- May 7, 2009
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My dog attacked one of my girls last night......and I could have prevented it......please learn from my mistake
I was really busy last evening. Hubby was out and I had both kids running between my house and the neighbors playing with their children. Plus the 11 (3 day old) chicks that I was cleaning their brooder. My son ran into the house and said two of my adult girls got out of the run. I ran outside, rounded them back into the coop, and found the hole that was dug under the fence.
It was here that I should have stopped what I was doing and repaired that spot myself.
But instead, I decided to wait for hubby to come home so he could do it properly and went to finish up the brooder.
About an hour later I called the kids in for their bath/bed and my let my GSD out in the backyard. As I turned to shut the door I glanced out the window and saw him standing over my Rhode Island Red girl! That fast, he had her! (And this is a dog who I have worked with religiously with "leaving" the chickens.)
I thought for sure I was walking up to a dead chicken......but miraculously she was alive! I scooped her up and ran back into the house with her and quickly set up an infirmary in my bathtub. After close inspection she had only 3 small punctures. 2 on her side and one on her back. She was a little shocky but otherwise ok. I droppered some sugar water every half hour for 2 hours and let her rest. Then I flushed the wounds with a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and warm water and packed with neosporin without pain relief. I currently have her in a dog crate in the house and she is eating/drinking/pooping normally. I even got a bawk bawk from her this morning.
Only time will tell....but I think she will heal. Well, I hope she will.
Lesson learned: Even with a dog who is well trained, an accident can happen. Make sure your coop/run is secure. If you see a weak point fix it immediately. And always remember, even your own dog is a potential predator (although my boy was heartsick last night, I think because he saw how upset I was). Don't let your guard down.
I was really busy last evening. Hubby was out and I had both kids running between my house and the neighbors playing with their children. Plus the 11 (3 day old) chicks that I was cleaning their brooder. My son ran into the house and said two of my adult girls got out of the run. I ran outside, rounded them back into the coop, and found the hole that was dug under the fence.
It was here that I should have stopped what I was doing and repaired that spot myself.
But instead, I decided to wait for hubby to come home so he could do it properly and went to finish up the brooder.
About an hour later I called the kids in for their bath/bed and my let my GSD out in the backyard. As I turned to shut the door I glanced out the window and saw him standing over my Rhode Island Red girl! That fast, he had her! (And this is a dog who I have worked with religiously with "leaving" the chickens.)
I thought for sure I was walking up to a dead chicken......but miraculously she was alive! I scooped her up and ran back into the house with her and quickly set up an infirmary in my bathtub. After close inspection she had only 3 small punctures. 2 on her side and one on her back. She was a little shocky but otherwise ok. I droppered some sugar water every half hour for 2 hours and let her rest. Then I flushed the wounds with a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and warm water and packed with neosporin without pain relief. I currently have her in a dog crate in the house and she is eating/drinking/pooping normally. I even got a bawk bawk from her this morning.
Only time will tell....but I think she will heal. Well, I hope she will.
Lesson learned: Even with a dog who is well trained, an accident can happen. Make sure your coop/run is secure. If you see a weak point fix it immediately. And always remember, even your own dog is a potential predator (although my boy was heartsick last night, I think because he saw how upset I was). Don't let your guard down.
