My GWP impaled him self with a stick

[Cami]

Hello Everybody

Was quite a weekend for me let me tell you.
Work was slow so i thought i get out for a few days hunting to fill the freezer. So packed up and hit the road Thursday got to my spot what i scouted a couple of weeks before set up camp and made dinner for me and my hunting bud Hamish.
Next day figured i m gonna make it an easy day and get firewood and stuff in the morning and hunt the afternoon. So let Hamish run around until i was all set @ camp, put him in the truck and off i went. Hicked for 6 hr didn't see much except some fresh signs and a few grouse.
got back to camp to find Hamish sleeping in the truck so i put on his vest and the GPS collar and let him out of the truck.
He always stays around camp but better safe then sorry i thought.
SO i started to make a fire and cooking dinner as I got his dinner ready i called him ... nothing? So i check on the GPS and i saw that he was only 100m away but didn't move? So i called him again nothing so i thought to my self what the hell is he after now.
SO i call him again angry and finally i can see him move towards me but really slow what is not normal for him. And then he stopped about 10 yards away from me and didn't move all i could see was the light on his collar, so i call again and the comes limping over to me. So i got him close to the fire and started looking him over just thinking he must have got something stuck in his pawn. Nope nothing and no wimping either so i told him to lay down and he did but he started to scream in pain so i looked him over again and i saw a .5" thick stick coming out of his chest.
So what now first i checked if there was any bubbly noise coming from his lungs and checked his mouth for blood - no nothing.
So i put him in the truck threw everthing back in the truck and started the drive back to van from Brookmere - gotta say speed limits where of the radar on that drive. Got to hope at 10pm and called a buddy to find me a clinic - he called me back and told me to go to the one in Kits .... to the 24 hr ER.
Tried to keep the dog awake the whole drive and for the most part he kept looking at me.
Got to the clinic and they looked him over.
They could see air in his heart cavady and around his lungs so the send me straight to the one in Burnaby for a CT scan.
So by the time i got there it was 5am Saturday morning.
They looked at the scan and saw some small damage to his lung but not enough to operate.
They cut open the wound channel 6" and cleaned it and put a drain in.
And i was sitting at home waiting for the call....
When the finally called, what felt like a 100 year , they told me that the operation went fine and that he will be all good again.
Thanks God
So they called me today to give me an update. First thing they told me was that he jumped the kennel gate ( not like i didn't tell em that he will as soon as he feels better) LOL.
So now they gonna keep him for another couple of days until they can take out the drain and keep an eye on his lungs.

I guess all in all we were really lucky.

He was wearing a vest and still it happened.

SO as soon as i get him back i will get him one custom made from Germany.
And thank god i bought pet insurance last year.

So to all of you a 400$ vest is a lot better then 10000$ on vet bills as well as the stress what comes with it.
I will try to post pic in the next little while.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Sucks!!! But $10 000 is crazy. You would be surprised how a dog heals up with a little TLC at home. They are alot tougher then we think. I have had horrible wounds on dogs with busted legs, hips, cuts, and holes in general. you would be shocked how fast they bounce back. Good luck on a full recovery

[Rackem]

Please do not keep a dog at home for treatment with a broken limb, hip or any holes into body cavities. I was a Veterinary Tech for 14 years, and I have seen some pretty terrible things from people leaving these kind of injuries too long.

I am so glad that your dog is going to be ok. You did the right thing bringing him in, and good on you for having insurance on him. I wonder if you ran into my friend Dr. Gorodetsky, big Russian bear of a man, big bushy beard, does the endoscopy...writes hilarious newsletters...

[adriaticum]

Speedy recovery!

[Cami]

I would never think of self medicating after an injury like that.
They had to cut open the wound 6" and that even wasn't the whole way -to clean it.
I know dogs are tough but when you can feel air under his skin its time u go and see a vet.
Oh and Rackem no i didn't meet your buddy.
He was transferred to the Can West clinic in burnaby.

