Gun Dog Forum

Took my pup out to enjoy some wild quail before season. Found covey of 100 in rose bushes along a barbed wire fence. Pup went crazy and I thought she was navigating the fence nicely. Wrong! She is laid up with 2 stiches in her front leg joint. At my age I should know better. Stay clear of those fences if possible.

oldbeek wrote:Took my pup out to enjoy some wild quail before season. Found covey of 100 in rose bushes along a barbed wire fence. Pup went crazy and I thought she was navigating the fence nicely. Wrong! She is laid up with 2 stiches in her front leg joint. At my age I should know better. Stay clear of those fences if possible.

2 stiches has *laid her up"? Sorry but I wish my dogs learned how to navigate fences with only 2 stitches..

Unfortunately the dog needs to find birds and fence rows are obvious objectives. (obvious because she found a covey of 100). I hate injuries but hunting dogs live for high risk and we as owners just have to embrace that and do the best that we can to repair any damage.

Barb wire is a fact of like around here. My dog's are always getting lots of wire scratch's on them and ear tear's will terrify you! Had my share of pretty good cut's with it to. Stormy got a cut a week or so ago. Kept it clean and it healed over fine. If I'd had some super glue around, I'd have glued it shut.

I'd get her back in the saddle and take her right back out there. Experience is the best teacher and it's amazing how quickly dogs learn about barb wire fences. My dogs normally go under under fences, but one would go through the strands forward and twist her hips sideways to clear. It's a necessary art your dog will learn very quickly on it's own.

My dogs do well with going under. OH it was bad when the one found a loose wire and went over. 2 stitches is not bad at all.

It happens, my setter Indy has the family record in over $800 in stitches in his first two seasons. That doesn't include the surgical stapler that I used up all the staples on him. One cut was good for 48 stitches across his chest.

Hope he learns to downshift before getting to the fences and thick cover, but I doubt it.

Wow 48 stiches. I better buy a back up staple gun. Worst I ever had was 4 inch tear in the middle of a gsp chest. Ears! My last britt tore an ear bad then ran into my 5th wheel to get help from my wife, then shook her head violently. Blood everywhere, a real CSI crime scene, I am still finding blood spots 4 years later.

I have never had a problem with barbed wire the dogs seem to get under it pretty easily.
but I had a hot wire on a neighboring fence line make my GSP a little shy for a few hunts she has since learned the difference although I'm not sure how.
Seems to sense it now.

So long as those "2 stitches" aren't on the bottom of her foot, you & her are good to go!

My GSP wasn't so lucky about 4 years ago, she was working scent along a hedgerow and there was and old, blown down
barbed wire fence in there with rusty wire. She tore a circle patch of skin/hair off the front of her right front leg!
It was the size of a 50 cent piece. A lot of bacitracin, some gauze, athletic pre-wrap and duct tape and she continued on.

I changed the bandage once a day until I was sure there was no infection. Dogs are a lot more resilient than we give them
credit for.

Enjoy the rest of your season......

Rob