my dog on hikes

[LastHonestFool]

hi, I've got a bit of a concern here

I woudl like to start doing short trips with my younger dog

I walk her and she's quite well trained, I'm curenty working on getting her to perform long sit-stays (ie a minute or more)..since she gets antsy after about 30 seconds

problem is, she has epilepsy (has seizyures), she's had probably 6 total hr entire life, and we don't take her to the vet when she has them anymore (after we rushed her to the vet the first time and she explained the situatin)

basically, she kinda blacks out, stops walking and lays there for 15 minutes (thats the ongest one she's ever had)

now she hasn't had one in 2-4 months, and it's apparently somethign that affects alot of golden retreivers (I've done some research), obviosuly long periods of time on the trail is out of the question, butI'm aiming to take her on dayhikes and several overnighters/3day outings....

has anyone had this unique situation with a dog, and if so have you taken them on overnighters?

[Pacific Tortuga]

hi, I've got a bit of a concern here

I woudl like to start doing short trips with my younger dog

I walk her and she's quite well trained, I'm curenty working on getting her to perform long sit-stays (ie a minute or more)..since she gets antsy after about 30 seconds

problem is, she has epilepsy (has seizyures), she's had probably 6 total hr entire life, and we don't take her to the vet when she has them anymore (after we rushed her to the vet the first time and she explained the situatin)

basically, she kinda blacks out, stops walking and lays there for 15 minutes (thats the ongest one she's ever had)

now she hasn't had one in 2-4 months, and it's apparently somethign that affects alot of golden retreivers (I've done some research), obviosuly long periods of time on the trail is out of the question, butI'm aiming to take her on dayhikes and several overnighters/3day outings....

has anyone had this unique situation with a dog, and if so have you taken them on overnighters?

PM : Phreak, he is a dog trainer and may know.

[Blue Jay]

Ok, this is a joke right. Yes, it's always a good idea to take humans or animals with medical conditions that incapacitate them, as far away from medical help as possible.

[LastHonestFool]

did you even bother to read my post? just wondering, becuase if you had read my post, you would have seen she doesn't require medical attention after a seizure as instructed to us from her vet

I'm not talking about taking her on the more remote parts of the AT either, I think I should make that clear. I only want to bring her on dayhikes or an overnighter of some sort that I already know well, and can if neccessary get her off the trail and to medical attention if something unfortunate were to happen

I'll recap:

-being a responsible pet owner, I realize she is my responsibility, if something were to happen
-if something were to happen, I need to be prepared and get her to medical attention immediately

[rafe]

Fool, I love golden retrievers, and I even took mine on a few hikes back in the day (sniff...) You'll never lose the trail when you're hiking with a dog .

But be aware that not all hikers appreciate dogs in shelters or on the trail for that matter. Goldens are usually the sweetest and gentlest dogs around, but children don't know that necessarily and could easily be frightened.

A wet dog in a shelter can be a bit unpleasant, all around. Oh, and goldens fart something fierce.

So I'm prolly not offering very useful advice here, just another point or two to consider.

[Gaiter]

pay attention to the activity she is doing when she has these episodes, if she is known for having them while being very active, then i would be careful about taking long hikes. You said she has only had six episodes, with more you might notice very suttle warning signs, a key sign to stop and rest till she has gone through the episode.

thats my two cents, hope its helpful

[LastHonestFool]

no, it's nothing to do with her being active or not....it's liek regular people being epileptic, they just happen sometimes

@terapin:

yeah I've read these forums about proper etiquette on the trail with dogs and I plan to tent well away from a shelter with my dog, get off the trail when others pass, etc. etc.

[frieden]

Ed and I have to stop frequently now, but it has created a new outlook on our hiking, and we enjoy it a lot more. We took a trail along a lagoon, and found a bench along a lovely view. We laid down, and stayed there for an hour, just watching the birds, and listening to the wind in the leaves. It was special.

As long as you aren't attempting the 100-mile wilderness, I don't know of any part of the AT that would be a problem for you. Pack enough water and gear to be comfortable, like any hiker with a canine partner (make sure to have doggie-specific first aid stuff).

Go out, and just enjoy being out there!

[lindy]

Every dog is different and there are many forms of epilepsy, and epilepsy affects every dog differently. Has there been any sign of stress being a trigger? I certainly would talk to my vet and see what they have to say about it. Some epileptic dogs can do as much as a dog without epilepsy, some cannot. My border collie that is gone now, should not have been on the trail (and never was) we never got control over his epilepsy. I would not take my mother's BC on the trail either because his epilepsy is sometimes brought on by stress and it is sooo hard to tell what a dog is going to find stressful (being away from home in a differnt enviorment?). The dog I have now, if she became epileptic, I am pretty sure that she could stick to hiking because she has a very adaptable personality. I also think of what happens after a seizure would be an indicator if they could be on trail or not. With Buddy, my border collie, he would have to pace and pace and pace after a seizure and would be impacted and sometimes incapacitated mentally and physically. My mother's dog becomes weak for hours afterwards. So I would take recovery into account also It could be hard to tell if a dog is fully recovered from a seizure. I would hate, hate, hate to be out in the bush with an incapaciated dog.. especially as large as a golden.

I am not saying you should not take your pup dayhiking or on an overnight It sounds like your pup is doing very well and may have out grown it. It sounds like it is under control. I think it is ALWAYS a risk taking our pups into the wilderness, no matter what, and a choice we need to make at a point of being as informed as we can be I wish you luck!

[Two Speed]

LHF, that's a tough call. Personally I'd be very reluctant to take my mutt out if I knew he had medical issues. Maybe start with short hikes, close to a 24 hr vet facility and see how things go?