Hi,

Posted a blog on our weekend in Algonquin Park. Cache Lake to Harness Lake.

https://wabooseadventures.com/2016/05/24/misadventure-in-algonquin-park/

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First off.....Banjo is the cutest pup of life. But the deal you got on your PFD's really was the show stopper!lol glad to hear everything turned out ok. We had to turn around once because my brother had severe heart burn and didn't bring his meds for it. You can never be too prepared. Thanks for sharing, i certainly learned from it!

Thanks for reading, Floats n Boats. Yes, Banjo is the sweetest little being and back to herself now.

The deal on the PFDs was really something else. We couldn't pass that up!

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Poor Banjo! Did you ever figure out what happened? Our lab mix had an arm swell up quite alarmingly one weekend at the cottage. Our vet could not figure out the cause. After the swelling subsided we found the fang marks and scab from a snakebite. Couldn't see it before.

A good reminder on updating the first aid kit!

We took a pet first aid course organised by the doggy day care that our pooch attends, they were running it for staff and invited dog owners as well. It included learning how to administer CPR and a version of the Heimlich manoeuver for dogs.

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Geez. That's crazy! I'm going to visit the Bracebridge Animal Hospital to talk about bringing Banjo on canoe trips with us. She's been doing it for 2 years now, but up here there's rattlesnakes to deal with and I don't know the first thing about how to treat her or us if we were to get bitten.

I suspect it was a bee. Maybe ground wasps. I can't imagine black flies doing that to her face. There were biting, but weren't swarming. There seems to be some sore spots around her mouth. We just feel around and she will pull her head away. We haven't had a chance to take a good look.

Thanks for reading!

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Spider bites will do that.
Had that happen to me a few years ago on my leg.
Carry the benadryl now on every trip.
Same happened to my son last year on our spring QEW trip on his hand
The benadryl worked great
Jeff

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I'm starting to see marks around Banjo's mouth. Any ideas? Stings?

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Also check inside the mouth.
The spider bite when the swelling went down was only a slightly raised area (smaller than a pencil eraser dia.) with what looked like a pin prick in the middle.
Might be hard to see with the fur.
http://spiderbites.net/wolf-spider-bite/
Lots of these in S.O. along the shores.
Not saying it was a wolf spider but just one of the possibilities.
Jeff

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Choosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way, because you are unwilling to accept its loss. — (David Bolling, Ho

Poor Banjo! Glad you guys made it out ok.
I once came home to find my cat with one paw that was four times bigger than her other paws and FREAKED OUT, calling my vet and leaving multiple messages.. Until I saw a dead bee on the floor. She was ok the next day. Taking care of pets on a trip must be especially tough because they can't tell you what happened or how they're feeling. I'm looking forward to your first aid kit post.

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I guess some people would wonder why go through all of this with a pet. Why take a dog camping? But honestly, I couldn't imagine going without her.

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Thanks for sharing this story. You have prompted me to assemble a wilderness first aid kit for my Golden Retriever. She has accompanied us on canoe trips for three years now (with my wife and I as well as some friends and I), also ever since she came home with us, however like you this is something I had never thought of.

I know what it's like to know something is up with your dog but you can't figure it out or what to do, and even at home it can be a stressful panic so I can't imagine while in the backcountry what I would do. With the kit I've put together for her now she should be all set for our trip to Killarney next month for my solo (well, solo human, anyway!) trip in the interior.

I must commend you on your care for Banjo, as well. Amazing work getting her to safety and putting her medical needs above your own desires... I'm afraid too many people would make the other decision in your situation to ensure they do not "ruin" their trip or think there's no way they could go all the way back the same day, just because the dog isn't in distress and seems fine - writing it off as a bite of some kind. As you said, you never know what could happen or if it could get worse or may cause her to stop breathing in the night or something. So yeah, great work, it was a massive effort for you guys and a long day for sure, so kudos and thank you for this inspiring story.

I hope you're able to get back out to the site on Harness Lake soon so you can complete the trip you had planned. Have a great summer!

Cheers,
Adam

My pooch had that same rash in the same location last year but it was during the winter months so could not be insect related except perhaps a spider. I thought at the time it might have been from too much exposure to the cold and snow. I monitored it and it did not seem to worsen and cleared up after a while (maybe a week?).

Now seeing yours with a similar look, I suspect it probably was just an allergic reaction perhaps resulting from contact to some plant matter. In Corky's case, she had no swelling that I noticed and it didn't seem to irritate her at all.

Glad everything turned out well.

Thanks for reading, Adam. Yes, Banjo is our fur baby and I couldn't imagine life without her, so making her our number one priority was necessary. I'm glad she's okay, and I'm really glad this story has prompted others to take a look at their first aid kits and put one together for their dogs. Anything can happen out there.

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We were in the same corner of the park as you. Our trip was LoTR - Rock, Rock - Louisa, Louisa - Head, Head - LoTR.

Our party included Momma, myself, a 5 yr old and an 8 yr old, all in one canoe with gear.

We also cut our trip short by a day and combined days 3 & 4. Louisa to LoTR is surprisingly doable in a (longish) day. We arrived at the beach just at nightfall, and before the ice cream stand in the campground closed.

Luckily we had no injuries, and only minor sunstroke/heat stroke on our trip, but we gave a lot of blood to the bugs along Head Creek.