Posted: 8/10/2010 4:37:00 PM EDT
| Wife surprised me with something today. I think she is messing with me. She brings home ths little backpack for a dog and opens it up and says that I now have a BOB for the dog. Inside of it she put 3 days worth of dog food and a bottle of water. 1 bowl and his tennis ball! Then just laughs and walks away. But made me think how many others have a DOG BOB? |
I don't have a BOB for my dogs but do have preps for them if it ever came to where I had to leave the house. One weights 4.9 lbs and the other weighs in around 5.6 lbs. I have food for them in my bag and we can share water. A doggy backpack would most likely to more harm than good for them.
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I don't have a BOB for my dogs but do have preps for them if it ever came to where I had to leave the house. One weights 4.9 lbs and the other weighs in around 5.6 lbs. I have food for them in my bag and we can share water. A doggy backpack would most likely to more harm than good for them. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/RKnarr01/SANY1498.jpg HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Maybe you could get a BOB to put them in.. instead of a BOB to put on them.... At least they ont eat much.. 
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We do for our pups. In addition to the obvious food/water/toys setup we always carry benedryl because our dogs seem to find everything that stings and attempt to eat it.
Also keeping a copy of their shot records is a good idea in case you need to prove their rabies vaccines. I also try to include a blanket and towel to dry them off and for a clean place to sleep. One thing on my to-do list is train my dogs to wear the little dog boots. I camped at place that had a lot of stickers(not sure what the real name of those things are ) and our dog had hell since they got stuck in his paws and he'd have to sit down and pick them out every 50 feet or so. Some boots would've been great but I've heard from others that it takes time for the dog to get used to them. I can also see them being useful in a BO scenario so you don't have to worry about pavement burning their pads or getting cut by debris.
ETA: Keep some Coban or VetWrap in the dog bob too. Since you can't really get tape to stick to fur using the coban/vetwrap is great. Just clean the wound, put some gauze in place and wrap it with the coban/vetwrap. 
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I get raped for my opinion every time this question comes up. Don't do it man. My black lab blew out his leg on the AT. I had to dump my ruck and carry him out. Yes he is an athlete among dogs, and yes he's been on two different sections of the AT before this.
The best orthopedic surgeon at the best animal hospital on the planet. Told me that today's dogs are no more the pack animals, then man is a nomadic hunter gatherer. If this injury happened 1000 years ago it would have meant some meat in the pot. Genetic defects have not been culled from dogs in a long time. He started limping in the morning. I took off the pack. By lunch he couldn't stand up. There is no warning. Good luck, SB 
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I get raped for my opinion every time this question comes up. Don't do it man. My black lab blew out his leg on the AT. I had to dump my ruck and carry him out. Yes he is an athlete among dogs, and yes he's been on two different sections of the AT before this. The best orthopedic surgeon at the best animal hospital on the planet. Told me that today's dogs are no more the pack animals, then man is a nomadic hunter gatherer. If this injury happened 1000 years ago it would have meant some meat in the pot. Genetic defects have not been culled from dogs in a long time. He started limping in the morning. I took off the pack. By lunch he couldn't stand up. There is no warning. Good luck, SB http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/SniperBait/IMG.jpg I'm truly sorry that happened to your best friend... 
Just out of curiousity, how heavy was the pack? I have never put a pack on a dog personally, but have friends who do, but keep the packs to half the weight the dog should be able to handle hoping to avoid injury. I have a rottie and a mastiff, not pack dogs... My rottie loved pulling carts when she was younger though... |
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I get raped for my opinion every time this question comes up. Don't do it man. My black lab blew out his leg on the AT. I had to dump my ruck and carry him out. Yes he is an athlete among dogs, and yes he's been on two different sections of the AT before this. The best orthopedic surgeon at the best animal hospital on the planet. Told me that today's dogs are no more the pack animals, then man is a nomadic hunter gatherer. If this injury happened 1000 years ago it would have meant some meat in the pot. Genetic defects have not been culled from dogs in a long time. He started limping in the morning. I took off the pack. By lunch he couldn't stand up. There is no warning. Good luck, SB http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/SniperBait/IMG.jpg I like my dogs, but when I got a quote like that (I know it's after the fact, but they could give you an estimate) I'm going to go for the $15 option instead.
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I get raped for my opinion every time this question comes up. Don't do it man. My black lab blew out his leg on the AT. I had to dump my ruck and carry him out. Yes he is an athlete among dogs, and yes he's been on two different sections of the AT before this. The best orthopedic surgeon at the best animal hospital on the planet. Told me that today's dogs are no more the pack animals, then man is a nomadic hunter gatherer. If this injury happened 1000 years ago it would have meant some meat in the pot. Genetic defects have not been culled from dogs in a long time. He started limping in the morning. I took off the pack. By lunch he couldn't stand up. There is no warning. Good luck, SB http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/SniperBait/IMG.jpg I'm truly sorry that happened to your best friend...
Just out of curiousity, how heavy was the pack? I have never put a pack on a dog personally, but have friends who do, but keep the packs to half the weight the dog should be able to handle hoping to avoid injury. I have a rottie and a mastiff, not pack dogs... My rottie loved pulling carts when she was younger though... Thanks for the kind words. A few Mighty Dog MRE's, water bottle, a fabric bowl, and some treats. Not a lot of weight. It's all about going down hill and the un natural stresses placed on the joints. SB |
| I should add that my dogs don't actually wear a little doggie pack. I just keep their stuff with my stuff. I tried making one of them wear a pack but she wouldn't keep it on longer than 10 minutes and my other dog is longer than he is tall so no pack for him regardless. |
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Injuries happen, and it might have happened with or without the pack. My dog ran under a bush a few months ago and got a three inches of a five inch long stick poked through back.
