Norman
I had to dig into the picture archives for today’s Black and White Sunday. These pictures are from our hunt in Saketchewan back in 2010. I haven’t been out taking any pictures so no new ones to share.
From time to time our gang will break a toe nail. Today it was Gambler. I was vacuuming when he decided to attack the vacuum and start scratching at it. All off a sudden the outer toe nail on his right front paw was sticking out sideways and it was bleeding. Gambler was holding his paw up. I try to keep the dogs nails short for this reason, to cut down on broken nails but for whatever reason it caught it just right and split the nail in half all the way up to the base of the nail. The only way for the nail to heal is to get that split nail off and start over from scratch.
The supplies
I didn’t get a picture of the nail broken off and hanging sideways. The above photo is a picture of the supplies. John held Gambler and I used the hemostat to grab the broken nail and pull it off. Once off there were some sharp edges so clipped them off. Used some kwik stop to stop the bleeding, put gauze on the toe and bandaged up. The yuck no chew spray is for the bandage so he leaves it alone and the boot is for when he goes outside to keep the bandage dry. He also got some pain reliever I had on hand.
No nail
The yellow is the kwik stop powder I put on the kwik to stop the bleeding. I bandaged for a couple of hours then I took the bandage off to make sure it was ok. All was well so he got another bandage.
The bandage
My foot is in camo
Feeling very sorry for myself
Gambler is following me around and laying next to me feeling very sorry for himself. I don’t blame him busted nails are no fun. More loving for the boy today.
I am a trained professional so I took care of this at home since I had the supplies and it is the weekend. Normally I would of taken him with me to work and had it done there. The veterinarian will look at it and determine if antibiotics are needed to prevent an infection and if a bandage is needed and how long they should be on pain relievers. If the broken nail isn’t spit enough to just come off with a tug then local anesthetics are given in the toe to block the pain and the nail is cut off with the kwik. If that is the case then it does need to be bandaged, antibiotics and pain relievers. Gamblers nail was just hanging there so it came off easily and the kwik with dry up and a new nail will grow back over it. He will be tender for a day or two so I will keep him on pain relievers and in no time he will be running around like a mad man again.
A article taken from www.veterinarypartner.com on nail trimming:
Nail Trims Don’t Have to be a Dog’s Worst Nightmare — or Yours
Quick, look at your dog’s feet. Are your pet’s nails too long? Do you remember the last time you cut them? Are you dreading the next?
If they’re too long and you’ve been putting off the chore because of how awful the experience was for you both, well, you’re in good company — or, at least in the majority. Everywhere I go, I see dogs with nails that desperately need trimming. And sometimes I don’t even have to go anywhere: Even I can get so busy that I forget to trim them on my own dogs!
But keeping nails trimmed is important. Long nails can make walking uncomfortable and can even cause lameness. This is why trimming nails short — they should be just off the ground when your pet is standing — and then trimming them just a pinch every week is both important and far easier than cutting them back bloodily and painfully every few weeks or even months.
The problem with nails is that each has a blood vessel inside it. The trick is to trim to just beyond the end of this vein. If you nick it, the nail will bleed, and your dog will yelp. Everyone hits this vein on occasion, even veterinarians and groomers, which is why you should be sure to have blood-stopping powder on hand, such as Kwik Stop, before you start trimming.
If your dog has light-colored toenails, the blood vessel is the pink area. Black nails are harder to figure out, but you should be able to see the vein by shining a flashlight behind the nail. If you can’t tell, just clip back a little at a time. If you draw blood, take a pinch of the powder and press it against the exposed tip of the nail for a few seconds to stop the bleeding.
If your dog’s nails are so long that they’re forcing her foot out of position, you can take them back to where they should be in two ways. The first is to cut a little off every few days: The quick recedes before you as you go. The second way is to have your veterinarian take them all the way back at once when your dog is under anesthesia, such as for a teeth cleaning. After the nails are at a proper length, keeping them that way is easy with a weekly trim.
If your dog is resistant to having her nails trimmed, work up to the task over a few weeks’ time by taking the trimmer in hand and touching it to her feet, then her toes, then the nails, while praising her and giving her treats for each step. When she is used to having her feet handled, put the trimmer against the nail and praise and treat more still. Then trim a little off, and so on. Praise and more praise! Treats and more treats! Don’t insist on getting all the nails done at once. Do one or two toes a night, and put the nippers away while you and your dog are feeling positive about the experience.
An alternative to nail trimming is nail grinding. You can buy a canine nail grinder, or just use a lightweight rotary grinding tool, such as the Dremmel.
Some dogs prefer having their nails ground instead of clipped, perhaps because with a grinder it’s easy to stop before you hit the quick. The most important thing to remember when grinding is that nails can get hot while you’re working on them. Don’t grind continuously. Touch the grinder to the nail in very short bursts — a second or two at most — to keep the heat from building up. And make sure not to catch any fur while you’re working. (Tip: Look for online videos on grinding nails to see the technique.)
Whichever method you’re using to shorten the nails, don’t forget the dewclaws, those extra toes you can find up on the inside of the leg. Not all dogs have them, but for those who do, neglected nails can be a problem. Long nails can catch on upholstery and tear the dewclaw partly off the leg. Keeping these nails short will prevent injury, which is why you haven’t finished trimming nails until you’ve done the dew, too.
If you work with your pet frequently, trim just a little at a time and reward generously for cooperation, the days of nail-trimming dread will be behind you both, and your dog will step out more comfortably on your walks together. – By Gina Spadafori
I am signed up for google offers. Last month a offer came in from MyPix2Canvas to get a canvas print from this company for $19.99 +shipping. After seeing other blogs about canvas prints I decided I wanted to try one out also. I had the perfect picture of a hunt that I wanted to use.
