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Hi, I'm Dr. Colleen and this is another edition of Petsecure pet health tips.
Today we're talking about tips for your sporting dog.
This is Craig Koshyk, he's a sporting dog enthusiast.
So Craig, what are some other things that we want to look for as we start hunting in the fall?
As with all health issues, prevention is the key.
So the very first thing we want to do, even before the season starts, is to try and get our dog in the best shape possible before the season.
You're going to want to walk or run or what we call roading the dogs a little bit further than you normally do
so that when they get out to the field at the first part of the season, they're in good shape.
Dr. Colleen: What are some of the challenges with weather during the fall season?
There's a few things you need to be aware of, especially at the beginning of the season, in terms of heat.
What we see all too often at the beginning part of the season when it's still hot are too many dogs that are out of shape, going out to the field, having a little bit too much fun and getting into trouble with heatstroke or with heat exhaustion.
When the season starts getting colder, and especially when the dogs start working in water, we can get into the same sorts of problems but with hypothermia.
Dr. Colleen: And what are some the signs you look for in your dogs when they're out in the field?
Craig: Really, it's all about knowing what your dog looks like and hunts like normally.
Anything out of the ordinary is going to be a red flag.
If your dog is panting, that's normal. If it stops panting, that's a red flag.
If it gets wobbly, if it's looking a little glassy-eyed...anything that's out of the ordinary, you need to take a look at the dog and figure out what's going on.
And when you are seeing things that are of a concern, you do want to check with a veterinarian in the area where you are hunting.
Because it is so important to know where your local doctors are, Petsecure has developed a free vet finder app that you can find at Petsecure.com or the Apple Store.