Dog dropped dead on hunt today. What Happened?!?!

by **Dutch** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:22 pm

So, today was the opening day for teal season. A group of us were hunting out of two different duck blinds on the same ranch. A buddy of mine brought his dog and was hunting at the other blind.
So, the dog was really excited and wouldn't sit still. It was retrieving birds and drinking a lot of water from the pond. A whole lot. It started throwing up. Then started having diarrhea. Then got dizzy and had trouble standing up without falling over. My buddy decided to get the dog to a vet ASAP. I met him back at his truck as he was finishing loading up his 4wheeler. The dog was in the truck, shaking really bad and couldn't stand up. He ran the dog to the nearest vet, about 40 minutes away. On the way, the dog had a seizure. At the vet, they sedated the dog and connected him to an IV. About an hour ago, my buddy sent me a message that the dog had died.

The dog was fine before the hunt. The dog is 4-5 years old. It has not had much exercise so far this year; for the last two years the do has been primarily a house pet. The air temp was in the low 70's. The pond was in a marsh near the Gulf and may have hand just a little bit of salt in it.

I have NEVER seen this happen before. Does anyone have any ideas what caused this????

by **3legged_lab** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:28 pm

Didn't this just happen to another dog elsewhere?

by **jarbo03** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:41 pm

The seizure makes me think it could have been a pre existing problem. Salt water could have possibly lead to dehydration, not sure. Low 70s and being in water should have kept dog plenty cool. Being out of shape is never a good thing going into a hunt. Sorry for the loss.

by **Dutch** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:46 pm

Thanks. My buddy is crushed. He loved that dog. He had a picture of it as his computer screen saver at work.

I am inclined to think dehydration. Since the dog has essentially been a house pet for the last couple of years, I wonder if being out in the marsh, drinking marsh water, is what made it sick which led to dehydration?

I am baffled.

by **assateague** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:49 pm

Sounds to me like the salt water. You CANNOT let dogs drink much saltwater, and the symptoms you described are exactly what happens to people.

by **rebelp74** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:51 pm

Corncob?

by **Dutch** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:54 pm

assateague wrote:Sounds to me like the salt water. You CANNOT let dogs drink much saltwater, and the symptoms you described are exactly what happens to people.

If there was salt in the water, I think it would have only been a tiny bit. But I was not hunting that spot so I don't know for sure.

by **Bootlipkiller** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:05 pm

Wife works for a vet, has for 8 years in her experience this is possible: If the dog didn't eat before going out they can get hypoglycemia it's when their blood sugar drops too fast to nearly nothing and the body starts to shut down causing seizures which them makes everything else shut down. If you treat it right away and get the sugars up the seizures usually stop if not then the seizures can cause overheating which makes all systems fail. SUPER important to feed before a hunt and after...more energy out requires more energy in

Sent from an undisclosed location on the river

by **Bootlipkiller** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:11 pm

...and if she was out of shape could have caused heart issues especially if there was an undiagnosed pre existing condition (heart murmur, heartworm disease) no matter the cause horrible loss..

Sent from an undisclosed location on the river

by **Flightstopper** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:17 pm

Great advice boot, I know I don't feed sometimes before the hunt. Fatty treats are something I try and have on hand to keep them going.

by **Redbeard** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:44 pm

Funny how Boot sounds smart when his wife tells him what to say.

Sorry Dutch for your friend's loss

by **Bootlipkiller** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:51 pm

Redbeard wrote:Funny how Boot sounds smart when his wife tells him what to say.

Sorry Dutch for your friend's loss

Your a dick!

Sent from an undisclosed location on the river

by **Redbeard** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:52 pm

Bootlipkiller wrote:
Redbeard wrote:Funny how Boot sounds smart when his wife tells him what to say.

Sorry Dutch for your friend's loss

Your a dick!

Sent from an undisclosed location on the river

another intelligent observation

by **NuffDaddy** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 7:07 pm

Sorry for the loss. Loosing a dog sucks and when it's unexpected like that, it must be even worse.

by **Dutch** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 11:03 pm

The hypoglycemia possibility looks interesting, but doing a little research, it looks like salt water poisoning to me. I am surprised because I just don't think that pond had salt water in it.

by **Tomkat** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:08 am

Sorry about that dog.

My dog does not know what air conditioning is. Or a heater. She lives in the conditions she hunts in. I don't know if that makes any difference. But she does get a lot of exercise. Owning a dog is a full time job in its self.

