Dogs getting into scrapes
I never thought I would get older, but it seems to creep up on you.
Some may remember Sunday family picnics or dad taking you fishing, but these seem to be unfortunately forgotten as life is very busy and many people work on Sundays.
And that includes us here at the hospital.
Among all the Sunday appointments last weekend, we had not one but two furry friends and their very shaken owners rush into the busy reception area with their four-legged friends in a bad way.
Both dogs had been attacked while out walking by other uncontrolled dogs that were allowed to wander or had run out from an unfenced property.
One of the two patients is little Sheena, who is a grey and very elderly 17-year-old fox terrier that was on her own property at the time of the attack.
She is going to be OK, but the injuries are multiple and extensive.
Baldrick is the other patient, who was collapsed and in shock on arrival. Even a big boxer like him can’t defend himself against two other dogs.
His owner Tim was also visibly shaken.
Baldrick was quickly placed on intravenous fluids and given pain relief and a heated bed, along with lots of antibiotics.
Within half an hour he was recovering enough for us to go to the next step and explore his multiple cuts and wounds.
Minor or single puncture wounds are best left unstitched as they almost always become infected, but Baldrick had several larger wounds that extended deep into his muscles.
These we were able to attend to with local anaesthetic and stitch closed with drains underneath to help track any infection or fluid away.
By the time we were finished he looked like a patched-up toy with lots of shaved and stitched bits ‘n pieces.
The next day he was home to a much-relieved Tim and his family. By the end of the week we were able to remove his drains and in another week we will remove all his stitches.
Every other week we stitch up dogs that have been attacked by other dogs and especially at this time of year when everyone is out walking and trying to enjoy the longer evenings and warmer days. These injuries are totally avoidable if only some people took more responsibility for their own dogs (including having them on a lead while out walking when other dogs are around – not all dogs get on, no matter how friendly you think yours is) and considered the type of and nature of the dog they choose to have.
But to get something positive out of these incidents:
Tips:
❚ Do not attempt to separate fighting dogs with your hands. Obvious maybe, but many people get bitten in this situation. And bites are not just bites, but very nasty deep tissue injuries with a lot of skin and underlying tissue damage and significant pain involved – I know!
❚ Washing the injuries can force any debris and hair further into the wound. Leave the cleaning for us.
❚ Small wounds can be deceiving. Our patient had one small cut under his belly, but we found multiple large muscle tears through to the inside of his abdomen that were hiding under intact skin. Get us to examine him or her as soon as possible.
❚ Don’t use cotton wool to clean the wounds as the fibres stick to tissues.
❚ Antibiotics are a must as bite wounds almost always become infected.
❚ Pain relief is also a must as these injuries, as you can imagine, are extremely painful.
Cats aren’t immune to getting a bit grumpy, either.
The results of their little interactions are coming through the door in droves – cats with swollen faces, limping with swollen front legs, or dripping burst abscesses on their heads and bums. All very nice.
If your feline friend will stay in at night, then it may decrease the risk of them getting in trouble.
All that yowling is cat mating season and some of the boys get grumpy at this time of year. If you notice a bite wound or they are limping, then getting us to check them and maybe giving them some antibiotics can avoid a nasty abscess forming.
If you have an entire male cat, then book him in with us to get neutered.
It will save both him and yourself a lot of grief.
Remember, if you’re feeling a bit stressed – try to stop, look at the blue sky and force yourself to smile.