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Camping and Hiking, what do you bring for first aid?


WinstonTheTroutWizard

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We are taking Winston out west for a hiking / camping trip, I am curious to what other people make sure they have with for first aid for their cairns when adventuring outside.  Thank you in advance for your help.

-Grant

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Guest dog person

Well, I would never go near woods or tall grass, with or without a dog ever again.

However, if I were you I would make sure that I know where the closest 24/7 emergency vet is located in case I had to rush the dog there due to a wild animal attack, snake bite (venomous).

Have plenty of water available. Common sense.

And of course, the ticks, area is probably loaded with them........

Good luck and enjoy your vacation.

PS:   I lost a dog to Lyme disease so I have earned the right to be cautious.

Edited by dog person
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Guest dog person

Also, ask your vet about Benadryl, if it would be a good idea to have a couple of tablets on hand in case of bee/wasp/hornet stings.

Clarify the dosage based on weight with your vet.  I was told not to use the liquid Benadryl as it contains an ingredient that is not good (toxic) to dogs.

Edited by dog person
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Where you are going to camp may influence your preparation.Very high incidence of Lyme disease where I live. We have blood check each year and use flea tick protection all year round. Check your dog each day thoroughly for ticks - the deer ticks are tiny . Get a tick removal tool and learn how to use it.

Find out where the nearest emergency vet is to your camping area.

Have ID on collar for your dog. Have papers indicating any medical condition your dog may suffer from.

A six foot leash.

Tweezers - good for removing porcupine quills or other items that may pierce the skin.

A pair of blunt end scissors

Gauze pads

Bandage (vet wrap is good as doesn't stick to fur)

An antbiotic

Saline solution for cleaning out eyes

Towel(s)

 You can buy first aid kits at many pet stores and on line. They can be quite expensive but perhaps good to have on hand any way at home and especially if you camp often.

Don't be scared of the wild. Just be prepared.

 

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Idaho Cairns

Depends on where "out west" you intend to roam/camp.  Due to the low humidity and altitude in some parts of the west ticks and fleas aren't a major concern.  We live at 4400ft. and rarely find ticks/fleas on our dogs and they roam the sage brush and junipers on a regular basis.  During our walks we make sure to carry water for the Cairns when we go out--dehydration is always a concern.  If your Cairn has been treated for ticks and fleas, have preventative collars that should be adequate.

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Thanks everyone.  Winston has been treated for fleas and ticks.  One advantage of growing up in Northern Wisconsin I have become quite skilled at tick discovery and removal, even had a bout with lymes during high school.  We appreciate everyone's feedback and will report back after a safe trip to Steamboat Springs next week.

 

Thanks!
Grant and Winston

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Idaho Cairns

Steamboat should be no problems for you or your dogs--beautiful area, lots to do, see, eat, and at a high elevation--that's ski country and back in the day, when I skied, one of my favorite places to recreate.

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8 hours ago, Hillscreek said:

Have ID on collar for your dog

I like a field collar that has a contact number engraved or stamped into a flat brass plate riveted to a leather collar, or a woven collar with a number embroidered right into it. 

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Always keep him on a leash as wildlife can be to much for any Cairn to resist. A dog jumped out of their owners car here in the Rockies when they had stopped to look at a bear. One swipe from the bear and it was all over. If you want him on a long line you can always go to an equestrian store and ask for a lunge line. Sounds like an awesome trip.

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Until one has loved an animal, a part of  one's soul remains unawakened.  - Anatole France

Adventures with Sam &Rosie

 

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IDs like you describe Brad is what we always used. Nothing to dangle and get caught.

Long lines can be bought at pet stores. I used 25ft and 50ft cotton lines when Angus was young or in a strange place.

Angus rarely on leash when out in wild life country. Our bears don't wait around to be looked at!

 

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I'm a firm believer in keeping a cairn leashed everywhere but in the house (or fenced yard or dog park, but only after I carefully check the fences). When we go out to the parks, etc., to walk, Oban still is on the leash because I simply cannot trust him not to dash off after a small critter. 

Years ago I was canoeing in the Boundary Waters up north. On one of the portages, there were signs posted about a lost dog, who had gone off chasing a deer.  The posting was about a month old. It broke my heart to think of a dog lost up there in the woods...

