By Dr. Seth Bynum, DVM | @birddogvet
How can hunters prepare their dogs for winter hunts in terms of conditioning or training?
In my experience it’s the subtle ways that will make the most difference. Foot health, and more specifically, nail and pad health are critical to keeping a dog performing at the top of its game in cold conditions. Some hunters swear by pad conditioners like Musher’s Secret and claim it has helped their dogs improve the durability of their pads. Keeping nails trimmed appropriately on a regular basis will absolutely reduce the risk of a split or torn nail during a hunt. Pay special attention to the dewclaw if your dog has them. A clean and healthy coat made more lustrous by a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids is undeniably helpful in cold conditions. Not only does a nutrient rich coat provide superior insulation, it helps repel water, too.
Muscle conditioning is a year round pursuit, and the work you put into building and enhancing a dog's muscle mass for the regular season will pay dividends during the cold months. Strong muscles protect joints, which undergo more erratic movements and additional strain in low traction and cold environments with abundant ice and snow.
Are there specific signs of hypothermia or frostbite that hunters should watch for in their dogs during extreme cold conditions?
There are several, although I want to be clear to fellow hunters that our primary job is to learn to intervene before any of these symptoms happen. These symptoms indicate that a severe cold weather injury has already occurred, and we should have already taken action to prevent them in the first place. Fortunately, hypothermia is rare in hunting dogs, and the only cases I’ve personally seen have been dogs who became separated from their owners and spent a night or two alone in the outdoors.
Perhaps the most common clinical signs of advanced hypothermia are extreme lethargy and disorientation. But there are precursor symptoms that hunters should be looking for to prevent reaching this dangerous threshold. We’ve seen the same within ourselves: Shivering, shaking and teeth chattering are involuntary reflexes that signal their bodies are playing all their physiological cards to boost body temperature. While it’s true that these symptoms don’t always lead to hypothermia, they still warrant a hunter’s attention. If I have a dog that is exhibiting these signs and then suddenly stops, lays down or appears confused or disoriented, I need to take action to warm them up right away.
Frostbite is an entirely different mechanism. If field conditions are such that there is a risk–which usually involves a combination of cold temperatures, moisture and wind–I’m constantly checking the dogs’ body extremities for signs of pain, cold, or a change in color to dark red or black. Most often the dog is going to let you know these fragile areas are uncomfortable by vocalizing while licking, head shaking or investigating that part of their body when they’d otherwise be focusing on birds. The eartips, tail and scrotum are among the most vulnerable, and if you’re hunting in extreme cold conditions you should investigate these areas routinely throughout the day.
What’s your recommendation for the best winter gear for dogs (e.g., vests)? Are there any products you swear by for extreme conditions?
It’s hard to be a durable and properly fitted neoprene vest for enhancing core insulation in a hunting dog. This should be standard equipment for any dog that’s going to come in contact with water or be asked to stay motionless in a field or water blind for an extended period of time. It’s less critical for field dogs who are generating plenty of heat while running around.
A time of extreme vulnerability for cold related illness is after the hunt. Dogs need a warm, dry place out of the wind and elements to rest and recover from a frigid outing. Obviously, The trifecta of the all weather kit, orthopedic bed, and cold weather door cover from Gunner has demonstrated just how well dogs can stay warm if a few basic needs are met. We routinely hunt and travel in conditions well below freezing, and with this set up my dogs always leave the kennel after a hunt warm and dry.
Do dietary changes or supplements play a role in preparing dogs for winter hunting conditions?
Nutrition plays a critical role in maintaining a safe body temperature in adverse conditions. Food is fuel, and hunting dogs need more of it to maintain homeostasis when the ambient temperature drops. In the peak of the hunting season, a high fat, high protein, performance dog food is essential to meet that goal. How much to feed an individual dog varies greatly, and the calorie requirement depends on a lot of factors, including breed, age, reproductive status, and not least of all the calorie demand from the amount of activity the individual dog receives. A guide dog that lives in an outdoor kennel setting that sees 50 days of winter retrieving a season will need to consume markedly more calories than the same breed who logs a few hours on the weekend before returning to the couch.
Hunters should learn the basics of conducting a body condition score and use this hands-on assessment to determine when to increase a dog’s food intake and when to dial it back. Outside of anecdotes, marketing and personal testimonies, there is very little scientific evidence to suggest most supplements offer an appreciable benefit above what is provided in performance dog food as it pertains to cold weather (or any other condition, really, with the exception of joint support).
What does an ideal post-hunt recovery routine look like for dogs after a day in freezing conditions?
You don’t need me to tell you that hunting dogs are incredibly hearty. When given just a few basic necessities, their unique physiology is designed to promote mind-boggling fast recovery.. At the end of a hunt, I like to dry off a dog as much as possible before putting them in a secure, dry kennel that’s sheltered from the wind and elements. To aid in recovery, I like to feed them between 30 minutes and an hour after we’re done for the day, and I prefer to float their food in warm water. Not only does the extra fluid in digestion, the warm liquid increases the palatability of their food and keeps them feeling toasty from the inside out.
Are there risks of overworking a dog in the cold, and how can hunters identify when it’s time to call it a day?
The answer depends entirely on what kind of activity the dog is engaging in. Obviously the dog that is plowing through cattails at full speed on a late season pheasant hunt is going to generate a tremendous amount of body heat compared to the retriever that has to bust through ice a few times in the morning while otherwise required to sit motionless and wet in a blind. In the first scenario, you’ll be more likely to give up than your dog. But in the second scenario, it’s probably wise for you to pull the plug early for the safety of your dog. Believe me, I know how hard that can be when the hunting is good or the opportunities to hunt are few and far between.
Can you share a memorable moment or a lesson learned from a winter hunt that involved your dogs?
There are many stories, and I’ll be the first to admit that I have a real knack for learning things the hard way. Cold weather hunts can be amazing. Ducks and geese are hungry and willing to lower their self preservation standards for a bite to eat. Upland birds punch together and hold tight, although as I’ve aged, I’m now more inclined to give them a break when the forecast is grim.
On one particularly cold November hunt in Montana, we saw a rapid change in the weather in a short period of time. We began the week battling gnats, but by Thursday we were faced with wind and single digit lows. We had made worst case scenario provisions for nutrition and keeping dogs warm overnight, but we failed to calculate how much at risk our freshwater supply would be. We pulled out all of our food from our coolers and used them to insulate our team’s drinking water from the frigid outdoor air. It wasn’t the wind of the snow that made us throw in the towel, but the threat of dehydration. After two days, we lost the battle of keeping our water in liquid form and bailed. That’s certainly not a scenario we had factored into our preparatory battle plan.
More About Seth Bynum
Dr. Seth Bynum (@birddogvet) is a native of North Carolina but has lived in the west for more than 20 years. He is an avid bird hunter and the author of numerous articles on sporting dog health. His website, Hunt.Vet, is designed to help connect the sporting dog and veterinary communities.
Want to learn more about how GUNNER works to keep your dog warmer in the winter cold? Check out our thermal test results and learn more about our Cold Weather System.