Blog- http://www.ksducks.com

by **assateague** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:22 am

Dutch wrote:The hypoglycemia possibility looks interesting, but doing a little research, it looks like salt water poisoning to me. I am surprised because I just don't think that pond had salt water in it.

It doesn't take much saltwater to get ingested to really screw things up. Most dogs who hunt salt "learn" from an early age, but a dog not used to it, used to drinking while retrieving/hunting, will drink more when going into salt water. Because it tastes good to them, and that quickly leads to bad situations.

by **Dutch** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 9:27 am

When he told me that he was at the vet, the dog was sedated and hooked up to an IV, thought that it would be fine.

I was shocked when he told me she didn't make it.

by **one2many** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 1:10 pm

rebelp74 wrote:Corncob?

dear God i hope he dont find this thread.
i dont have much knowledge on the saltwater and dogs. so i defer to Jarbo and Assa.
i do know low blood glucose.sound about how i feel at times.my money is on 1 saltwater 2 low sugar 3 parasite in a nasty cow shit filled pond.
sorry the pup died, but the guy should have be exercising the pup long before hunting!it is as irresponsible as hunting a lab in 100 degree heat while dove hunting and not keeping it cooled down

by **jarbo03** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 3:13 pm

I always have oat & honey granola bars with me while upland hunting. Never needed for my dogs, has helped a buddies dog though.

by **one2many** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:12 pm

jarbo03 wrote:I always have oat & honey granola bars with me while upland hunting. Never needed for my dogs, has helped a buddies dog though.

the world needs more dog owners like you Jarbo!

by **Olly** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:16 pm

I always feed my dog before a hunt. You can tell a difference in his energy level before I started doing that.

Sent from my phone.

by **jarbo03** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:27 pm

Thanks Jeffy. I feed mine the same as normal, in morn and evening. Jelly or preserve packs from restaurants are good to keep on hand also. I do give snacks throughout the day, goose jerky or bites of granola, and always tons of water.

by **Redbeard** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:33 pm

Olly wrote:I always feed my dog before a hunt. You can tell a difference in his energy level before I started doing that.

Sent from my phone.

Charlie never eats before a hunt. Every time I pour him food in the early morning, he ignores it. The few times he has eaten, he swallows so much water he always throws it up during the hunt

by **capt1972** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:03 pm

Olly wrote:I always feed my dog before a hunt. You can tell a difference in his energy level before I started doing that.

Sent from my phone.

does he shit in the boat?

by **Feelin' Fowl** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:14 pm

jarbo03 wrote:Thanks Jeffy. I feed mine the same as normal, in morn and evening. Jelly or preserve packs from restaurants are good to keep on hand also. I do give snacks throughout the day, goose jerky or bites of granola, and always tons of water.

Honey packets or a bottle of honey. Instant sugar, and it never goes bad...

by **3legged_lab** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:02 pm

jarbo03 wrote:Thanks Jeffy. I feed mine the same as normal, in morn and evening. Jelly or preserve packs from restaurants are good to keep on hand also. I do give snacks throughout the day, goose jerky or bites of granola, and always tons of water.

I've always fed morning/evening as well. My theory always has been to give em some energy to start the day.

by **Dutch** » Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:07 am

It just occurred to me that I left something out in my narrative.

My buddy texted me from the vet's office and said they had given the dog a sedative and an IV and that they were trying to get her cooled down because she had a very high temperature.

Doing research on hypernatremia (salt poisoning) I have not found anyone who lists a high temperature as a symptom in dogs.

by **assateague** » Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:49 am

That could've been as a result of the dehydration, which is what salt will do, also. Not saying that that is what it is or not. It does seem odd, since all dogs I've seen who take in a little too much saltwater will puke it up pretty quickly, but I guess it's possible that he drank too much too fast.

by **one2many** » Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:04 pm

Dutch wrote:It just occurred to me that I left something out in my narrative.

My buddy texted me from the vet's office and said they had given the dog a sedative and an IV and that they were trying to get her cooled down because she had a very high temperature.

Doing research on hypernatremia (salt poisoning) I have not found anyone who lists a high temperature as a symptom in dogs.

i dont know why guys dont carry IV,sedatives antibiotics and B12 in their dog first aid kit. i dont even exercise the mutts with out first aid kit handy. shit happens and you have to be ready.