Fleming Fowlers

Fleming Fowlers We're a family supporting the Irish Red and White Setter breed as a healthy, hunting, family dog.

We take a break from bird hunting during rifle deer season. There are a lot of young kids and anxious guys out there try...
12/10/2024

We take a break from bird hunting during rifle deer season. There are a lot of young kids and anxious guys out there trying to fill a tag within a short window. I don’t want them shooting at a wagging white tail thinking it’s a flagging whitetail.

Once it’s over we will be back after the birds. But for now we will celebrate a great deer harvest of our own. This was a big bodied boy that will put about 80lbs +/- of food in our freezer, for about $40.

Well, as a good friend has said, “If you don’t have a good time, you should at least come back with a good story!”Our Th...
12/01/2024

Well, as a good friend has said, “If you don’t have a good time, you should at least come back with a good story!”
Our Thanksgiving outing saw thousands of birds (most of them geese and cranes). We missed some of them. We almost hit others. 😆 But we did hit something that gave us a good story.

Happy Thanksgiving from our pups to yours!
11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving from our pups to yours!

God bless our veterans and all their hunting buddies.
11/12/2024

God bless our veterans and all their hunting buddies.

Thank you to all who serve.
"Not This Trip, Old Pal."

After as much as five inches of rain has turned the dirt roads to soup we are not out for birds on opening day (It is wi...
11/09/2024

After as much as five inches of rain has turned the dirt roads to soup we are not out for birds on opening day (It is windy so we will see how much the roads have dried out this afternoon). But I can’t decide if he’s just disappointed or he wants me to tell him about my mother! 😂

11/04/2024

It’s the stuff dreams are made of! Are you ready? (KS season starts next weekend)

Bird season is approaching. While a young pup might handle an odd day of running fields without a problem, if you’re hit...
10/04/2024

Bird season is approaching. While a young pup might handle an odd day of running fields without a problem, if you’re hitting the fields hard or running a 3+ year old dog we highly recommend a joint supplement. Start them now so it can build up their joints before you hit the fields.

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09/11/2024

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🥹🤍🤌🏽

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A good article on why dogs have dew claws to begin with.
08/16/2024

A good article on why dogs have dew claws to begin with.

Dewclaws! They are IMPORTANT! Many dog breeders routinely, and without much thought, amputate puppies' front dewclaws when the pups are 3-5 days of age. Why? The thought is to prevent potential injuries, such as tears of the digit, later in life. BUT do you realize that the dewclaw is a FUNCTIONAL, IMPORTANT digit? I am thankful that my own dog's breeder did not amputate Dunkin's front dewclaws. Do you also know that with appropriate exercises, the muscles of the dewclaw can be strengthened to help promote and maintain appropriate function and close apposition of the dewclaw to the side of the paw? Below is an article by a friend and colleague, Dr. Chris Zink, that explains the importance, anatomy, and function of the front dewclaw.

"Do the Dew(claws)?
by Chris Zink, DVM PhD DACVSMR

As a veterinary sports medicine specialist, I work extensively with canine athletes, developing rehabilitation programs for injured dogs or dogs that required surgery due to performance-related injuries. I have seen many dogs, especially field trial/hunt test and agility dogs, that have chronic carpal arthritis, frequently so severe that they must be retired or at least carefully managed for the rest of their careers. I noticed that very few of those dogs had dewclaws and began to wonder whether these appendages might, in fact, protect a dog from injuries. What I learned might surprise you.

The Anatomy of Dewclaws
Miller's Guide to the Anatomy of the Dog, a veterinary anatomy text, has an excellent figure depicting the muscular anatomy of the distal forelimb. There are 2 functional muscles, the extensor pollicis longus et indicis proprius and flexor digitorum profundus, which are attached to the front dewclaw by 4 tendons (references in blog). Each of those muscle/tendon units has a different function in movement. That means that if you cut off the dew claws, you are preventing the muscles that were attached to the dewclaws from functioning.

In contrast, rear limb dewclaws do not have muscle/tendon attachments, so their removal might be appropriate, except in the breeds such as Briards and Beauceron in which they should be retained.

Dewclaws Do Have Functions
If there are muscles and tendons attached to the dewclaws, then they most likely have a function. Broadly speaking, dewclaws have at least two different functions:
1. Grasp the ground when the dog is turning to prevent torque on the forelimb. Each time the front foot lands on the ground, particularly when the dog is cantering or galloping (see Figure 2), the dewclaw is in touch with the ground. If the dog then needs to turn, the dewclaw actively digs into the ground to stabilize the lower leg and prevent torque. In Figure 3 you can clearly see the dewclaw of a Corgi herding a sheep extended, ready to grip the ground. And in the image at the top of this article, you can see the dewclaws of a dog extended, ready to grip the water!

Do the Dew(claws)?

If a dog doesn't have dewclaws, the leg will twist on its axis, creating increased pressure on the carpal bones, as well as the elbow, shoulder and toes. A lifetime of this kind of torque and the result can be carpal arthritis or injuries to and subsequent arthritis in other joints of the forelimb, such as the elbow, shoulder, and toes. Remember, the dog is participating in the activity regardless, so there will be concussive pressures on the leg, and if the dewclaw does not help to stabilize the leg, those pressures will be transmitted to other areas of the leg, especially the joints.

2. Grip objects. We have all seen dogs using their dewclaws to grip an object such as a ball or bone (Figure 4). I've even seen many photos of agility dogs gripping the teeter for stability (Figure 5). But did you know that the dewclaws' gripping ability can, in fact, save your dog's life? Check out the video "Dewclaws Do Have a Purpose" for "gripping" views of dogs attempting to get out of water onto ice without the help of those ice picks on the inside of their legs. The video also shows dogs using their dewclaws to grip the ice and escape from a potentially fatal situation. I have known several dogs that drowned after falling through ice in the winter. None of them had dewclaws. If they had, perhaps they would have survived and spared their owners the incredible heartache of watching their dogs die unnecessarily.