[Buck]

Good to see the dog is OK. could you give a link to the dog vest

[nature girl]

I hope for a safe recovery for your dog.

[yamadirt 426]

Dang. That must have been some drive to the vet. Glad the pup is doing ok !! Good luck

[coach]

Good to hear the dog's going to be ok. Sorry about the big vet bill. :cry:

Rumour has it, most vets own two or three Ferraris and a couple Lamborghini's. :-D

[Cami]

I will post a link for the vests there go for about 200 euros.
And i can help with the translation from german into english.

[Cami]

here is the link thats the best i could find for our game here. I dont think we need the really heavy once since we dont have hogs yet
http://www.jagdshop-hameln.de/7.html

[chilcotin hillbilly]

With out pet insurance the bill would have been less then half that or less. It is just the vet screwing the insurance company over. Just like Puppy shots $25/pup here $3.99 in the US, go figure?????

[Rackem]

Good to hear the dog's going to be ok. Sorry about the big vet bill. :cry:

Rumour has it, most vets own two or three Ferraris and a couple Lamborghini's. :-D

Funny, the veterinarians I worked for drove: an old beater Chevy sprint, an old Izuzu Trooper, an older jeep YJ, and a Mini...

[Rackem]

With out pet insurance the bill would have been less then half that or less. It is just the vet screwing the insurance company over. Just like Puppy shots $25/pup here $3.99 in the US, go figure?????

The vet that I worked at most recently charged $45 for a full exam. A full exam is required by the BCVMA before administering a vaccine. The vaccine costs the veterinarian $8 on average in Canada. So normal markup makes the vaccine $16.

Tell me how a veterinarian could possibly sell a vaccine here in BC for $3.99 when he can't even buy it for that?

As a comparison, a doctor's basic exam for a human is $85 or more. Same with a dentist.

The insurance companies are saavy to being overcharged, believe me. There is no way you can overcharge them, and they sometimes set MAXIMUMs for procedures they will pay, they have a book of averages, and know if you are screwing with them.

The reason it was as expensive as it was, it was an emergency. If you go to an emergency visit at the hospital, it costs way more than going to see your GP.

This is because you have to have people on call to come in and work all night on your pet. Try waking a plumber up and see what kind of premium you get charged.

Also I am certain that he had different procedures done, scans, xrays, etc etc, all when compared to human medicine cost, are usually about half.

Yet veterinarians must go to school seven years, and not get paid as much as a GP. They also must be all things, GP, radiologist, oncologist, orthopedics, pediactrics, geriatrics,etc.. and treat multiple species...

[coach]

Funny, the veterinarians I worked for drove: an old beater Chevy sprint, an old Izuzu Trooper, an older jeep YJ, and a Mini...

Sure. I know lots of people like that. Drive the beater to work.. The Ferraris and lambo's only come out on the weekend. :-D

[dragonslayer]

200 hundred euros works out to 283.41 canadian dollars

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Really rackem,
I had a dog get Parvo last year, a Parvo test which takes minutes, an intervenous for fluids and overnight stay for observation. $700 figure it out. Vets time tops 1 hr. clean up maybe 1 hr supplies maybe $30 tops, dogs hotel stay $500 a night?
I don't mind paying this as she is my top dog and worth a wheelbarrow full of money but don't kid yourself about vets not making a pile of money.

[Rackem]

They make an decent income, but they have huge overhead, and make less than a GP for a more detailed and broad ranging job.

Check out the fees for staying in a hospital in BC...http://www.david-cummings.com/documents/canadian_hospital_rates.htm

The parvo test we used cost us $15, markup made it $30. IV fluids the bag cost $8 per bag and $8 for the IV line. So markup makes it $32.

Exam is usually at least $45-55

I am sure they gave some kind of medicine, antibiotics, Vitamin B...all which have an associated cost and markup. They are in business, and are not a charity.

