John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon

Dr. David Gagnon

January 2017.  Another John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon for me.  I never seem to grow tired of writing blog entries about my sled dog races and adventures because they’re always so enjoyable, and each event is so different.  This year’s race was a bit more eventful for the veterinary team than it was last year.  Despite the trail route being nearly the same, there are so many factors: temperature, trail conditions, how well-trained the dogs are, and which teams are running.

To give you an idea of the difficulty of this particular race, one of the mushers approached me and said, “Have I told you about my dog who can finish the Iditarod but can’t finish the Beargrease? Let me show you!”  The Beargrease is the longest sled dog race in the lower 48 states, this year coming in at 370 miles.  The distance is much less than the longer races like the Iditarod, which is around 1,000 miles long.  But it’s the terrain that makes it so difficult.  There are lots of big hills!

There was another musher who comes from a big family in the Alaskan mushing community, and has run the Iditarod multiple times.  He said this was particularly difficult for him; he ended up with blisters on his own feet for trying to run alongside the sled in order to give the dogs a break.

My view from the sled, taken in the U.P. in March, 2015

This year’s weather forecast was making everyone nervous, with highs in the upper 20s/low 30s.  For racing dogs, this is HOT!  Their ideal is in the single digits above or below zero.  Fortunately, only one day was really that warm, but the other days and all the nights were comfortable.  The trail was hard with a light layer of snow on top, resulting in some fast speeds.  The warmer-than-average temperatures and the fast trail are what made things interesting for the veterinary team.

When dogs run too hard, too fast, or too long, the veterinary crew and mushers need to step up their game and really watch for evidence of muscular injury or breakdown.  Most dogs only need some fluids to help their situation, thank goodness.  The veterinary team and the mushers work together in order to serve the dogs.  The mushers know that, without the dogs, their team is nothing.  And the veterinary team is there to assess any problems and be sure the dogs recover well after a long run.

Beargrease 2017

Carrying an injured dog to our treatment area to receive some fluids and TLC

For those of you who think sled dog races are too hard on the dogs, or it’s cruel to the animals, you should watch a race sometime.  These dogs love doing this.  In fact, when they’re lined up in front of a sled, and are hooked up to their harnesses, you’d have a hard time telling them not to pull.  They were bred for this and they live for it.  Jack London said it best in his book White Fang: “Life achieves its summit when it does to the uttermost that which it was equipped to do.”

I love volunteering my time to spend time with these amazing canine athletes.  I’m desperately looking forward to the next race.  See you up the trail.

John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon         Jonh Beargrease Facebook

Myths About Dreaded Ticks

Dr. Ronald G. Biese

The book of Matthew in the New Testament (10:27) says “What I whisper in your ear shout from the housetops for all to hear”.  That is good advice for knowledge that simply needs to be heard and distributed to the masses.  There are so many myths about ticks that I would love to shout from the rooftops for all to hear to dispel these myths.  The two main ticks we see in Wisconsin are wood ticks (Demacentor variabilis) and deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis).  What is fact and what is fiction about these dreaded beasts?

It is common knowledge that deer ticks carry diseases.  That is correct.  Most people know that they carry Lyme disease.  That is correct.  Deer ticks are very small.  Right again.  That is about the only facts all people understand. 

A common myth is that deer ticks are always small even when engorged.  What many people don’t know is an engorged deer tick can be up to ½ inch long.  This is sizeable and to an untrained eye can look like an engorged wood tick.   Shout this information from the rooftops.  A large engorged tick DOES NOT mean a wood tick.  It could be, but it should be identified by an expert (your veterinarian should know).  

Another myth is that ticks are gone by fall.  That is dead wrong!  No pun intended.  Deer ticks are always available to prey on unsuspecting mammals ANY time the temperature is near or above 32 degrees.  They do not hibernate, nor do they look at a calendar.  I have seen ticks in my practice on dogs every month of the year.  They are not gone after the first frost!  DON’T stop using flea/tick preventives until there is snow that does not leave the ground.  In fact, it is a good idea to use the product all year-round, as some winters are mild enough with thawing occurring any time.  In addition, you will get flea protection which can occur any time of year from other animals. 

The most popular myth is a tick burrows its entire head under the skin.  This is simply not true.  They bite with their mouth parts that sink into the skin.  The head can’t go below the skin! 

    

Removing a tick couldn’t be any easier.  People make a huge deal out of this and have all kinds of “tricks” to get them out.  Did you ever hear of burning them out; using Vaseline to back them out; using diesel fuel to get them out?  DO NOT EMPLOY ANY OF THESE METHODS.  Again, warm up those lungs and shout this to your neighbors and friends.  The easiest and best way to remove them once they are embedded is to grab them as close to the skin as possible with a pointy tweezers and SLOWLY pull.  They will likely release once there is enough pressure applied.  Do not worry if some of the mouth parts are left behind.  They will not cause a local infection and the body will kick it out within a few days to a week.  I have had several clients trying to “dig out the head” with needles and cause more harm than good.  Be much more afraid of what these little buggers transmit into the body!!

O'Tom Tick Twister For People & Pets 

Lyme disease is the only disease that ticks transmit.  This is very wrong!  There are several known diseases that they transmit to our pets and us, and likely many more that we don’t know about.  To name a few, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis, Tularemia, and several others.  

Ticks are creepy in many ways.  My wish is to educate as many people about the above myths and dispel as many as possible so that our lovely pets are safer from their wicked ways.  So, I hope you “shout” to as many people as you can about the things you learned about ticks.   By the way, you don’t have to do it from your rooftop.  That is dangerous!

Click on the link below for more information

TickEncounter Resource Center 

Kaukauna Veterinary Clinic Celebrates National Veterinary Technician Week

Dr. David Gagnon

This is Veterinary Technician Appreciation Week.  Kaukauna Veterinary Clinic employs some very skilled and compassionate technicians.  These are men and women who devote themselves to caring for animals in similar, though different, capacities than veterinarians.  Although not being able to diagnose diseases or prescribe medications, they are your pets’ primary caretakers when they’re staying with us.  Technicians are dental hygienists, anesthetists, phlebotomists, x-ray technicians, emergency/triage nurses, parasitologists, laboratory workers, and many more things!

Not only do our techs need these skills, but they will use them on pets who don’t always want to sit still.  The skills and patience required to be a veterinary technician is unmatched.

When your beloved pets are hospitalized, technicians are the ones feeding them, medicating them, walking them, cleaning up after them, and talking to them when they’re hurt or scared.

Veterinarians are the doctors you see in the exam rooms, but so much more goes on behind the scenes.  If not for technicians, our clinic would crumble, or at the very least, slow down to a snail’s pace (don’t ask ME how to run our blood machines).  Not only do they have the medical know-how, and physical ability to hold your pet for blood draws or other procedures, they’re often the ones dealing directly with you, the pet owner, giving take-home instructions after surgeries and other procedures.

Veterinary technicians devote their lives and careers to the health and safety of animals.  I consider myself fortunate to work with such a talented and dedicated group of people.  The next time you see one of our awesome techs, please thank them for all they do.  Not enough can be said for their help!

Madison Area Technical College - Vet Tech Program 

Globe University - Vet Tech Program 

Our Veterinary Technicians

Mark

Nicole

Patty

McKenna

 

Anita

 

Tricia

 

Diane

 

Christy