Hi all,
I had a really eventful trip to the Black Mountains on Sunday the 11th. A friend and I went for a walk around Grwyne Fawr Resevoir from Mynydd Du Forest which included Waun Fach, the weather was pretty nasty on the tops, very wet and windy. Anyway my poor dog Megan; unfortunately she got too wet and cold and started dropping off the pace, we cut the planned route short by coming straight down the Grwyne Fawr to go past the bothy etc. However during our descent Megan’s condition worsened and we made the decision to carry her, whilst carrying her she had a fit / seizure, quickly getting the survival bag out and placing her in it we made our way to the bothy utilising a fleece jacket & a sturdy Lidl carrier bag of all things, we put her in this and holding a handle each got her off the hillside and back to the car. Taking her to an emergency vets on the way back home; she had hypothermia which brought on the fit. Thankfully 48 hours later she had made a full recovery and looking at her now you won’t think she had been through any of this traumatic experience. It really was touch and go for her & was an emotional rollercoaster of a day, firstly I felt terrible and responsible for getting her in this state, but also delighted that our actions out on the hill helped save her.
So keep an eye on your dog if you are taking it out during these cold months. They can’t tell you how cold they are but their body language can, it was a very rapid decline for her and the symptoms Megan showed were: obvious signs of being cold like shivering, she also dropped off her usual pace and when she caught up just lay down. Also don’t forget that survival blanket, mine is never out of my rucksack, and never will be from now on having been through that!!
If you would like to read the extended story then it is here on my blog.
I will be going back to the area on the 27th Dec to return the fleece to the Bothy.