Did they do xrays or any other procedures, did they do any other bloodwork?

[Papa Sasquatch]

So happy your dog incident turned out well.

But When ever bad things happen to people... or pets. No matter how bad it is, Whether you break a leg or there is enormous blood loss.
Remember to always look at things on the bright side :^) and think of me sipping on a Bone beer by the fire. I will be fine.

[Cami]

SO i got him back yesterday.
Thanks for the kind words from everybody specially to Papa Sasquatch who made me :-D at 7 in the bloody morning.
mission for this week post pix on HBC and not to kill Hamish. 10 days with no running will be hellll for both of us.

[Rackem]

So glad to hear it!! Yaay! Hamish!

[Cami]

here we go some pix from before and after:
http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/Cami1529/Hamish%20hit/photo12_zps2a8df6f6.jpg (http://s981.photobucket.com/user/Cami1529/media/Hamish%20hit/photo12_zps2a8df6f6.jpg.html)

http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/Cami1529/Hamish%20hit/photo2_zpsb2ee8464.jpg (http://s981.photobucket.com/user/Cami1529/media/Hamish%20hit/photo2_zpsb2ee8464.jpg.html)

http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/Cami1529/Hamish%20hit/photo3_zps4cc73450.jpg (http://s981.photobucket.com/user/Cami1529/media/Hamish%20hit/photo3_zps4cc73450.jpg.html)

http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/Cami1529/Hamish%20hit/photo4_zpsbfce85bf.jpg (http://s981.photobucket.com/user/Cami1529/media/Hamish%20hit/photo4_zpsbfce85bf.jpg.html)

Oh yeah and it took him less then 12hr after the surgery to jump the kennel fence. LOL

[Cami]

That was a couple of weeks before on a grouse hunt
http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/Cami1529/Hamish%20hit/firstgrouse_zps702b1eed.jpg (http://s981.photobucket.com/user/Cami1529/media/Hamish%20hit/firstgrouse_zps702b1eed.jpg.html)

[Cami]

And here is the first day without stitches so he was kind of allowed to be a little shit

http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/Cami1529/Hamish%20hit/th_IMG_0494_zpsb595e3a8.jpg (http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/Cami1529/Hamish%20hit/IMG_0494_zpsb595e3a8.mp4)

[Mishka]

Glad to hear he's doing well!!

[yamadirt 426]

close call for sure. I wish i could take pain like a dog can. Tough as nails !

[nature girl]

Glad your dog is feeling and looking better. The dog feels better and I am sure that makes you feel better and happier. Pets they bring so much joy in our lives.

[BigSlapper]

Good to see/hear all is working out :)

[BC_Viking]

Sucks!!! But $10 000 is crazy. You would be surprised how a dog heals up with a little TLC at home. They are alot tougher then we think. I have had horrible wounds on dogs with busted legs, hips, cuts, and holes in general. you would be shocked how fast they bounce back. Good luck on a full recovery


Bad advise ^^^

[KDMC67]

How are you two making out,,I know keeping a young GWP quiet is a lot of work..thanks for the photos you send on,,heres to a speedy recovery..take care of my boy.. well your boy,,but you know what I mean,,I love keeping in touch with you two...

[Panic]

Hope he gets well fast enough to be out on your next hunt...All the best.

[Dirty30-30]

Hey that vest looks like a good idea/investment.

[Cami]

Just wanted to let you guys know that the insurance paid it all no questions asked.
It cost me a 100$ and the rest was covered. I m really luck otherwise i would have had to like on bread and water for a while.:-D

[Cami]

So and we did it again not that bad this time tough . We just bought a farm and he was sleeping chained up on the porch and a pig came to close to the house.....
He forgot that he was chained up charged the pig ripped his leather collar and tore his chest open again. Sad/Funny thing its exactly the same spot as he impaled him self.
Trip to the vet and lots of stitches later we are back home. He is fine and back in action again or at least he thinks so.
Dogs are crazy he had a 6 " slab of skin hanging of and on the drive to the vet he still wanted to hunt grouse he puts a whole new meaning to being game .

