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loses hunt desire . Quits in the field

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 7:56 pm
by DGS
I have a 7 year old bitch that starts the day off hunting and running great .
She will run one maybe two races then just quits .
She will hang around and won't even look at a rabbit that runs under her nose .

Anyone have any ideas besides wasting a load of shot on the poor old dog :(

Re: loses hunt desire . Quits in the field

Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2015 6:23 am
by 44magman
Check her out real good first I would worm her and check her out for any parasites and then to the vets for x Ray to check out for any thing unusual . Then blood test for Lyme ect.

Re: loses hunt desire . Quits in the field

Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2015 11:26 pm
by DGS
Yes.
I tried to ask my vet what would cause the dog to act like that and she just shrugged and said she didn't know. I guess I'll have to try a different vet.
It is strange the way she acts.

Re: loses hunt desire . Quits in the field

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:03 am
by S.R.Patch
Yrs ago before I knew about heartworms, hounds that I knew were good that started to quit on me were usually found to anemic. It was usually blood sucking worms or as I later found out in some, heartworm infestation.
Have you made any changes to the members of your pack? Some older hounds when they feel there getting jerked around and lose faith in their pack mates will quit or just go off and run their own rabbit.
Have you had this hound a number of yrs and she just started acting this way or is she a new comer?
I remember Mike Yates talking about what he called his "two hour wonder hounds" he had bred for field trials and had inadvertently ended up with hounds only as good as what was required of them. He got rid of them and convinced Randall to send him some patch hounds to start over.
Don't know the case with your ole gal, but part of the responsibility as a houndsman is to figure things out and not take lightly to ending a hounds career with a gun....jmho

Re: loses hunt desire . Quits in the field

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 1:22 pm
by DGS
Yes,
I am going to take her for a full checkup.
She could be having a belly ache.

Re: loses hunt desire . Quits in the field

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:21 pm
by Rowco Beagle Kennels
It relatively common for beagles to develop hypothyroidism as they grow older. Over the years I have had 3 dogs begin to exhibit a lack of stamina that were diagnosed with this problem. The fix was inexpensive and effective. Because the results are normally not severe most dogs go without diagnosis or treatment. Occasionally they go down like the 3 I referenced. This was over a long period of time so it is easy to miss. Worth checking if this is a dog you really like. If you just retire her it is not likely to be fatal.