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Interesting first

dpmule

Went along on a Bighorn sheep hunt as an extra set of glassing eyes and packer. Took my 3YO Idaho Shag dog Jim along.

We camped at ~9,100’ elevation and hunted at 10’300’ to 11,000’, we had hunted two days, when Jim became very ill. At first I thought he had sore pads from all the miles traveled on broken scree and rocks, but then he became lethargic and somewhat uncoordinated, refused to eat but would drink a little if I put it right under his nose.

I let him stay in camp for three days and let him sleep under one of my heavier jackets at night. The fourth day he seem to feel a bit better and began to eat a little , and on the fifth he was moving around somewhat normally albeit a little slower. We packed out that day and he covered the 17 miles without issue but when we reached the trailhead, he piled up in the backseat of the pickup and only woke long enough to eat a cheeseburger when we came through town and I got one for me and one for him.

I sent my Vet a text questioning him if dogs could get altitude sickness and he replied yes.

We spoke later and I described his symptoms and the only he didn’t do or I never saw him do was vomit.

Crazy thing, that it happened to him as I’ve had dogs to nearly 12,000’ in the past and never had an issue, but now I know it can.

Next trip in Jim will stay at high camp for a couple days before he gets to accompany me to the high ground.

Mule

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Comments

3 comments

Date Votes
  • SCOUT5

    Yes, interesting story. Being a flat lander I've experienced what your hound did, only I knew what it was.

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  • Horse Plains Drifter

    Interesting, thanks for sharing, and glad Jim is ok. Any sheep taken?

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  • dpmule
    Horse Plains Drifter: 30931676388251/comments/30931676500123

    Interesting, thanks for sharing, and glad Jim is ok. Any sheep taken?

    Unfortunately no Ram on the ground, either the thick California smoke we have experienced since early July or the dry summer has pushed the Rams down into the timber making them very difficult to locate and hunt.

    We saw several but only two shooters, but and those two were virtually inaccessible unless you had climbing gear along. They were traveling a knife edge ridge into another drainage.

    My buddy is currently day riding into drainages to try to locate some. I will go back in if he decides to pack in again.

    As far as we know, there has only been one Ram taken in the entire area and it is a large chunk of real estate.

    We did have one grizzly 200 yards from camp the first day and saw several black bear of various sizes and one very large mule deer buck that was hanging out right at 10,000’


    Mule

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