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Cactus! A Prickly Proposition By Andy Kohly Gun Dog Section Leader
Anyone who has ever hunted the Great American Southwest has no doubt come to regard cactus with a particular notion of love and hate. Sure, certain varieties of cactus provide great cover for quail but they also present a rather sticky and painful situation to a dog.
Among those things that can go a long way in making desert outings more enjoyable for you and your dog are the right tools and enough time for your dog to acquire some good common sense survival skills he can use when hunting in cactus country. As far as tools go I always make certain I have with me a pair of hemostats and a course toothed comb. I prefer the type of hemostats that have a curved end however I have also used the straight variety with equal success. It just seems to me though that with the curved types of hemostats I can reach more angles when pulling out cactus needles that have become imbedded in my dog’s feet. The comb? Sometimes mentioning the use of a comb can invoke some strange looks especially from the uninitiated but a course toothed comb can be one of the most effective tools for removing cactus. Simply grab one end of the comb and pull it through the cactus and it should come out. Sometimes like in the case of Cholla Cactus a large piece can become imbedded and a comb is the perfect way to remove it. Follow up with the hemostats on any individual needles that may be left.
Some important points to note when it comes to cactus removal are should a cactus needle become imbedded in a dogs eye or other vital area, it’s best to leave this to the vet. Also, keep in mind that cactus removal can be very painful for your dog so make sure when you are removing cactus your dog is restrained/positioned in such a manner so that if he flinches, the cactus won’t become imbedded in you. Another point to consider is that often times a dog will try to remove cactus on his own which is fine with the exception of two things. If imbedded in the feet, dogs often kick the afflicted leg in such a manner that the imbedded cactus is flung violently out of the foot or leg. Be sure to NOT be in the path of the now airborne cacti. Also, dogs will often try to bite at the cactus in an attempt to remove it. While this is sometimes effective, you are more often than not faced with a most memorable experience of removing cactus needles from the business end of your dog. Since this can often become something of a death defying circus act, make sure your dog is properly restrained. In the most extreme case, I have used a wooden dowel placed between the dog’s jaws and a muzzle to keep it in place. As your dog gets older and acquires ore desert savvy, he will quickly learn how to avoid cactus. The best example of this I have ever seen was a few weeks ago while out hunting with my two GSPs’ Max and Shiloh. We had been pushing a rather large covey for quite some time until the birds finally appeared to hole up in a large area of ankle to knee high scrub brush. Between us and the scrub however was a large stand of Cholla Cactus. My older dog Shiloh, a 10 year veteran of Arizona quail hunting skirted the edge of the Cholla and locked up solid near the edge of the scrub. My youngster Max bored right through the middle of the Cholla stand and very quickly became a pin cushion. While perhaps Max didn’t appreciate the educational value of this experience, it’s a safe bet that he’ll remember next time. Dog boots are also an effective way to prevent cactus from interfering with the hunt however it’s important to note that even with dog boots, cactus can still become imbedded in your dog in any areas on your dog not protected by the boots. As for post cactus first aid, I generally let nature take its course however for particularly nasty punctures I will apply some antibiotic ointment. So, the point to this sticky situation is that as much as we may not like it, cactus is as much a part of Arizona quail hunting as the birds we hunt. Moreover certain varieties of cactus make excellent habitat so we truly can’t have one without the other. In any case given the proper tools and experience, we can at least learn to live with cactus….
All the best,
-A-
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