Phragmites and dogs

Paul Meisenheimer

Well-known member
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Just wondering if others have experienced dog injuries when hunting in areas with phragmites. Was out a few days ago and after a few retrieves in the thick the dog had cuts under both eyes. That stuff is nasty.

Is there anything can be done other than avoid it?
 
Look up a product called Rex Specs. They might be something for you to try.
 
I had a good friend running his dog in some swamps and fields a few years ago. His lab took a stalk of some sort right into his sniffer and it broke off. I can't remember if it was corn stubble, phragmites, cattail or something else. He had to take him to the vet to have it removed. Sorry this doesn't help with your initial question...I guess my best advice would be to avoid the really thick stuff if possible if you have a hard running dog.
 
Thanks Steve. Rumour doesn't understand "quit" and he had an epic day retrieving. Unfortunately phragmites has a horrible stalk that does real damage to soft skin. He is already starting to recover.
 
I'm sure it was all worth it to Rumor.

I had a fox red lab, Max...he also didn't know the meaning of quit. He would run and run. Didn't matter if his paws were raw and bleeding, he'd keep going. But when we got home all bets were off. He'd hobble around like a little old lady that just had her walker taken from her. It was kind of funny, but I also felt bad for him. He was such a drama queen at home. Glad Rumor is recovering already.
 
I?ve never seen phrag that short during hunting season. Does the phragmites up there die back each winter?
Down here, it?s 7-9? tall by fall.
It does tend to have a lot of dead/broken stems around the base, so easy to imagine a pup with its head down getting poked/cut. It?s hell on waders too.
 
Steve,

Max reminds me of Steve's dog Mike when we hunted upland in WA together. So much star thistle that he had to run through. It was brutal on him but you'd never know until it was time to get out of the truck and into the hotel or wherever we were staying. Then he would hobble around like he could barely walk. Next morning though, he was rarin' to go

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I do know that star thistle was awful. I wore waxed canvas chaps and still it managed to find its way through from time to time. Poor dogs don't have that luxury and I am honestly surprised we never had eye issues with the dogs because of it.
 
I have been using Rex Specs on my Toller for several years because when she is pheasant hunting she hunts ground scent relentlessly. She would come back with raw areas under her eyes and I knew it would be just a matter of time before she had an eye injury. My first Toller injured his eyes twice in marsh grass and the veterinary ophthalmologist bills were steep, so I was glad to get Rx Specs when they came out.
It did not take long for her to become accustomed to wearing them.
 
That is a very deep ditch with a steep drop off, and yes, it dies off in the winter. It is the dry, dead stocks that are laying down that do the most damage. Most of the standing phrag is 7-9' just like you describe.
 
Steve,

Rumour is the sweetest, most laid back dog in the house and in general. When the guns come out he is absolutely wired to go! He is obsessive about retrieving real birds and the funny thing is he doesn't really get all that fussed about training. You would never guess the energy and focus he taps into when it is hunting time.
 
Paul-Lots of phragmites here in South Jersey. After two dogs I've never found it to be a big problem. I don't remember my dogs getting cut from it. Although it is crappy stuff and I hate it.
 
My dogs have all been cut from time to time in the marsh. My recollection is the phragmites is the culprit most often, also cattails. Facial cuts sometimes, but mostly feet from stepping on broken stalks. The spot I'm hunting this afternoon is all broken phrag about 6" tall along the marsh bank.
 
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