[pct-l] Leaving pets

Thu Mar 21 11:55:33 CDT 2013

I recommend that anyone taking a dog on the PCT see their vet prior to the
trip to pick up some metronidazole, Panacur, and Cerenia, or at least
metronidazole (the Panacur and Cerenia will be expensive, around $80-100/ea
for a large dog) and understand the dosing and indications for using them.
 The metronidazole your vet prescribes your dog is actually a human product
used off label in your dog.  If you end up picking up these medications in
Mexico to "self-prescribe" please email me your dog's age and weight and I
will give you a dose.  Metronidazole toxicity is ugly (seizures and
vestibular disease).

Watch their hydration by making sure their gums are moist/slimey and not
tacky/sticky.  If they are tacky they have lost 5% of their body weight in
dehydration (for a 75# dog that means they need a half gallon of fluids).
 I would also carry a thermometer to check for heat stroke and fever,
especially if your dog seems to be down in the dumps (normal rectal temp is
100-102), any digital thermometer is fine but I would get a fast one and
carry a water based lubricant to be kinder to their heiny.

You can also talk to your vet about Certifect which is a new product from
the makers of Frontline that detaches ticks faster than Frontline.
 Advantix is pretty good, too, also for mosquitos.  Use OTC products at
your own peril - I see many cases of toxicity with permethrin/pymethrin
type products especially if not used as labeled, and they do not work.
 Ticks carry diseases and from what I hear they are bad this year.  There
is heartworm disease in some of the regions you will travel through,
especially northern CA and southern OR (see map below).  Heartgard plus
will give you the added benefit of protecting against intestinal parasites.

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/download/Incidence-Map-2010.pdf

When you go home if your dog gets sick, even if it's a year or more from
now, tell them you were in Southern CA.  There are regional differences in
diseases, and your vet may not consider things like Cocciomycoides if they
do not know the travel history.

Lastly, I'm sure others will have their own opinions about dogs on the
trail.  As a dog lover I would also hope that anyone hiking with dogs
respects that not everyone's dog is as friendly towards people or other
dogs as yours may be.  I see injuries from dogs attacking each other on a
regular basis, and once repaired a nasty laceration on a dog that was cut
by a hunter while out hiking off leash.  The dog happened to be an
extremely friendly pit bull, but when he ran up to the hunter the hunter
got scared and reacted in defense.  I'm not saying what the hunter did was
right, but for the safety of your dog and other hikers I would recommend
keeping them restrained.  If your dog is known to be aggressive towards
dogs or people he/she should definitely be restrained.  Don't want to see
any puppy injuries on the trail :-D

Cheers and safe travels!
Dr. k

On Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 12:09 PM, Marr, Eli B <marre at xavier.edu> wrote:

> I left my two dogs behind last year when I cycled Europe and will never do
> it again. Both my pups are doing the PCT with me this year (they are
> service dogs and therefore are allowed in national parks)! We have been
> training and after a 20 mile hike with their backpacks on, they still want
> to play for hours. Taking your pet with you can be a controversial topic
> but with the right preparation and care it can be a great experience! I've
> read journals of people who have taken their cats on the AT. Taking 6 cats
> may be another story though! haha
> ________________________________________
> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] on
> behalf of Jennifer Zimmerman [jenniferlzim at gmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2013 12:02 PM
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Leaving pets
>
> Count me in, too!  Leaving our two cats behind is by far the hardest part
> of going on our hike.  Family? We'll miss them, but they can stay connected
> through our blog and chat via phone in town.  House?  No problem, since my
> brother will be living here and making sure it survives the summer.  Jobs?
> All sorted out.
>
> But the cats...well, we're a tight-knit little group of four and I
> *know *they'll
> miss us for a while.  Normally when we go away they stay with my parents
> but we had to board them for a few days last summer.  I know the humane
> society's staff did a wonderful job, but when we came back to get them they
> were *so excited* to see us!  Leto, who is normally pretty reserved and
> dignified, was a huge affectionate ham.  And we miss them too...when we
> were hiking in Rainier last summer we were only gone for two weeks and were
> terribly homesick for them by the second week in.
>
> A few things have made this separation easier to think about for us.  For
> one, they have each other - they lived together before being surrendered at
> the humane society and we adopted them as a pair.  For another, we trust my
> brother implicitly to take care of them.  We know that they will be in a
> caring and friendly environment and much better off than they would have
> been had we not adopted them.  Finally (and this sounds callous), they are
> animals after all.  Like Dan said above, they will miss us but they likely
> don't have the memory to pine for us for 6 months.  At least they are young
> and healthy and we don't have to worry much about health issues while we're
> gone.
>
> Thanks to Dr. K for the vet advice!  My brother has our vet info but I had
> not considered the caregiver permission issues.  Paul is due for a dental
> cleaning before we go and when I bring him in I'll be sure to talk with the
> staff about it.
>
> JZ
>
> On Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 8:01 AM, Sonya Dickinson
> <sonya.dickinson at yahoo.com>wrote:
>
> > Becky,
> >
> > I am leaving 6 cats behind with my partner to care for them.  I, too, am
> > experiencing guilt and anxiety as one of the cats is old and in kidney
> > failure and I know she does not have long with this world.  The rest are
> > all very attached to me as I am their primary care giver - I feed and
> care
> > for them.  The responsibility now falls to my partner who loves them, but
> > is somewhat absent-minded and not quite as diligent as I am about their
> > care.
> >
> >
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