Long story short
I just wanna let very body know that the dog chains u can buy at Princes auto or any other dog place are no good.
http://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/14-3-4-ft-heavy-duty-dog-chain/A-p8634016e
The edges are sharp after close inspection so it my be ok for a dog with a longer coat but its no good for short hair dogs. http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/Cami1529/IMG_0315_zpstrdheexk.jpg

[Shooter]

Wow tough luck, Glad he will be fine. Earlier this year I was out for a hike with my Brittany and he did the exact same thing. He jumped into a ditch and impaled himself on an old piece of cable sticking out of the ground. But he tried to rip himself off and ended up upside down hanging from the cable impaled in his frontal shoulder screaming like I have never heard before. I had to lift him off of the cable and carry him back to the truck (about 2kms). The vet said he was amazed that he didn't sever the main artery down his shoulder/leg and if he had of he said he most likely would have bled out on the spot. He too had an air pocket in the wound and the artery was hanging like a rope down the middle of the pocket. My vet was great and the operation to clean him up cost me $500. And that was an emergency call on Superbowl Sunday.

[guntech]

If I went through 7 years of medical training, purchased the equipment for a vet business, and hired qualified staff I would want to make lots of money too. Huge investment and ongoing overhead... I wonder how much of a $700 charge is actually profit in his pocket.

[35rem]

Really rackem,
I had a dog get Parvo last year, a Parvo test which takes minutes, an intervenous for fluids and overnight stay for observation. $700 figure it out. Vets time tops 1 hr. clean up maybe 1 hr supplies maybe $30 tops, dogs hotel stay $500 a night?
I don't mind paying this as she is my top dog and worth a wheelbarrow full of money but don't kid yourself about vets not making a pile of money.

Nope, your dog had an infectious disease so had to be kept in an isolation unit. Every time staff checks on these patients they need to gown up; on leaving change clothing, disinfect footwear and sanitize hands etc so other animals are not put at risk. Quite often one staff member will be assigned especially to these patients. IVs need to be checked frequently, meds need to be given 3-4 times per day. Some patients will even require blood or plasma transfusions to survive. Any place that your dog was in before the diagnosis was made will need to be disinfected as well. You are grossly underestimating how much time these patients take. The frustrating part is that all of this could easily be prevented by a simple vaccination for a fraction of what you paid for the treatment. An ounce of prevention...

As to how much the average vet makes: the CVMA has this information readily available on its website. The latest data I could find was for 2010 and the average income was $ 67,000 (http://www.canadianveterinarians.net/news-events/news/veterinary-fees-canada) For comparison: in the same period human doctors made an average of $307,482 (http://www.cmaj.ca/content/185/3/E143.full), so 4.5 times as much. Bear in mind that 40% of your tax dollars go to healthcare, 0% to your veterinarian. Yet, if your dog needs knee surgery or a new hip, veterinarians will get it done within 2 weeks at a fraction of the cost billed to our healthcare system after being on a wait list for 9 months as a human...

For Dennis: in the average veterinary clinic overhead is +/- 70% before veterinary salaries or any return on investment.

For the record: I have a 13 year old Pathfinder, a 10 year old SmartCar (cheap on gas) and a 25 year old F250 that I use for firewood, camping and dump runs.

[Cami]

Hey Guys i dont really care how much a vet makes.
I got the dog if they can fix it please do. If you know your dog and let me tell you i know myn and he is game at all times. I just got vet insurance and it covers it all very happy with it and specially hunting dogs are higher risk then your city dog. Insurance is 700 a year he is 3 years old and cost the insurance 15k so far ... i just like to have the piece of mind that i will not have to choose between my dog and rent. :) And if it's a good wet why shouldn't he make a good living.