Better Farming - November 2016

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30 FarmNews First > Better Farming November 2016
FARMDOGS
Protect your dogs from on-farmhazards
Vehicles and poisons pose the most
common health hazards for dogs on
Ontario farms, said Justine Rudniski
in a recent phone interview from her
office in Mitchell.
Rudniski is a veterinarian and the
author of “Farm Dog Hazards”which
appears on the website of Mitchell
Veterinary Services.
Unneutered dogs may wander in
search of mates or to defend territo-
ry. Dogs with herding instincts may
attempt to herd vehicles in danger-
ous ways.
The use of restraints (such as
fencing) that keep animals at home
can help prevent them from collid-
ing with vehicles and suffering injury
or death, she said.
Farmer education about the
poison hazards for dogs—notably
slow-release, coccidiostat boluses
used to prevent illness in dairy cattle
— can also help avoid problems.
“These long-acting boluses are
meant to be in a cow’s stomach,”
Rudniski said. “If she (the cow) brings
one of those up and the dog thinks
it’s a toy (and) chews on that, those
are invariably fatal,” she said. “It’s not
something the dog should ever be
able to get a hold of.”
The presence of poison for
controlling rats and other rodents
also represent a farm hazard. Com-
monly used warfarin poisons are
treatable and the effects typically
“can be reversed in a few days,”
Rudniski said. But newer, long-acting
poisons can remain active for as long
as a month and are more difficult to
treat.
Rudniski recommended that dogs
be kept from riding in the bed of a
moving truck or on all-terrain
vehicles, as injuries can result if they
decide to jump out.
Farm dogs who spend much of
their time outdoors need shelter
from extreme weather, both cold
and heat.
In summer, older animals or some
breeds — such as huskies with
double fur coats —may need
grooming to prevent heat stroke.
Access to a kiddie pool of cool water
can help, Rudniski said.
Most of the dogs she sees are
highly valued by farm owners who
are willing to underwrite costly treat-
ments to cure serious illnesses or
injuries.
“That pet is there to play an
important role as that person’s
companion, day in and day out,
upwards of 12 hours a day. So,
absolutely, it’s a special connection,”
said Rudniski of dogs and their farm
owners. BF