I bought the google offer, I uploaded the picture to MyPix2Canvas and the rest was up to them.
The picture I wanted to use was of Norman and I at the pheasant farm Dec. 2 2012. This might be our last pheasant hunt together so I wanted to use this one. I put the perfect poem on the picture along with Normans registered name with his titles and his birthday on the picture. He is my soulmate so I wanted something to remember our relationship and the time we have spent together, this canvas print is the perfect remembrance piece.
The perfect picture.
“Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend”. – Albert Camus
This poem just happened to be my class motto back in 1988. I loved it then and I love it even more that I put it with Norman and I.
The delivery.
The finished product.
Hanging on my wall.
I couldn’t be more pleased at how this turned out. I love it and will cherish it for a long long time.
Glory was third dog out hunting at Loan Oaks Shooting Preserve. Pearl and Gambler had their turn so this time it was Glory’s turn. We just hit the field and she was off with her nose to the ground, she was just a sniffing up a storm. We didn’t get very far and she flushed up her first rooster.
First one flushed
No bird, it was a miss
I did my job flushed it up but they missed
Walking along looking for a scent
The shot
The delivery
I know there’s another one out here
The shot
Bird coming down
The pounce
The grab
The retrieve
The return
Another bird coming down
I got this one
Here I come, look at me
So proud
I’m hidding
One last bird
My fourth bird
My last delivery
Pretty sky with bird in the air
<img class="size-full wp-image-2122" alt="Great day had by all"
Gambler got to go with to Loan Oaks Shooting Preserve this past Saturday with Pearl and Glory. He was second dog out hunting as when we had Pearl out first Gambler was screaming in his dog bog after he heard the shots going off. He sounded like someone was killing him. He is a very excitable guy and when he wants to do something he loves he lets it be known to the world that it is his turn.
Out of the dog box he came and we were off. He is like a greyhound and can run, run, run, run. He was so excited to be out he was getting too far out in front of us and had to be whistled back in closer so if he did flush up a pheasant it wasn’t a mile away from us. Like I said in Pearl’s post from yesterday the cover was not good. We walked up and down different strips of cover in the field and no birds. We took him near the woods and no birds. I was feeling really bad for the guy that he wasn’t getting any birds. He ran and ran his little heart out.
Run run run
I think I will point where I heard another gun go off
Run some more and stop and listen
We hunted about a hour and no birds to be found. I was sad that my little buddy didn’t get any birds. Time to go back and rest and get a fresh dog out and see if we can find some for Glory. (Glory’s hunt will be posted up later)
After we put Gambler back in the dog box another hunter hunting in the field next to ours said that he had his limit and told us that we could have his field. He told us where he went and didn’t go so we could take our dogs threw those spots he didn’t hunt. We got Glory out, hunted with her and then put her back and got Gambler out again to try for another shot at getting him a bird.
Upon walking out to the new field Gambler flushed up some birds by the pen. He was a distance from us so the guys didn’t bother shooting. We got him back and he ran and ran and ran and still couldn’t find a bird. He did come across a dead pheasant that someone else shot and couldn’t find. He was pretty proud of himself that he found a bird. He carried it along with as we were walking back. We ended up going to one other spot, nothing there so walked back to the truck and on the way back he got birdie. I told the guys to get ready then Gambler laid down and rolled on something and then got up and hit a spot and 2 roosters got up and flew off. The guys shot at them but they weren’t expecting anything to be there after Gambler was rolling and nothing got up. No birds for Gambler. We continued to walk back to the truck and he got birdie again and then he flushed up a hen, Mike shot and got it and Gambler finally had his one retrieve. Back to the truck with you for a rest.
More walking
The shot and miss
Bird in the air another miss
I finally got one
Hot stuff
Yes I finally got one
Sitting pretty
Look at all these birds
I think I should have more than one
Gambler drew the short straw and only got one bird but he did have a good time getting exercise and being out with us hunting is all that matters. Doesn’t matter how many you get, it’s about the time spent out in the field with friends.
This past weekend our friends Mike and Lisa came down with Mike’s puppy from Nellie’s 07 litter. Pearl turned 5 this past Christmas, she is out of Nellie’s first litter. We became really good friends with Mike since he got Pearl in 07, we go to Saskatchewan each fall with Mike and Pearl as well as get together with them through out the year. It is so nice to follow along with one of Nellie’s pups and be able to actually hunt with her. She is one heck of a dog and is superb out in the field. It’s even more special to be able to hunt with Grandpa, Mom and Daughter. The memories made are very special.
Sunday we went to Loan Oaks Shooting Preserve again to do a little pheasant hunt. It wasn’t that cold out but the forecast was saying high winds later in the day. We have had over a foot of snow, most of it has melted but it did wreck the cover for the pheasants so most of the fields were bare. Pearl was the first dog out (we brought Gambler and Glory along also). Mike and John were the hunters, Lisa walked along and I took pictures. I had just as much fun taking pictures and trying to get the best shots then actually shooting a gun. Pearl did a great job flushing and retrieving her birds.
Pictures from the hunt.
When we were done hunting and the birds were all cleaned we had a shrimp boil.
We also had a new drink for me. It was called a Hugo. It was made with sparkling wine and elderflower syrup that Mike brought back from Germany. It also had crushed basil leaves in it. It was very tasty. A good time was had by all.
Stay tuned for Gamblers and Glory’s hunt.
