in field craft and hunting. Which kind of launcher (bird or dummy) will depend on the specific type of training you are doing with your dog. Your goal is to make an effective and confident hunting companion and launchers can be an essential tool towards this goal.

Bumper Launchers

This is your secret weapon in teaching your dog to learn to retrieve came. The dummy launcher is for those who work alone and you allow you to launch your dummies at a height and distance that is far greater than throwing it yourself. This allows your dog to learn to retrieve game that is further away. This is especially helpful when you consider that if you were using hand launching followed by shooting; your dog would become accustomed to fetching game at close distances. One of the best features of the remote launchers is that you can use the accompanying sounds to train your dog to react as if he were hunting actual game (ducks, pheasant, etc.).

Bird Launchers

For training pointing or flushing dogs, bird launchers will work perfectly. A great benefit to bird launchers is that you can actually set it up to launch multiple birds to simulate real hunting. The good thing is, dogs are bred to hunt so your main focus is to train your dog to respect another dog’s point, as well as flush out birds. A bird launcher will give you a good shot at achieving this type of training. Trainers of pointing dogs have been successful in using these for years now, and even those who train flushing dogs are starting to use these tools more often. Because a bird launcher is designed with a spring latch which will release prey fairly low, it can quickly help your dog learn the skills needed for hunting quail as well as pheasant.

We all worry about our gun dogs and their safety. Concerns about what could happen if your dog was to escape from your yard and wander the neighborhood are normal.

Even the best-behaved dog is going to create havoc when running loose: even if it’s just digging holes or eating rotten things out of the street. Sometimes they just come home parents-to-be.

Although most people who have dogs elect to put up a typical fence in either wood or chain link what they’ve quickly discovered is (a) they are an eyesore, (b) a clever dog can get over or under the fence and (c) they actually make your home values go down. You need an alternate solution for allowing your dog to safely roam your yard without the added worries of him breaking out and getting into trouble in your neighborhood or running the risk of being injured.

Today, more and more responsible dog owners are electing to use an electric dog fence, which is designed to keep your dog safely in your yard. Some people feel that these systems are inhumane because they correct your dog’s errant behavior by jolting him with a small electrical charge. The fact of the matter is that these electric systems actually are designed to not harm your dog, instead they provide a ‘reminder’ that they are going into areas that they should not be going into.

Electronic dog fences are actually a blessing in disguise for dog owners who do not want the unsightly ‘typical’ fence since all of the wiring is actually buried in the ground (only a few inches down). This wiring actually establishes your dog’s boundaries and is controlled by a transmitter. These transmitters can be located anywhere on your property that is convenient for you. The theory is that the wire in the ground receives the signal from the transmitter and if your dog decides to jump his boundaries, he gets a small electrical jolt from a specially designed collar that contains a receiver.

The new Innotek fences have solved a lot of the technical flaws of original electronic dog fences. In the past, your dog would be able to continue through the wire boundaries after getting a small shock. However, the newer design will continue to send shocks slightly out of bounds, reminding your dog to head back, keeping him safe and sound.

Today, the Innotek systems have all new features that increase the jolt that your dog will get as he approaches the boundary but more importantly for those stubborn dogs who think they can just keep going, the shock continues for a range outside of the pre-determined boundary that you have set.

With Innotek’s newer fence system, previous models are obsolete. Older models were limited in range, making it difficult for your dog to enjoy larger spaces for running and playing. Now, even the lower end Innotek systems cover as many as five acres, and the top model can go up to 25 acres, which is great for those who have large properties.

Another challenge that was faced by many dog owners is what to do about multiple dogs, but Innotek has also addressed that concern by allowing you to purchase additional collars for use with the electric fence system.

Summary

The Innotek electric dog fence system offers:
1. A humane way of training your dog to stay inside your yard
2. Peace of mind
3. Elimination of unsightly fencing
4. Cost effectiveness

You can trust Innotek to keep your dog safe and within his bounds while allowing him to play in a yard of any size, and the best part is, your dog can stay out of trouble in your neighborhod!

Every hunter who goes out into the field with his dog should carry a first aid kit: both for himself and one for his dog. You never know when something will happen and being prepared is likely to decide whether the injury is taken care of or becomes a real issue. There are plenty of good first aid kits gun dogs you can buy.

Your dog is depending on you to care for him at home and out on the field. After all, this is your responsibility. In the event that your dog becomes hurt, will you be prepared to treat his wound with sanitary medical dressing? That’s the difference between being prepared and using an old shirt or rag, which can actually lead to deadly infections and make the injuries worse. It’s worth the couple extra dollars to have a first aid kit for dogs on hand.

Here are some good hunting dog supplies to look for in a good gun dogs first aid kit:

A First Aid Guide
The first aid guide will show you basic first aid for dogs for both small injuries (like wound treatment for scraps) and life-threatening injuries (like mouth-to-snout resuscitation). There should be clear instructions for the use of all items contained within the first aid kit, as well. To be best prepared for emergencies, you should read the first aid guide and learn the basics before emergencies happen. The keyword here is “emergencies” — first aid is not the replacement for regular veterinary visits.

Don’t Forget The Tweezers
Small and often forgotten, these little pincers are a Godsend when you have slivers to remove. Just like in humans, a splinter that enters a dog’s foot pad or another part of the body can bury itself in the skin and work its way deeper, eventually becoming an abscess. This abscess will become infected and could spread its infection throughout the body.

Good old Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen Peroxide typically costs less than $1 per bottle and is a must have for any first aid kit (human or canine). It provides for sterilization, wound cleaning and can even help you deal with the area of a splinter before and after you are done removing it.

Remember Iodine?
Iodine is the perfect solution to use to help encourage healing on a wound. This is a bit stronger than peroxide and helps clean wound or cut more thoroughly before you dress the wound with a sterile bandage or pad.

Antibiotic Ointment
These are off-the-shelf ointments that can be used to help with bee or wasp stings, abrasions, or other small injuries.

Eyewash
A simple saline solution for washing out the eyes can make your dog’s life much easier and save his vision in some cases. When your dog gets something in his eye that he can’t get rid of on his own, use this to clean them. A quick squirt into the eye and nature will do the rest in most cases.

Trauma Pad
A trauma pad is crucial if your dog is seriously injured; it will help minimize bleeding and help keep the wound bound as well as providing assistance in transporting your dog to emergency help. When shopping for a trauma pad watch out that the sizing is correct for your dogs needs.

Gauze, Tape, and Scissors
Simple tools that, when used correctly, can greatly help your dog in times of injury. If your dog is cut, scratched, or similarly hurt, you’ll want to bandage, gauze over, then tape the wound so it is protected from infection. These three tools can do that job quickly.

Don’t ruin a great hunting dog first aid kit by not having a first aid kit for your dog! Not having one is irresponsible and dangerous, so make sure you have a nice, complete kit for your dog at all times, especially when you’re out on the field. Getting an extra one for home or other use is also a great idea.