Do you think this may be an allergic reaction????

[Karen Hilsdon]

Hello all, i was just wondering if anybody that has owned irish setters for a long time may have had an experience like we have. I have Niamh a 14 month old bitch, who acts very strangley when i return home from our daily walk, some days are worse than others. I have spoke to our vet about it but she just said it could just be the way she is and that i could film it and she would send it to a nerologist she also upset me when she said irish setters are not quite wired up right ( how dare she)

We go for an hour and a half walk countyside grass, rape field etc. she runs like a bullet plays with other dogs for a petite setter at only 20.6kg she is quite rough and tumble!!! She never seems ready to come home but when we do i feel rather distressed watching her sometimes she will just stand in the same spot for about 30mins whinning like its uncomfortable to lay down,sometimes she runs around the house whinning scratching at the carpets she groans and seems very distressed when she eventually settles down her body shakes even while she is sleeping. After an hours sleep she usually wakes and is ok, I thought that maybe it was small nettles or thistles in the grass or an allergic reaction to something. I have tried bathing her feet in cool water when we return home but does not seem to make a difference. It has been happening for about 6 months now, It has never put her off her walk, but It does me i enjoy it when im out but dread the return home. Any advice please?

P.S. I apologise for my bad grammer!!

Thanks

Karen.

[colette tuite]

Karen .The mention of the rape seed field jarred me as i have been led to believe that that it is poisonous to animals.In fact i have read on the internet that it is used as an aphid killer.I would think that that is where your problem lies? I would advise taking her else where not even in the same vacinity and see if the symptoms still persist.Then you will no for sure if the symptoms stop.I would anyway check out Rape seed!

[Michelle Webster]

Hi Karen,

Sounds like the Rape to me. Many dogs have a problem with this, it can make their life a misery at best and can be deadly at worst! The Dogs Trust web site says:
Rape CAN CAUSE: Haemolytic anaemia, blindness, damage to nervous system, digestive disorders and breathing problems.

Change your walk and go well away from the rape field and certainly do not walk through it. I'm sure you will see a difference if you do this. Have you informed your breeder about this? If not, you should, your breeder may be able to give you helpful advise.

[Rosie Dudley]

Hello Karen

The first thing I would do is change your vet, it's really important to have a vet who's opinion you trust, this vet hasn't taken you seriously at all. I would then make an appointment for the time your regular walk ends and take Niamh then, so that the vet can see what is happening. We can only speculate, but from the description you give, Niamh is in acute discomfort, I would consider joint or muscular strain. I would more suspect that she has been swallowing air and has trapped wind, this in horses is called wind sucking, I had a bitch some years ago that did it, she grew out of it thankfully, it mainly happend if she got very excited. But the best thing is to get a proper diognosis from a good vet. Best of luck, Rosie

[eva ciechonska]

Rosie - Interesting you mentioned joint or mascular strain because that was my first thought. A friend had a Pointer years ago who was a very hard runner. He used to do this after a walk and get so stiff he could not settle. He used to get musclebound and shake. Rosie, how did your bitch alleviate the wind sucking and trapped wind?

[Rosie Dudley]

burp!

[eva ciechonska]

Simple as that!!

[Karen Hilsdon]

Thank you all for your advice, I was aware of dogs being kept away from the rape when it is in flower as i know the pollen can be dangerous but was not aware that it was poisionous at anytime so thank you for that. Rather than the long walk i usually do i have been avoiding the crops and instead ball throwing on a grassed area so she can let off a bit of excess energy she still is a bit distressed even just on the grass. I think the vet i visit thinks i am a little stupid getting another Irish after the problems i have had with duke, but i so love the breed. Duke has had a lot of problems including a nerve root tumour is hypothiroid and my vet said he has been living on borrowed time for the last few years and he has a strong will to live, he is so spoilt. Duke goes on the same walk but does not experience the same probs as Niamh.
Interesting what you say about the air swallowing she always runs with her mouth wide open barking with frustration if she can not catch the dog she is playing chase with (so funny to watch). She is a very windy dog!!! have tried changing her food to burns for that reason thought she may have had a sensitive tummy. I also thought she may be over doing it on her walks, but every where you read they say Irish need alot of exercise or they become bored and distructive.
Rosie, what did your friend do to help stop the muscle strain? and the air swallowing would i just have to wait and see if she grows out of it?
Thank you all, I will take all your comments onboard and hopefully get to the bottom of it for her sake.

[Rosie Dudley]

I'm sure Eva will pick up that it's her friends dog with muscle strain with her answer.

My thoughts are, you have what is still a very young dog and you may be allowing her too much hard running, you need to regulate her exersize, if you go to the park in the car, walk her briskly on the lead for the first 5 minutes so that she warms up her muscle and joints before extending them. Slow her down during your walk by putting her back on the lead a couple of times and do some obedience or some other interaction, so that she is not running full pelt for the entire walk. Walk her on the lead for the last 5 minutes, so that she cools down and relaxes slowly. As she grows into an adult it become less critical, she will be more sensible and regulate herself, but at this age they are still growing and need some management. If allowed young dogs will exhaust themselves and run off all their body and that's not good. With the wind sucking, the same advice, my experience is it's due to over excitement.

The senarios put here may not be what is wrong with her, do let your vet see her when she is in the state you described and please let us all know the outcome!

[eva ciechonska]

Karen, it was my friend. Her pointer was a hard runner all his life though he did slow down and become less musclebound as he got older. As for Setters needing a lot of excercise otherwise they become bored and distructive, well I am surrounded by sleeping Irish who had a good hours free running and hunting this morning and who have been snoring on the sofas since breakfast, including a 10 month old puppy dog.........

Rosie says her bitch grew out of the wind sucking so hope there.