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bumblebeezgw

My dog was attacked and injured.. bunch of questions

A week ago from this past Sunday, my Jack Russell beagle mix came in injured, (he's about 9-10 yrs old and 22 lb)

I took him to the emergency clinic 45 minutes away.

In a nutshell, he was bitten by a large dog in his abdomen and neck. No organs were touched but muscles, tendons and diaphragm were shredded. His ribs are displaced and cracked.

They watched his lungs until Tuesday then did the surgery.

He came home late that Friday.

Now, a week later, he is recovering. I'm very grateful!

We went on a fairly good walk today and he had his first bowel movement since last Thursday. He was exceptionally springy going out but very slow coming back in. I carried him the last bit.

He is sleeping on one of many dog beds (covered with towels), has no bandages but a bunch of leaky sutures -hence the towels.

Question- I have been feeding him Evo 95% chicken canned dogfood in a pool of homemade light chicken broth. He is drinking very little water and won't touch his bowl of Wellness dry food at all.

He gets tramadol for pain every 6 hours and something else in the morning (metacam?)

When should I transition him back to dry food? Ever?

Anything else I can do for him?

I have not seen the dog that bit him, btw.

Comments (13)

  • sylviatexas1
    13 years ago

    I'm so glad he's doing better;
    you could have lost him so easily.

    First thing that comes to mind is that you might check with the clinic or with your regular vet on these questions, but my 2 cents is:

    I wouldn't take him on any walks with that much damage & that many stitches;
    just keep him as quiet (motionless, inert, still) as possible & take him out for potty purposes.

    Let his little system rest as much as possible.

    & I would also keep him on the chicken & broth, especially unsalted broth, for as long as possible, & encourage him to drink water.

    Baby him as much as you can, & keep him close by when he goes outside;
    it's a scary world out there anyway, & now you know there's a predator in the area.

    I wish you both the best.

  • calliope
    13 years ago

    What Sylvia said.

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks...he is being babied, I woke up this morning to his head under my chin!
    About the walks, he wants to go on them! Today was the longest but every day I have tried to take him as much as he wanted then carry him back if it was too far.
    Mostly we go to the end of the driveway and I carry him back to the house.
    I am going to cut back though.

  • christine1950
    13 years ago

    Just sending some soft hugs and hope's he's feeling much better.
    Christine & Dutchess

  • vicki7
    13 years ago

    Poor little guy, that sounds so painful... so glad he is mending. When you (and he) are ready for him to go back on the dry food, you'll probably have to "wean" him off the wet food. Recently due to some health issues, I had to put one of my dogs on a rice and chicken diet temporarily. To get her back on her dry food I had to gradually mix the rice/chicken with the dry food a little at a time over a period of about 2 weeks.

  • pamghatten
    13 years ago

    Also sending best wishes for a speedy recovery ... what an awful experience for both of you!

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thank you all for your kind words. He is doing well but is extremely tired.
    We start out in the morning with the most energy, almost running, pulling me along on his leash, tail wagging and very bouncy, nose to the ground, but it gives out fast.
    The sutures come out tomorrow I think. We have an appointment anyway.

  • calliope
    13 years ago

    Be sure to relate the tiredness to your vet. My daughter's dog went through a similar experiences from a pack of large dogs. The vet didn't think he would make it, but hung in there and under my daughter's care the old dog finally healed. But there were so many punctures and lacerations that it might be easy to miss an internal bleeder or leaker causing blood loss.

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I will...he seems more tired today than yesterday morning.

    If he is leaking blood, where does it go?

  • franknjim
    13 years ago

    Leaking blood/fluids that are not life threatening will be reabsorbed back into the body.

    Upon release from the vet after the procedure they should have given you a sheet of paper with instructions and restrictions if any. If they did not give you one, call them and tell them that they did not give them to you. Instructions for feeding, activity restriction, wound cleansing, return visit and everything else should be given to you after every major procedure. If they don't do that as standard procedure or don't want to take the time to give you all the info you need, find a new vet.

  • sylviatexas1
    13 years ago

    It goes into the surrounding tissues, just like it does when we bump into something & get a bruise.

    You might see bruising or swelling, but if the blood is leaking inside the body cavity, you might not.

    Check his gums for pink color; if they're white, run don't walk to the vet.

    His fatigue might be because he overdid the exercise, but he could have torn something;
    if he's eating & responding to you, I'd guess he's just tired, but if he's lethargic, depressed, unresponsive, has pale gums, I'd get him to the vet.

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I was given instruction from the vet- this is not his regular vet but the vet from the Emergency Clinic 45 minutes from me.
    They are open 24/7 have 5 vets on staff and also see regular patients. He was kept on fluids for 4-5 nights with a vet monitoring him at all times and for a day or two, kept in the office on a comfy bed- not a cage.
    I can call the clinic with any concerns at any time to speak with a vet and am encouraged to do this.
    I actually like the vet who did the surgery (there were two of them) much better than my regular vet.
    The one who did the surgery is the one I'll see when I take my dog in tomorrow morning.

    Restrictions were to basically baby him and leash walk him for 4 weeks ( for potty). To give him chicken broth with his food to increase his liquid intake because his urine was darkish.
    He would not eat for 2 days after I brought him home and I was told his clavamox? antibiotic might be making him nauseous. I gave him, per instructions, 10 mg of famatodine and stopped the antibiotic.
    He started eating the next day.
    He has pain medicines I give him every 6 hours and yes, in the middle of the night.

    Today, he ate well, but drank little.
    Our appointment is at 10:00 Friday.
    I appreciate ALL your advice.

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    He is doing very well today- the vet removed all but three of the sutures. We went on a short walk and he wanted to run!

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