Chest Protection

[GeorgeE]

Anyone using a ‘chest protector’ for their dogs...One that’s caught my eye, is the Mendota Skid Plate...

[topdog1961]

Eager to hear the answers. My GSP has a big pink scar/growth on the bottom of his chest that needs protected from abrasions. Though I believe a chest protector caused it in the first place. He shivers in the winter and a few years ago I put a neoprene vest on him after hunting season. Putting it on him is like wrestling a tornado, so it stayed all winter, he never left the yard. When I took it off in the spring, debris had collected there and he had an abrasion. The scar formed as it healed, and eventually turned into a protruding growth like thing. 

[Virgil Kane]

Lots of people here use them.  I always used the Cabela's vest for my old FB.  Haven't used the vest on my new ES as it seems he's not as hard charging through brush as my FB was.  I'm sure that vest saved me a lot of vet bills over the years.  That vest took a beating and if the dog wan't wearing one it would have been his chest and underside that would have taken that beating.  The only down side to the vest was on warm days where it would overheat my FB if worn to long.  In cooler temps I had no problems.

This Cabela's vest was the strap on one, not the neoprene which I think would be hard to get on like Topdog said.

 

 

 

Virgil

[Felix]

 I like the Lion Country Supply vest. My Brittany does not have much fur on her belly and I think it saves quite a few scratches.

 

Here is one after 2 seasons and it's new replacement.

 

 

 

[GeorgeE]

Perfect, thanks Virgil and Felix....

[WMassGriff]

Sylmar Body Guard has held up well on my Griff. Two seasons in and it still is in great condition. Like it so much I bought a spare on sale! Added bonus is visibility in heavy cover when on point.

[GLS]

Having had a Lion Country Supply Vest shred  after one year, I went to a Bay Vest by http://www.hardcorehogdogs.com/Bay_Vest.html   It's a Kevlar vest with three chrome over brass buckles.  The vest offers protection to hog dogs from getting cut by the boar's tusks and bite from sows.  It also offers superior protection against cut off saplings, etc.  After having a close encounter with a wild hog, I thought it best to have my dogs so equipped.  Where I find woodcock here in the lowcountry the wild hogs aren't far from us.  These vests wear like stove pipe.  Abby's vest was repaired free of charge by the company after several years wear on the top of the chest and leg piping.  Lightweight and padded in the chest.

http://www.hardcorehogdogs.com/Bay_Vest.html

[shoot-straight]

The lighter duty ones simply did not hold up. Mine was called a skid plate- can't remember where I got It. Was made from cordura and held up great. 

[Jakeismydog2]

Sylmar...seriuosly my dog would be dead with out it. If it can protect him from concertina wire i am sure it will do whatever you need it to do for you.

[GLS]

Speaking of concertina wire, Abby went from 60 to zero when she ran full speed into an old machine gun nest's razor wire perimeter that had been mistakenly left in place after training.  The military is supposed to remove it before leaving the field after training sessions.  We were hunting a clear cut in a training area which is open to hunting after training is over on an army base.  Fortunately, the vest took the brunt of the force and she suffered no cuts on exposed body parts.  She'd have been a mess had she hit the wire without the vest.  Gil

[SARGENT]

I prefer a skid plate to a full vest with leg holes, less chance at rub.  Some vest might require some modification on the leg holes to reduce rub.  They are nice to have in the kit in case of a chest ot stomach wound.  

[GLS]

13 minutes ago, SARGENT said:

I prefer a skid plate to a full vest with leg holes, less chance at rub.  Some vest might require some modification on the leg holes to reduce rub.  They are nice to have in the kit in case of a chest ot stomach wound.  

A friend was hunting a game preserve with his lab.  The preserve had cut lanes through the woods and brush with a bush hog.  His lab was bounding ahead and landed on the stub of a sapling that penetrated the  dog's chest and the dog bled out in minutes.  The dog wasn't wearing a vest.  It was a horrible experience for all those involved.   Gil

[GeorgeE]

21 minutes ago, SARGENT said:

I prefer a skid plate to a full vest with leg holes, less chance at rub.  Some vest might require some modification on the leg holes to reduce rub.  They are nice to have in the kit in case of a chest ot stomach wound.  

 

I like that, plus it looks a lil cooler for the warmer weather hunts...

[WI Outdoor Nut]

I do run a skid plate on my vizsla.  She has no under belly hair to speak of and the skin is very thin in that area.  Out west, it helps protect her of cactus.  In the grouse woods greatly helps with reduction of scratches from raspberry bushes.  And with my color blind issues, the yellow pops for me in the woods and fields. 

[DTB]

I'm not color blind but that day glo yellow Sylmar vest really does stand  out better in the woods.

I have one in orange and one in the green/yellow and I see the yellow color much easier.

The Sylmar vests are very well made and are holding up well.