Shawn Swearingen for SPLIT REED
Jonathan Bradshaw is a lifelong Arkansas duck hunter and was fortunate enough to always have a duck dog to share in the adventures. That love of duck dogs drove him to study and become a veterinarian to be able to explore the nuances of our four-legged hunting companions. The curiosity and passion for sporting dogs is as a part of him as the Arkansas accent coming over the phone as we talked.
If there is one message that we as working duck dog owners can glean from the conversations with him, it is that we need to do our best to provide the care they need to perform. Even if your dog is a weekend warrior alongside you, there are things to keep in mind from nutrition to preventative care that a veterinarian who is knowledgeable about sporting dogs can help you with. “A lot of veterinarians out there have a mindset that dealing with arthritis is what they need to know and need to do well for sporting dogs and that’s it. But, they really don’t know how to deal with these types of working dogs and the other issues that their work and lifestyle demand of them.”
In my discussion with Jonathan, the orthopedic and injury-related visits do not happen as often as one would think since they don’t happen at a high rate. One of the things that should be thought of is year-round heartworm prevention, more than just in the warm months. “I was hunting with my wife the other day when we were in that long warm spell, and she watched a mosquito float down and land on our dog. These are the little nuances that owners need to think about.”
A growing and unfortunate trend that is being witnessed in harder working, higher stressed dogs is gastric torsion, a result when gas is trapped in a dog’s stomach, causing the stomach to flip and could lead to death. “I’m seeing a lot of stomach twists with dogs that are under a lot of constant pressure with field and hunt trials then hunting seasons. Stressful bloats and gastrointestinal issues are causing stomach twists. Owners who have a lot of time and money invested in their dogs should talk to their vets about how to prevent the overstress and the stomach flips.”
Through all of this, it helps to have a veterinarian who understands the lives of sporting dogs. “Find someone that understands the sport and understands the requirements of the dogs would be the ideal match. You need to find someone that can set them up for performing and living their best selves.” While you might not be near someone that specializes in sporting or duck dogs like Jonathan, he says finding a vet that is familiar or practices with athletic dogs works as well. “There are certain vets with the knowledge of sporting dogs that can see underlying issues that may cause issues down the road.”
In our talks, what comes through with the passion of duck dogs is the desire of wanting to be helpful to owners. “We try to stretch the working life of our dogs past 6, 7, 8 years old. The key is to keep them happy while trying not to create issues later down the road in their career.” With this, he has helped clients by developing exercise plans including swimming to assist in the long-term prevention of arthritis. This also includes rehabilitation plans post orthopedic surgeries. “Ultimately I would like to make a network of sporting dog veterinarians as a resource for dog owners, a resource for quick and correct information. It is a really big goal of mine that people are seeing the right vet, for the right reason or injury.”
At the end of the day, what does it boil down to for him? “I know that owners and hunters love their dogs, and I want them to know the most they can without the filler. We’ve lost a lot of that ‘small town’ veterinarian feel with some of the measures or overreacting that other vets through the industry practices have done. I just want everyone [owners] to be educated.”
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