Climbing Colorado’s 14ers and Hiking with Dogs: A Veterinarian’s Perspective

The skinny, medium-sized black dog carried a bright red pack and wobbled as she walked up the trail, encouraged every few steps by her owner. She held her head low and panted, trying to keep up with her physically fit human companion headed towards Huron Peak situated at 14,003 feet.

The pair caught the attention of Richard Gastellum when they passed him at about 13,500 feet. He watched the immature dog’s unsteady gait and immediately recognized that the animal suffered from altitude sickness. He quickened his pace to catch up to the duo.

“I’m a veterinarian. Your dog doesn’t look well,” Dr. Gastellum told the twenty-something man.

The humans chatted. The young man listened carefully to the veterinarian’s observations and advice. He’d known something didn’t seem right with his dog on her first fourteener climb. He turned around. The pair descended down the trail to lower altitude.

Dr. Gastellum just can’t help himself— he assesses the conditions of dogs whenever he sees them—on mountain trails, parks, or around town. His thirty-one years of veterinary experience and deep love of animals, acquired as a child living in Yellowstone National Park where his father served as assistant park superintendent,won’t allow him to do otherwise.

The Colorado State University veterinary school graduate operates a mobile veterinary service called At Home Pet Doctor, LLC based in Buena Vista, Colorado, and serves Chaffee, Lake, Park, and Saguache counties. About three years ago, he moved his small animal mobile veterinarian practice from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to live in the mountains with his wife Kelly Collins, four dogs, and two cats.

Gastellum recently sat down with the author to share his veterinary knowledge and experience as it applies to hiking and climbing with dogs at altitude. He hikes and climbs fourteeners with his wife and canines, so he knows first-hand how and why man’s best friend can become sick or injured at high altitude. So far, he’s

summited twenty-three of Colorado’s fourteeners.

He says that he’s only had to talk to a few owners about their ailing dogs on Colorado trails. All the owners took his advice and descended with their furry companions. In his mobile clinic, he’s treated canines primarily for cut paws, limps, and over-exertion sustained on hikes or climbs. He’s also seen two dogs that developed congestive heart failure after a few days at high altitude. One lived in Texas, the other in Kansas.

Dr. Gastellum shared the following tips for ensuring a dog’s safe hike or climb. But, he cautions, his suggestions are only general guidelines and don’t replace your own veterinarian’s advice.

Condition and Acclimate

Dogs, like humans, should be conditioned and acclimated to altitude before hiking or climbing in the high country, Dr. Gastellum says.

He recommends a vet check to include:

•  complete physical examination to rule out cardiac issues such as heart murmurs which may not cause problems at lower altitudes. This is especially important, he says, for dogs visiting from at or near sea level states.

  

• blood work to determine your dog’s oxygen carrying capacity. If the hematocrit is low, don’t take your dog on fourteener climbs, he cautions.
• a thyroid check if your middle-aged dog seems sluggish at home. He notes that a hypothyroid dog will have low energy and may collapse when exercising in high altitude.

He also says that dogs should be current on rabies and core vaccinations such as distemper and parvo. Prevention of flea and tick infestations is important, he adds, because these parasites are present in most mountain areas. Some vets also recommend that dogs receive a vaccination for leptospirosis, a disease transmitted by water from rodents, wildlife, and livestock. They also may suggest that your dog be on prevention for heartworm, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

According to Dr. Gastellum, owners also should:

• consider your breed: dogs with short muzzles, such as pugs, boxers, and bulldogs will overheat quickly in the sun, especially at high altitude.

  

• outfit German shepherds that have eye pannus (a film over the eyeball), which leads to blindness, with dog goggles because the high-altitude sun can exacerbate the condition.
• provide some sort of protection to collies, which, he says, are pre-disposed to collie nose, and canines with pink skin. Light colored or white dogs are more prone to sunburns at altitude.
• trim Fido’s nails to avoid splaying of paws and tearing of nails, especially dewclaws, when caught on brush or rocks. Paws should be toughened before setting out on rocky or long hikes.
• keep your dog in good weight to avoid undue pressure on joints and exacerbation of breathing issues.
• gradually condition your dog. Take Fido on short hikes on forgiving terrain and then increase the hike distance and include some rocky terrain.

Essential Supplies

When hiking or climbing with your furry companion, Dr. Gastellum recommends always bringing the following:

• plenty of water and a collapsible water bowl;
• food such as kibble or dog biscuits; and

  

• a first aid kit that includes: bandage material; sticky vet wrap that can be purchased online; a pair of scissors; a hemostat that can grab thorns, stickers, or cacti; human Neosporin or similar product; a clotting powder cloth (human type is fine); an antiseptic cleaning pad; and Benadryl for insect stings. Check with your own veterinarian for dosage amounts which vary by a dog’s size.