Edited by Kathryn
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Guest dog person
Below is an
 

Colorado officials urge hikers to use caution as rattlesnakes emerge

Vipers beginning to emerge en masse from winter dens as weather warms

The Associated Press
May 7, 2018
 
 

COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado wildlife officials say hikers should give a wide berth to any snakes they encounter after two people were bit by venomous rattlesnakes in parks around Colorado Springs.

The Gazette newspaper reports the vipers are beginning to emerge en masse from their winter dens as the weather warms.

A woman was bit in the ankle by a rattlesnake at Ute Valley Park last week and another woman was bit April 28 at Garden of the Gods. Both survived.

Tina Jackson with Colorado Parks and Wildlife told the newspaper that rattlers are the state's only venomous snakes.

 

She says the reptiles don't prey on people but will strike if they need to protect themselves.

Only one person is known to have died of a snakebite in Colorado since 2014.

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/colorado-officials-urge-hikers-to-use-caution-as-rattlesnakes-emerge/

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Oh boy the outside is sounding scarier and scarier!

I think it is all really a question of how familiar one is with the territory and using common sense eg why is dog loose in car with window open in bear country??

If you are not used to being with wild animals then use an abundance of caution. Be respectful. It's their home you are entering.

Alas whether in town or country there are plenty of notices regarding lost dogs. If your dog is not used to running free then keep him/her on a long line.

Bears and timber rattlesnakes have not killed anyone around here in the mountains of north central PA in living memory. And there's plenty of people on the game lands in hunting season. Campers too all summer.

I think it may be different when thousands of people camp and drive around the big national parks out west. And there's a difference between the grizzly and our black bears.

Also so important to know your breed and individual dog. Angus my cairn had super prey instinct but he soon gave up if he couldn't dig a crittur out and he learned early on it was pointless to chase a whitetail. Unlike my neighbors' beagles and coon hounds who were very reluctant to give up once they caught the scent of rabbit or racoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Idaho Cairns

Oh, Cairns are pretty smart when it comes to wild animals--our girls have learned to skirt around our local Mule Deer herd, give them plenty of room--sort of a mutual respect sort of thing.  Still it is a good idea to keep a good control, especially where non-domesticated wild animals are concerned. 
Here's an example--Fran inspecting a herd of buffalo in Yellowstone while the girls survey from the SUV.  Might notice Sammi's complete indifference to the beasts while Bonnie is obviously trying to catch my eye or read my mind using the mirror of the car--I think she has some idea that I ought to be letting her out so she can go investigate.
I would imagine a town like Steamboat Springs has some pretty firm regulations on what and where dogs can do or allowed to do--it's a pretty sophisticated tourist area. 

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On 6/9/2018 at 9:28 AM, Hillscreek said:

IDs like you describe Brad is what we always used. Nothing to dangle and get caught.

Soon after I adopted Ruffy, (and hadn't gotten to know him and his prey-drive well enough), he escaped my grip when being loaded into the car and took off into the woods after rabbit. This was in a sparsely inhabited, forested area of CT and after searching and calling, we were about to give up when a neighbor down the road phoned to say she found him with his tags snared on a bush! 

Ironically, in this case, the dangling tags ended up saving him, but I eventually had to switch Ruffy to a harness when leashed, because his habitual sudden lunging after wildlife put him in danger of damaging his neck. From that day forward, I've been super-cautious with Ruffy when getting him into or out of a car. 

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FEAR THE CAIRN!

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22 hours ago, Hillscreek said:

Oh boy the outside is sounding scarier and scarier!

😊Living here in the city has its own scary perils when we venture outside to Central Park. See attached pix for wildlife we encounter: Man on bench with his pet turtles, crouching bronze panther, (Oh my!), egret, and the carriage horses that Ruffy wants to kill, startling anyone in the area with his hysterical barking and lunging. (I keep away from these horses... one bolted a few weeks ago when a dog went for it). These pix show Ruffy straining at the end of the leash.

P.S. We also encounter Balto, the hero sled-dog who brought diphtheria vaccine to folks stranded in Nome Alaska in 1925 in a blizzard with near white-out conditions with temps -23 degrees. Good dog, Balto!

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Edited by sanford
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FEAR THE CAIRN!

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And I thought a sniffing dog could extend a walk! Cannot imagine walking a turtle...bet he started out on that walk when he was a young man...

Edited by Kathryn
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