# Hunting boots? Skid plate/jacket



## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Alright guys,

Here we go again:

Out for a walk, he sniffs out a pheasant. I, as a good dad, let him go after it (he is a bird dog after all...)... It gets away. He hunts for it for about 10-15 minutes. No trace of him so I start whistling for him. I Then hear him scream so I pick through the woods to find him circling a tree. I can't figure it out until I look up and realize that he's flushed another bird (a partridge) up the tree. If you've ever been around a bird dog you know that their drive goes 2000% when they find one and have it pinned down... He's wasn't crying because he was hurt, he was crying because he had the bird pinned down, didn't want to leave his 'Catch' and wanted me to come find him in the woods.. I then take a branch and scare off the partridge which in turn makes him go nuts because I let the bird go. He bolts for the bird, sweeps me off my feet (he's 65lbs and I'm close to 200). I almost land in the muck... Now that the bird's gone he just wants to go after it even more!!! Its only then that I notice that his rear paw is cut and bleeding. He's not in pain, the adrenaline rushing and bursting through him; he just wants that darn bird... Anyways, drag him out of the woods (almost literally).. Brought him home and cleaned his paw.. He almost severed one of his "pads" off. So brought him to the vet and voilà!...

Do you guys use booties when they hunt/hike through the woods? This is the second time in the last month (if you've been watching my posts).. Here's today's pick.

Still love him to death


----------



## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Notice that its not the same paw than last time..


2 paws, 2 pins in chest in the last 2 years..


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

> He almost severed one of his "pads" off. So brought him to the vet and voilà!...


Poor boy.
Do you mean he lost a couple outside layers of the pad by running it off, or was it cut on something.


----------



## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

The pad was severed at it's base (so basically from where the pad connects to the paw..)

Almost like you had taken a knife and wanted to cut the pad off the paw... it wasn't a deep cut maybe half an inch deep, but two inches across...

Can't have him walk on an open wound.


----------



## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

I love your posts. They make me feel like mine isn't the only lemon out there


----------



## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Whistler needs his own TV show! Sort of the opposite of Lassie. It would help pay for the medical bills anyway. 

I keep toying with buying some ruffwear booties for when we go biking.


----------



## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Hahaha. Love it. A tv show for him! He's such a quack!
I'd wish he'd get in a little less medical trouble, but I cannot for the love of god let him not be himself. Bad luck is what I boil it down to. I told the vet I'd out her number on speed dial.

I'll check out the boots.


----------



## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

We don't use booties but hunt chukar in cactus filled areas all the time. The dogs get used to sniffing out cactus and other obstacles over time/experience.

There are lotions you can use to toughen the pads up too.


----------



## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

We don't hunt, but spend a fair amount of time in the backcountry, and depending on the type of trip it could take many days for us to make it back out to civilization. We don't put boots on our guy for these trips, but I have recently been looking into boots to keep in our first aid gear after a recent injury to his paw pad. 

For the winter I already have the Ruffwear Polar Trex boots, and have been quite impressed with them (though I would recommend getting two different sizes for front paws and rear paws). I and am now looking into getting the Ruffwear Grip Trex boots so that we are able to cover an injured pad and keep it clean until we can get back out of the woods. I wouldn't have him wear them on our trips, unless we came into a hazardous area (littered with glass/debris - unfortunately our wilderness isn't left as pristine as it should be! ). Other than that I keep his pads conditioned with bag balm.


----------



## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

PIKE uses a CABELAS skid plate in heavy cover or in fields he has never been in - he is on his second 1 - they are well made and tough - better the vest take the beating than PIKE - use only when the temp is cold


----------



## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

REM, any foot/paw issues or prevention you recommend?


----------



## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

AT - carry a pair of Ruffwear boots in my strap vest as part of my mini 1st aid kit - never had 2 use them yet - look at posts 4 mushers secret 2 toughen up pups pads - when 3-4 miles from the truck - I want PIKE 2 help me get him home - just 2 old 2 carry him that far - more time of lead - the better the pads become - as U know - Vs work & play hard - when U use a V - they will get hurt - this is PIKEs life - he would have it no other way !!!!!!!!


----------



## sniper john (Jun 17, 2010)

I always have a skid plate and boots in my dogs bag. I also like the Cabelas one. I will put in on him if in an area with lots of sage, brittle cactus, stubble, etc. It also comes in handy to use as a safety vest when I am sharing a hunting area with hog hunters. A vizsla from a distance through the trees could look like a feral hog. I use a neoprene vest for a lot of waterfowl hunting both for warmth and again to protect from stobs and stubble if hunting marsh. When there are very many snags though I prefer not to use the vest as I don't want him getting hung up or tangled up in something on a water retrieve. Being in TX, I do use boots quite a bit. Helps with the rocky terrain, and in the sandy areas where the sand burs are so bad. Without boots it is impossible to hunt in areas with brittle cactus. Dog boots vary a lot and it seems like everyone I have hunted with has a different favorite for their dog. The ones I have were made by an individual and no longer available I think. Thus why the non matching boots in the picture. Always carry extras when hunting an area requiring boots. I also use mushers secret sometimes, but only in snow/ice, and for snipe hunting marsh mud. It helps waterproof the feet some and helps keep the snow and mud from balling up between the toes. 

A September picture of Dash in the CO sage desert with all his gear









Blaze four years ago with her gear on. And a picture of some boots Blaze wore out on a Blue Quail hunt in a rocky area of the Texas Big Bend. Imagine what her feet would have looked like if she had not had her boots.


----------



## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

we use a mendota skid plate from gundogsupply always. Have never used boots, but am thinking about it. Wilson was out last year 2-3 times in the field without any problems (his first season), but he has been out twice this year (quail) and seemed to have rubbed raw his pad. Did fine while hunting, but he has been limping around for a few days since we got home. I am considering using boots next time just to avoid this.


----------



## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

When U use a skid vest - take it of several times a day 2 make sure nothing has gotton under it !


----------



## Reeka The Vizsla (Jul 10, 2013)

Hey Acadian,

We always go hunting for Gambel Quail in Arizona in the harsh stuff and Chukar in Nevada, I use all my stuff from the gun dog supply. I'd suggest a rubber dog boot if you plan on going out in harsh terrain quite a bit, especially Cholla cactus/sharp/edgy terrain, that stuff is vicious. Personally, I use http://www.gundogsupply.com/lewis-rubber-dog-boots.html, they take awhile to put on, but they are definitely worth it and decently priced. She's gotten one cactus thorn in the boot but it was a fluke on where it hit the boot. I never have used a skid plate due to over heating the dog, but I'm sure it will get to that point eventually, so no suggestions on that one.


----------



## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

PIKE - been there - done that !! say no more !!!!!!!!


----------

