I've been watching the Setter's as we make our preseason runs evaluating their condition and stamina. I had noticed Mick slow up a bit last year but hunt just as effectively. It was so much fun to watch him use his wisdom and experience showing Molly and Beau how it's done time and again. Beau as I had mentioned had a couple days where his leg had swollen up when we were in Wisconsin in June but it returned to normal on it's own. I decided it must have been a spider bite possibly. Molly had me a little concerned the last few weeks as she seemed to be a little more stressed by the exercise taking more time to catch her breath.
So I decided to make an appointment with the Vet to have Molly checked out and Mick as well who had developed a 1 1/2 inch circular bump on the underside of his ear. The Vet service I've been using is a half hour away and staffed by 4 very capable Vets specializing in primarily large animals with this being farm and ranch country. You can't request a specific Vet which I don't like but these guys work closely together and are usually in the office during small animal hours so it works.
I explained to the Vet Molly had been exhibiting decreased stamina and trouble recovering from strenuous exercise compared to the other pups. At age 9 and carrying about 12 extra pounds in warm weather we agreed that there were at least some obvious circumstances anyway. But after listening to her heart and breathing and detecting nothing unusual the Vet wanted to take an x ray to view her heart and lung areas to rule out any abnormalities. These guys keep it simple and don't have a lot of staff around so that meant I had to control the button to take the x ray while the assistant and the doctor held Molly in place. Mission accomplished in just a few seconds. Molly was on her feet and I led her outside to the air conditioned van while we waited for the film to develop.
This was Micks time to come in to get his ear checked. Dr Elliot took just a few seconds to confirm Mick had a condition caused by a broken blood vessel that makes fluid and blood accumulate under the skin. This is caused by some trauma usually created as dog's shake their ears or hit them against something. The fix was to insert a draining needle and relieve the pocket of fluid. It would get better when the broken veins heal he said. Mick has other bumps and lumps we've looked at before but at age 10 is happy and hunts at his own pace always glad to be on the team.
After reading Molly's x ray and seeing everything appearing normal Dr Elliot had one other doctor listen to her heart before proclaiming her in good health relative to her age and slightly heavier than normal weight. Dr Joe just came out to the van and put his stethoscope on her proclaiming her OK as well. When I thought about it with as hot as the summer has been it really was challenging to keep them active and exercised especially when we had about 6 weeks straight of near 100 degree weather.. During the spring hatching season we walk on leash only until the birds are big enough to fly well then I start running them again which this year was mid July. But again with the heat it's hard to follow a strict schedule.
I was glad to know at another year older the process of aging was the extent of my worries on this trip. As long as I had Beau along I brought him in to show the Vet who did his leg surgery for removing a cancerous tumor that his leg was fine and free of any more indication of trouble. Just to be safe he examined Beau and said he seemed OK so we said our good byes and headed for home.
The season opener is now just 3 weeks away. I've quit scouting as the habitat is all in poor condition. Dry,mowed and plowed under. It's difficult to see it this way but we'll find enjoyment in just being together again for one more season. That's why we're here. This is our life. These moments I share with 3 of the best friends I've ever had are the best of times." Old age bumps and lumps" are just part of the journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment