Hiking With Your Dog

Kyoto: Hiking from Kibune to Kurama

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Everything is ready. Your equipment is in order, your dog is in good physical condition, and you're heading off to the most beautiful woods in North America. Now, before you go is a good time to look at some of the things that could go awry. Some things, like fleas and ticks, can cause discomfort; other, more serious occurrences could potentially threaten your dog's life.

It doesn't take a Ph.D. in physiology to figure out that hiking in 90-degree weather in 90 percent humidity is not advisable for your heavily-coated Malamute; or that taking a dog through an area laden with rattlesnakes or bears could pose a problem; or that going out in the backwoods during deer hunting season poses something of a risk. But there may be other problems you have not considered.

Bugs
"Bugs" is inaccurate. The entomologist tells us that the only critters that should be called bugs are the Reduviidae, or "true bugs," like the kissing bug. But you know what I mean. Various six- and eight-legged things with mouth parts that, when magnified, look like something from Aliens. These are the things that pass on Lyme disease, make you itch, and frightening you when they appear suddenly on a piece of your gear. Some individuals avoid the outdoors because of bugs. Having been confined to a tent on their account, I can understand these feelings. But the discomfort caused by insects can be minimized.

Mosquitoes
You are familiar with these dreaded beasts. They are how we donate blood to the food chain. The greatest danger posed by the mosquito is the possible transmission of heartworm disease. The larva of the heartworm are borne by mosquitoes from one dog (or other mammal) to another, where in seven months or so they develop into adults in some of the large vessels of the heart. This leads to heart failure.

Heartworm disease can be treated, but, as the treatment is rather harsh (arsenic-based drugs and possibly heart surgery), prevention is the preferred mode. There is no reason for any dog to get heartworm disease—preventative medicine is extremely safe and 100 percent effective when used properly. It can be given either monthly or daily. Monthly treatment, besides being easier to give, is more forgiving if you are late by a day or so.

You are no doubt familiar with heartworm disease, and if you are taking the time to read this article, you most likely take your dog in for yearly visits to the veterinarian. Dogs should be tested each year prior to recommencing the preventative medicine. While this is less of an issue with those using the Heartgard monthly pill (ivermectin), it is a necessity for those using the daily pill, or the Interceptor monthly pill, as those medicines can precipitate a dangerous reaction. It's good to have a yearly check in any case, in order to nip an infestation in the bud, in case you have been lax in giving the preventative.