Arguments for Removing Dewclaws
1. The dewclaws will get injured. This is the most common reason I hear for removing dewclaws. A friend of mine had such a severe dewclaw injury in one of her dogs that she swore she would remove them on all the dogs she bred subsequently.

But the data indicate that dewclaws are not injured very often. A study published in 2018 showed that the dewclaw was the LEAST likely toe to be injured in agility dogs, in which landing and turning from jumps and other obstacles put the toes at risk for injuries. Thus, it makes no sense to remove the dewclaws because of risk of injury. And, of course, no one would consider removing the 5th digits in the front feet, which are by far the most commonly injured toe.

2. Owners forget to trim the dewclaws. Surely this is a matter of education. Do we really want to remove a functioning digit in all dogs, just because some owners need to be reminded that they must remember to trim the dewclaws?

3. Dewclaws make the forelimb look less straight when viewed from the front in conformation. The AKC states: "The breed standard describes the characteristics of the ideal
dog to perform the function for which it was bred." While we could have long discussions about the veracity of this statement, it is interesting to note that there are VERY few breed standards that require dewclaw removal. I know of only one - the Vizsla breed standard.

A Plea
So, here's a plea to retain dogs' dewclaws. They are a functioning digit. They are the toe least likely to be injured. Isn't this enough to convince us not to do the dewclaws?"

07/07/2024

Not sure this ticks all the boxes for dog training, but it’s a neat trick if you can do it consistently!!! 😂

Mom went to the Library (a block away) and left them behind! 😮
06/29/2024

Mom went to the Library (a block away) and left them behind! 😮

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. May your future be filled with feathers!
06/17/2024

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. May your future be filled with feathers!

Nutrition is a vital part of long term health. That’s why we encourage all of our friends to search out a high quality f...
06/15/2024

Nutrition is a vital part of long term health. That’s why we encourage all of our friends to search out a high quality food for their dogs.

Yesterday we had two wonderful Golden Retrievers, ages 6 and 2, come in for elective surgical procedures. Both dogs had a history of eating a well-known and popular grain free diet for several years. In one dog, an arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) was detected so an x-ray of his chest was taken. His heart was enlarged, so an echocardiogram was scheduled for that afternoon. An x-ray was also taken of the other dog's chest as a precaution, and his heart was also enlarged. He was able to get an echocardiogram same day, as well.

The reports on both dogs just came back, and both of these gorgeous, otherwise perfectly healthy dogs have Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The cardiologist suspects that in both cases it is related to their diet. Thankfully, this condition was caught early, and when fed a traditional diet, their condition should hopefully reverse. Their cases are being reported to the FDA, along with the thousands of others from across the country.

There is no evidence to support feeding grain-free. Most pet allergies are related to environment (pollens, etc) or protein sources. Grain allergies account for a tiny fraction of all food allergies in dogs. Unfortunately, many dogs are becoming very ill or even dying from eating so-called "BEG" diets (boutique, exotic, grain-free), and the terrible thing is nutritionally mediated dilated cardiomyopathy is 100% preventable. There have been zero reported cases of NMDCM in dogs eating foods that meet WSAVA guidelines, currently made by Purina, Hill's, Iams/Eukanuba, or Royal Canin. We strongly suggest if you are feeding a "BEG" diet that you change your dog over to one of the brands listed above. If you have any questions specifically related to your pet, please call us.

We are so hopeful we caught this disease in time for our two beautiful patients to reverse their disease. Their very caring and dedicated owners have already changed their diet to one that meets WSAVA criteria. The articles below will help explain this disease, WSAVA guidelines, and why grain-free was more marketing than science.

http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/

https://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/Arpita-and-Emma-editorial/Selecting-the-Best-Food-for-your-Pet.pdf

http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/06/grain-free-diets-big-on-marketing-small-on-truth/

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/dogs-fed-some-popular-diets-could-be-risk-heart-disease/

Great podcast about the early days of the IRWS in the US and the O'Dobhailien Irish Red and White Setters lines that our...
04/16/2024

Great podcast about the early days of the IRWS in the US and the O'Dobhailien Irish Red and White Setters lines that our dogs come out of! (Including a little content on last year's litter's sire "Birch")

The Irish Red and White Setter was once nearly extinct due to bench breeding and people’s preference for the rich red coat of the Irish Setter. But thanks to Bob Devlin and his Irish mentors, the breed is strong and sometimes even produces dual champions once again. In Episode eleven, 82 year old Devlin tells us his story of over fifty years with the breed, from building relationships with the best Red and White Setter breeders in Ireland to building his kennel in the US, and finally exporting dogs and semen back to Europe...how many breeders can say that they've done that?

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whoa-post/id1730402327

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3fd9D8yDqIF9IX7XiBmHIR?si=M8Mo8dzIRbCyCuDoRLvlcw

Amazon:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cae83050-d81b-40a5-932b-5f0f584e9e1d/the-whoa-post

IHeartRadio:
https://iheart.com/podcast/153462321/

Happy birthday to our wonderful Birch/Penny pups! Vimes, Grace, Skipper, and Hazel, may you all get extra cookies and sc...
02/04/2024

Happy birthday to our wonderful Birch/Penny pups! Vimes, Grace, Skipper, and Hazel, may you all get extra cookies and scraps from the table! 😂

*Pic from our end of season hunt (more to be shared soon!)

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PO Box 1022
Meade, KS
67864

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