As the offender travels through the body it sets up inflamed, infected areas and this shows up as intermittent fever with an elevated white blood count. With progression of the disease other bad things show up. These include fluid in the chest, as you saw, and draining fistulous tracts appearing usually in the loin area, flank or rump.

Treatment becomes fairly creative as the foreign body needs to be removed and the infection stopped if the disease is to be conquered. I use antibiotics for 90 days after all clinical signs have been resolved. I also tap and drain off the exudates in the chest. Typically it appears as a thick fluid the color and consistency of tomato soup. I try to culture these exudates but many laboratories are not successful at identifying the organism. It is usually Actinomyces or Nocardia.

Last year I had one case in which the foreign body came out in the loin muscle. Surgery was required to dissect down to the spine in an attempt to drain the tract and remove the weed awn. In another case the dog was not so lucky and the foreign body migrated up and injured the spinal nerves, causing a partial paralysis of the rear legs.

Bottom line in these cases: Treat aggressively and pray!

(Question) Can you give some straight answers on neutering my Lab? My concerns are, can it affect the dog's intensity and drive when it comes to hunting? Have there been any studies done? I am a responsible dog owner and understand the importance of leaving the breeding to the professionals as well as the social responsibilities concerning unwanted pets. I'm looking for hard facts (or at least your opinion) on whether neutering will affect my Lab's ability or desire to hunt. --SL

(Answer) There is not much research on this subject. It is certainly one that confronts a lot of male hunters. My bottom line on it is the old horseman's saying, "A good stallion makes a great gelding."

Neutering does have some medical benefits in that it eliminates prostate problems and testicular cancers. Neutered dogs do require less calories and that becomes a management issue for you to keep your dog's weight down.

(Question) I am confused over a subject discussed in the "Veterinary Clinic" column of the February/March 2005 issue. A reader stated that a friend doses his dog orally with ".5 Ivomec Injection." I assume that means 0.5 cc, since that would be about the correct amount for a 50-pound dog. My veterinarian recommends a dosage of 0.1 cc per 10 pounds of body weight.