A couple of other items to carry:

• dog booties for emergencies, and
• Mushers Secret, a goo for paw pads to help prevent cuts or scrapes from rocks. Dr. Gastellum doesn’t have personal experience with Mushers Secret but says some of his clients strongly recommend it.

Should dogs be allowed to drink from streams or rivers?

“Strictly speaking as a vet, no. But I live in the real world,” Dr. Gastellum says. He lets his own dogs drink from streams especially at elevations of 12,500 feet or higher and only in areas free from active or abandoned mines, campgrounds, and livestock grazing.

“On hikes to high alpine lakes in Colorado, a cool soak or swim is refreshing and water intake is going to be unavoidable,” he notes.

“Allow your dog to consume stagnant, dirty or algae water ONLY to prevent dehydration and ONLY IF fresh water from a clean source (clear running water or your camelbak) is unavailable. It’s generally easier to treat dogs for giardia than it is for dehydration,” he explains. “Dehydration will be more of a concern especially if you are many miles from your starting point and the temperatures are high.”

Injury/Illness Prevention

To avoid injuries or sickness to your dogs, Dr. Gastellum recommends:

• train them to hike on a leash or be under solid voice control so they won’t chase critters or scare or offend hikers who fear and/or dislike canines.
• pack out your dog’s poop to avoid spreading diseases.That happens when dogs eat feces from an infected canine. Attach a poop bag to your dog’s harness or pack if you don’t want to tie it to your own daypack.

Should dogs of all ages accompany their humans on long hikes and fourteener climbs if they are physically fit and acclimated to altitude?

“No,” Dr. Gastellum says. “Puppies have open growth plates at the end of the long bones which are very prone to injury. Rocky, steep, and slippery terrain create ideal conditions for injury and growth plate separation which results in acute lameness.”

He recommends waiting until your dog’s growth plates are closed before taking them on climbs, trails with rough or uneven terrain or “bouldering.”

“Growth plate closure doesn’t occur for up to twelve months in small breed dogs and can take as long as eighteen to twenty-four months in giant breeds. Additionally, early spaying or neutering of your pup can prolong closure of growth plates,” he explains. For the same reason, he cautions against equipping your dog with a pack until the vertebral growth plates of the spine are closed. (The same age guidelines as he outlined above apply.)

Another reason not to hike with puppies is that they may run out of control and injure themselves or collapse from exhaustion. And that means their owner must carry them back to their vehicle, he says.

Senior dogs (five-plus years in large breed dogs and seven-plus in small breeds) present other concerns. “They may have arthritis which may not be evident around the house but manifests on long or demanding hikes,” Dr. Gastellum explains. “Small dogs tend to have more knee issues while larger canines have a propensity for elbow and hip problems.”

“The most frequently injured joint in any breed or size dog is the knee joint from a torn cruciate ligament (ACL tear). Unfortunately, I see these injuries even in the most well-conditioned dogs,” he says.

Symptoms of Altitude Sickness

Dr. Gastellum says one or more of the following symptoms may signal altitude sickness in dogs:

• very fast heart rate,
• pants hard,
• panic or frantic look on face,
• vomits or has the dry heaves,
• appears weak,
• sticky gums,
• a whitish gum color,
• refuses food or water,
• appears unhappy, and
• seems unsteady on his/her legs.

Slow down your pace and descend if you see any of those symptoms, Dr. Gastellum suggests. If Fido seeks shade at every tree, your dog probably is overheated and needs water, he adds.

Dr. Gastellum says that it is important that owners:

• choose an appropriate trail or climb for their dogs’ level of fitness.
• know their dog’s normal vital signs at rest, including heart rate, breathing character and gum color. “To recognize the abnormal, you must first know the normal.”
• monitor their dogs drinking during the hike or climb. “If they aren’t drinking and continue to hike or climb, they’ll become dehydrated, especially at high altitude.”
• check your canine’s pulse on the trail. If it is too high or pounding, descend quickly so that your dog doesn’t collapse. And if your canine sleeps two days straight after a climb or hike, the activity was probably too much for him/her.
• start hiking early. “Be aware of  weather conditions that may herald an oncoming storm. Lightening in the high country presents a major hazard for you and your pet, especially during the summer monsoon season.”

By following Dr. Gastellum’s tips, you and your loyal companion should have a safe and enjoyable climb or hike! Have fun!

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