hello all, we have a fearless springer, 11 months old, who loves his country walks. Trouble is, he dashed into hedges after interesting smells and has cut himself on his tummy twice now, on old barbed wire or blackthorns or similar. It’s impossible to say just where it occurred as we didn’t notice either time until we cleaned him up when we got home. The vet says to keep him on a lead, but we want him to have his fun. Is there any kind of neoprene vest/ jacket we could get him which would protect him?
I'm afraid I agree with your vet. On lead in these areas as no matter the coat, you can't protect him fully. Legs and pads can easily rip open too
Hunting dogs used for pigs in Australia have what’s called a Breast or chest plate , which can be bought . here is a picture of some that are different to what is used here , this pic is in USA .(I think hmm) this type of plate is not used here as it goes all the way beneath the dog , first time I’ve seen this . The dogs would get too hot and overheat and die here if they wore this type . (They often can with just the breast plate , or even just because they get exhausted even without one). the reason I’m showing you is because , some hunters have used (shade cloth ) like what is used in shade houses for plants or shade sails or porch screens .so air passes through holes in that fabric . if your the ingenious type you can get some straps and a collar and make or have one made to protect your dog and perhaps it won’t overheat ? Keep an eye on it though first . we have people who make breast plates in Australia , I don’t know about/ or where, you are .
I also agree with your vet. My prior dog once took off after a deer scent. I heard her chasing through the brush and then all noises stopped. I ended up having to fight through the brush where I found her. She had tried to run through wire fencing and her collar got caught on the wire. Fortunately, she just stopped and sat until I reached her. Had she tried to get loose, she could have choked herself to death. A relative's dog jumped in a water canal in the mountains. Snow runoff (aka ice water) and cement walls - the dog couldn't get out and was moving fast with the current. If took about 10 minutes for them to find a spot where they could climb out on a tree branch and grab the dog's collar as he raced by. For my dogs, rule #1 is - you can smell everything around us on our walks but you cannot go off chasing scents.