If you are going to use a doggy pack, keep the weight to no more than 20% of the dogs own weight. A 50 lb dog should not carry more than 10 lbs. Get a GOOD pack, that fits well, and try it out and look for spots that seem to rub. Keep everything flat with no wrinkles or folds that will make pressure points. Wrap cloth tape over seams, etc... to reduce friction. Your little buddy will gamely struggle on even if he's hurt, so you have to make sure to take care of him. Keep loads even and balanced low. A pack with a carry or drag handle is nice too, it helps when you have to drag him over some terrain or just take the pack and carry it for him sometimes. I just use a small day pack with a couple bottles of water (.5l bottles) on each side. I have a folding bowl I carry, plus more won water. For a day hike there is no need to carry dog food just a few snacks throughout the hike. |
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I don't have a BOB for my dogs but do have preps for them if it ever came to where I had to leave the house. One weights 4.9 lbs and the other weighs in around 5.6 lbs. I have food for them in my bag and we can share water. A doggy backpack would most likely to more harm than good for them. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/RKnarr01/SANY1498.jpg Love that pic. It really made me laugh. 
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We do for our pups. In addition to the obvious food/water/toys setup we always carry benedryl because our dogs seem to find everything that stings and attempt to eat it. Also keeping a copy of their shot records is a good idea in case you need to prove their rabies vaccines. I also try to include a blanket and towel to dry them off and for a clean place to sleep. One thing on my to-do list is train my dogs to wear the little dog boots. I camped at place that had a lot of stickers(not sure what the real name of those things are ) and our dog had hell since they got stuck in his paws and he'd have to sit down and pick them out every 50 feet or so. Some boots would've been great but I've heard from others that it takes time for the dog to get used to them. I can also see them being useful in a BO scenario so you don't have to worry about pavement burning their pads or getting cut by debris.
ETA: Keep some Coban or VetWrap in the dog bob too. Since you can't really get tape to stick to fur using the coban/vetwrap is great. Just clean the wound, put some gauze in place and wrap it with the coban/vetwrap. We made doggie boots out of motorcylce inner tubes last year when we went to NE to hunt. They worked pretty good and don't cost to much either. |
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Snipebait,
I think you got screwed. looking over the vets bill I see ya got charged $4.66 for two Cephalexin antibiotics and then again $another $24.36 for an additional 42 tablets. How come so much for the first series of two cephalexin? did they administer the tablets to the dog? Sorry looks like your vet was efficient but Im just amaized on what they charge... |
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I don't have a BOB for my dogs but do have preps for them if it ever came to where I had to leave the house. One weights 4.9 lbs and the other weighs in around 5.6 lbs. I have food for them in my bag and we can share water. A doggy backpack would most likely to more harm than good for them. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/RKnarr01/SANY1498.jpg I am from Arizona! I need to see some papers on the little one on the right!
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Sorry looks like your vet was efficient but Im just amaized on what they charge... Years ago I had a black lab named lucky. He ate the stuffing out of a pillow (did not know it till going to the vet). He got really sick and off to the vet he went. They looked at him and took some xrays and found the stuffing impacted in his intestines in 5 places. Vet says its surgery or he dies. I ask how much? $3100. Hardest thing I have done in a long time but Lucky was not so lucky that day! He was my kids dog and the hard part was dealing with them. I could not see $3100 for this and wished I had bought pet insurance. But To answer the original quote. This can be very normal at a vet! |
| I have a 100 pound alaskan Malamute that can haul three days worth of supplies for my family to inculde ammo. She was bulit for the job of hauling heavy loads. That being said I do not over load her as she does on carry a large amount of weight on a regular basis. I do not weight train her so my expectation of her is low however she can easily carry her own supplies for three days. |
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Snipebait, I think you got screwed. looking over the vets bill I see ya got charged $4.66 for two Cephalexin antibiotics and then again $another $24.36 for an additional 42 tablets. How come so much for the first series of two cephalexin? did they administer the tablets to the dog? Sorry looks like your vet was efficient but Im just amaized on what they charge... It's really not a vets office. It's a research medical center for animals. They have a 24hr emergency room in the front, as big as any of the Boston trauma centers. The place was spotless, nursing stations surrounded by treatment rooms. If you walked in off the street. You would think it was Brigham & Women's Hospital. Which is just down the street. The place is world class. My dogs surgery was not a typical TTPO. Angell invented an advanced procedure where they sawed the bone off removed a wedge and reattached at a better angle. It's probably common now, but back then. He was one of the first on the planet to get it. The surgeon who did the work. Was recruited to work at Angell. He moved here from Australia. For what you get, you have to expect to pay. WORTH IT 
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Well, she may be able to carry a SIG 238, but not much else. If i have to bug out ––- the moral support offsets the 9 extra pounds. When i found my little Cupcake, she was an older dog, she has had a couple of procedures done unfortunately ––- so the 4 figure vet bills dont surprise me at all. I didnt have to pay quite that much, but i guess i have about 1700 in surgery fees overall for her plus regular vet visits –––– what the heck, i dont have any kids, and this little girl is my buddy 
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Had a pair of mongrel dos, Pedro and Man. Every once in awhile, they'd go off the reservation and I'd come home to find them laying on the front porch in various stages of tore up. In their later years, Pedro started developing tumors. $300 a shot plus meds. I guess I had easily $3000 tied up in those two barn refugees, and I never begrudged them a nickel. What they gave me over the course of their 15 years beggared that sum.
My current dog has flat feet and is getting on in years, so I don't know how much he'd be able to haul on his own. Might be able to train him to pull a cart, but I don't hold any great hopes that he'll take to it. He's more of an alarm than a cargo hauler. |