Mountain medicine for mutts
Class can help keep your dogs healthy in the wilderness
You already know what to do if your dog suddenly falls ill or is injured in the backyard. You rush it to the vet.
But what if you are in the backcountry, far from the nearest emergency help when trouble strikes?
You can prepare to be a first responder for canines at a one- day class offered by the Wilderness Medicine Section of the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus.
The class, Wilderness Emergency Canine Care, will be taught on June 2 and again on June 3 by Dr. Mary Wright, who had a small- animal practice in Fort Collins for 16 years before going into conservation medicine eight years ago. Now, she spends “a lot of time in the wilderness,” helping biologists do their jobs.
“We have a very dog- friendly state and a very outdoors oriented state,” Wright said in an interview. “People often take their dogs as their adventure partners into our
wilderness areas. In addition, we have a lot of working dogs — search- and- rescue dogs, law enforcement dogs, avalanche rescue dogs — accompanying us into the wilderness.
“So I think we need to train people to be first responders for their own dogs and any dogs they may come across that may be in trouble.”
The class will create awareness of hazards for dogs in the backcountry, including injuries, effects of heat and cold, risks to paws and legs, danger from other animals and toxins, fitness and nutrition, wounds and burns, overuse orthopedic injuries, respiratory problems and what to bring for canine firstaid.
Prevention is also critical. “How does high altitude affect dogs?” Wright said. “Are you aware that wildlife carries diseases your dog can get? How do you prevent that? Is your dog physically capable of doing what you’re asking him to do? Is he in good health?”
Wright will teach basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation for dogs. She will show how to check a dog’s heartbeat to see if it’s racing.
“If they were having trouble, getting hypoxic at altitude, if they were not oxygenating well, they’re going to slow down,” Wright said. “They’re going to work harder to breathe. Their heart may start racing.”
Dogs can experience altitude sickness. They can get dehydrated.
“Remember, they can’t sweat, so all their loss of fluids is out their tongue, and that’s a lot,” Wright said.
Humans are advised not to drink out of mountain streams because of giardia, an intestinal protozoan that causes extreme diarrhea when it strikes. Dogs can get it too, but Wright says they seem to be more resistant than humans.
“Any hydration ( for dogs) is better than no hydration,” Wright said. “I’m sure your dog drinks out of whatever rivers or creeks you come across, right? Could you stop him if you tried? Probably not. And even if you do, he walks through it and then licks his paws. They are exposed, but a normal adult dog seems to have some resistance.”