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We all have heard of the staggering numbers of people bitten by dogs each year. What we seldom hear about is the number of dogs bitten by dogs and this can be just as serious. PuppyMatch4You is here to tell you what to do if this should happen to your pup.
It is always important to keep an eye on your dog while he is outside, especially if you do not have a fenced in yard. Neighbor dogs, stray dogs and other creatures can easily sneak up on your puppy while he is minding his business and attack. If you see another dog entering your property, immediately take your dog inside to avoid a fight between the two. Your dog may love the company of other canines but he may react differently when this dog is not invited or one that he has never met before. Or maybe your pup doesn’t want his yard invaded and decides to protect it with his life. Anything can happen at any time which is why avoiding the situation altogether is safest. If you have never seen this dog before, return your dog to the house and then investigate if the dog has tags or some sort of identification to get him home safely. Whatever you do, do not allow contact with your own pets. This stray may not have his shots, may be carrying infectious diseases and could attack your pets at any time.
But what about when you have more than one dog at your home? Bites can happen here as well. Your dogs may be the best of friends and one day, someone is in a bad mood and all goes wrong. The most common of these kinds of bites is due to fighting over treats and bones. If you can, have you and another member(s) of your family give each dog a treat at one time so no one feels they are being left out and must fight for their share. Then, be sure all are separated while eating to ensure there is no one trying to steal the others. If one of your dogs would rather protect his bone rather than eat it, try giving him a smaller treat that he can eat quicker to avoid these outbreaks.
If your dog is bitten (and we hope he never is), take him to the vet as soon as you can. Even if the bite does not look serious or life threatening, there could be more internal damage that you cannot see such as deep tissue tearing or contracting of different diseases from the other dog. If possible, get the information from the other dog’s owner such as shot records to ensure your dog is not at risk for rabies. This is not always an option which is why it is so important that your dog is always up-to-date with his shots and vaccinations. The dog that bit yours may not be one you know. In this case, try your best to guess his weight, breed and size so that you may tell this to your vet.
Don’t worry too much – the treatment may just be as simple as a cleaning and a bandage or a few sutures. But bites can easily become dangerous and even life threatening due to infection or internal damage that is not seen. Seeing your vet is the perfect example of “rather be safe than sorry”.
Just be aware – all dogs, big or small, can be bitten or attacked and we would much rather have you prepared in case this happens to you.
Tags: dog bites, dog bitten by dog, dog fighting, dog first aid
We just moved to a new home, and we just picked out our new pet vet.
My 7 year old dog may need her shots updated. (I say may need…because last year I gave the 5-way to her for the first time on my own, but I lost the records in our move).
Before we could settle in to our home, my dog got attacked and bit. She has one bite on her right flank. I cut away the hair around it, cleaned it up with iodine, and put neosporin on it. It looks good, and clean.
I have her on doggie demerall for pain, and an antibiotic for dogs too.
My question is:
What do I still need to look out for?
I read up on tetanus, and rabies.
Do I need to revaccinate her right now…just to be sure she is safe? Or will that compromise her immune system to fight off any infections she may have from the bite?
Do I need to get her rabies shot, or tetanus? Or anything else that I am unaware of?
I do not want to cause her any other pain, or hurt her chances of healing quickly.
But, she is my baby…and if I lose her because of a stupid mistake I made, I will be devistated!
Please Advise!!
We are so sorry to hear about your dog and hope she is doing better each day!
First, we are not a vet but suggest that you do go see one just to get her checked over. With dog bites, the cut may not look as bad as it is. There could be internal injuries that you cannot see nor treat.
I would imagine that your vet would treat the wound before they get her updated on any vaccinations to be sure that her defenses are not down and can heal properly before offering her yearly shots.
As we say, it’s always best to be safe than sorry. Taking her to the vet will allow them to get a good look at the wound and be sure there are no infection or other problems occurring.
We wish you and her all the best and hope she has a quick recovery!