UP Adventures and Misfortunes

[Harold Pickens]

MISFORTUNES FIRST:
After an 800 mile drive on Tuesday, the dogs and I arrived safely at our UP destination. I have lost track of the trips, was # 40 or 41. Wed. morning found me out early and I put my oldest out first, Fancy is 11 now. Despite moving 10 grouse, I only took 1 shot and missed. Doodle got the next call and I shot 4 grouse(5 is the limit) over her with the little Ugartechea 28 ga. I wanted to get Willie out and drove on to the next cover. Willie is my biggest running girl and was raring to get out. She promptly pointed 2 grouse, but no shots taken. Suddenly, I heard a yelp and she came walking back in breathing funny and stopped hunting. Could find no injury, so I walked her back to the truck--done for the day. Back at the cabin, she was still breathing funny and had foam or bubbles around her lips. Was in Iron Mtn. Veterinarians the next morning with Wille when they opened the doors. "we love English setters" the staff said as they gathered around her, and Willie is a tricolor beauty. One of the vets saw her within 10 minutes and I could tell she was concerned. X-rays revealed a collapsed right lung, no broken ribs, wounds, or penetrating foreign objects. They wanted me to take her immediately to a Blue Pearl surgical referal center in Green Bay or Appleton Wis, but both clinics declined to see her. I was going to have to take her to the Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center(WVRC) outside Milwaukee, a 4 hour+ drive. Before I left, the vet in Iron Mtn did a thoracentesis and removed 1 1/2 liters of air from the chest cavity and Willies breathing improved immediately. At WVRC she was quickly evaluated. Her lung had reinflated so they did not think she would need a chest tube and CT scan. I left her there and got back to the cabin at 10:00 pm--a long day. On calling Friday afternoon, they felt I could pick her up Saturday. Another trip back and forth to Milwaukee, but Willie was home. No strenuous activity for 2-3 weeks was the recommendation, so her hunting was over. The pitiful looks she
gave me when I put the other dogs out to hunt would break your heart.
Good news today, had her to my vet who cleared her to resume her back to the field.
But the fun wasnt over yet, I was up there around 2 1/2 weeks and on Wednesday, 2 days before leaving, I noticed a heavy pink, creamy discharge from Doodles vulva, she had a pyometra, or uterine infection. Now, I have been prescribing oral antibiotics, steroids, etc for over 40 years now and started her on ciprofloxacin immediately. When I got back in cell phone coverage, I called my brother Dale, a veterinarian in Ashville, NC, who agreed with what I was doing but said it would probably be reoccurring, and should probably be spayed. I did get her cleared up but had her into my vet today also. Although the discharge had pretty much stopped the infection was still there, so he performed a spay procedure on her today and I'll pick her up this afternoon. You dont want to know what all this has cost me, lets just say I could buy a damn nice small bore Parker 20 for that. But all will be good, I'll hold Doodle up for a couple weeks, but now Willie is back in the lineup.
Old Fancy did a great job holding up her end as the senior partner of the team. I have lots of great pictures and happier stories to tell once I get things organized. Thanks to all who expressed concerns.