It is hard to stop a dog that has seen something is off on a chase. Whether it is a dog that is hunting with its owner or just your average dog that takes off and goes! At some time in every dog’s life there is bound to be an injury. No matter what the injury may be, you can try to be prepared for a few events. In our family we have a short dog (Corgi) and tall dogs (Weims), and each have their own problems.
Being a short dog means your chase is close to the ground where weeds and dust are the thickest. We had noticed Ansley (the Corgi) had one eye that kept tearing up and decided to have it checked out at the vet. Amazingly, she had a sticker in the eye itself, and they recommended she go to a higher authority… our local K-State vet college. This wasn’t our first trip there for one of our animals, and they gave great attention as usual. After checking the eye out thoroughly, they removed the smallest of slivers. All should be ok, but there is a slim chance it can affect her later.
The Weims, although taller, can run through brush and have the same problems with twigs and grasses hitting them in the face. Since they are such a short- haired breed, their coats are easier to clean, but unfortunately, their skin is not protected from sharp objects. A couple of times they have caught and torn their chest or back. One night (of course it was a late Saturday night) we let the dogs in, and as one of the Weims passed by, I saw a red blur. When I caught up with Max, I noticed he had a fairly large gash on his back. It was a rather nasty three corner tear. We cleaned it up as best as possible, used liberal amounts of triple antibiotic, tried to get the flap of skin in place, and bandaged with a telfa pad and LOTS of tape. I know you can imagine that lasted about all of ummmmm, a minute?? Amazing how dexterous a dog is when it comes to the middle of a spot and licking something off themself. We re-applied everything and humiliated Max by putting one of my t-shirts on him. No flowers, but it may have been pink. Pulled up snugly and tied with a ponytail holder, he looked so nice! When Monday came we made a trip to the vet, but by then he said it could not be stitched with out trimming the edges to close the gash cleanly. He suggested letting time heal the gash as we would have to put him under anesthesia. Keeping a close watch on the wound, Max made a quick recovery and has just a slight mark to show what happened.
The lesson we learned was, if in doubt, call the vet and don’t wait. Always keep on hand good quality bandage materials, wound wash/spray, eye wash, scissors, and bandaging. A small tool box can hold all supplies for emergencies. On our website we have kits already assembled for many types of animals (large and small). Like your children, there isn’t any way to guarantee an accident can’t happen, but you can prepare the best way possible. Helen
Being a short dog means your chase is close to the ground where weeds and dust are the thickest. We had noticed Ansley (the Corgi) had one eye that kept tearing up and decided to have it checked out at the vet. Amazingly, she had a sticker in the eye itself, and they recommended she go to a higher authority… our local K-State vet college. This wasn’t our first trip there for one of our animals, and they gave great attention as usual. After checking the eye out thoroughly, they removed the smallest of slivers. All should be ok, but there is a slim chance it can affect her later.
The Weims, although taller, can run through brush and have the same problems with twigs and grasses hitting them in the face. Since they are such a short- haired breed, their coats are easier to clean, but unfortunately, their skin is not protected from sharp objects. A couple of times they have caught and torn their chest or back. One night (of course it was a late Saturday night) we let the dogs in, and as one of the Weims passed by, I saw a red blur. When I caught up with Max, I noticed he had a fairly large gash on his back. It was a rather nasty three corner tear. We cleaned it up as best as possible, used liberal amounts of triple antibiotic, tried to get the flap of skin in place, and bandaged with a telfa pad and LOTS of tape. I know you can imagine that lasted about all of ummmmm, a minute?? Amazing how dexterous a dog is when it comes to the middle of a spot and licking something off themself. We re-applied everything and humiliated Max by putting one of my t-shirts on him. No flowers, but it may have been pink. Pulled up snugly and tied with a ponytail holder, he looked so nice! When Monday came we made a trip to the vet, but by then he said it could not be stitched with out trimming the edges to close the gash cleanly. He suggested letting time heal the gash as we would have to put him under anesthesia. Keeping a close watch on the wound, Max made a quick recovery and has just a slight mark to show what happened.
The lesson we learned was, if in doubt, call the vet and don’t wait. Always keep on hand good quality bandage materials, wound wash/spray, eye wash, scissors, and bandaging. A small tool box can hold all supplies for emergencies. On our website we have kits already assembled for many types of animals (large and small). Like your children, there isn’t any way to guarantee an accident can’t happen, but you can prepare the best way possible. Helen
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