What could be doing this to my dogs?

[Oregon Blues]

I've seen cuts like that from dog fights. I've also seen cuts like that from sticking the snout under a fence and catching it on a backwards facing wire or nail while drawing the head back out.

The only thing I can think of that would make a wound that large from sticking the head down a hole would be a badger, and I suspect a badger would leave more than one cut. A badger will tear a dog up.

Large predators would leave more wounds than that and they wouldn't come back after getting whupped by a pack of dogs.

Have you felt the entire dog, under the fur, to see if there are other wounds or puncture marks?

 

[highpointfarm]

Looks to me like a cougar....

 

[zazouse]

LOL that poor dog would be headless

 

[highpointfarm]

maybe not against all three dogs though, and through a fence like someone said...... it looks like a big dog, If their are two of them, and a black lab, AND a fence, It could very well be a cougar... We have them here in southern NY, even though NY claims no too.... lol

 

[duckinnut]

Not sure where Geronimo is and don't know if there could be wild hogs working your area. A gash that big could be a small tusker they could have cornered.

 

[Buster52]

Many good responses. We do have wild hogs in the area (Geronimo is in Oklahoma). And the burrowing critter got me thinking the culverts draining our big pond (when it actually rains, that is). Badger, maybe?

And I have no doubt my dogs could and would take on a cougar. Maybe I'm delusional, but I've seen them in a fight. They scare me.

We picked up 240 pounds of reinforcements in Texas this weekend.



They like to chase critters and collect stickers. Not quite 14 months old. These pups have worked pasture their entire young lives. I started to buy that live animal trap, but after I saw them work I decided to save my money.

That makes 4 GP/Anatolian mix and a black lab, with a chihuahua thrown in for bait. I think we're ready.

 

[Gallus Sapien]

Bobcats, coyotes, and cougers may get caught in a pasture once in their life ....but not twice. Hogs leave body wounds is there any? A Badger defending its new turf would stick around for a couple battles, so...maybe. However, I have seen many wounds like that when I hunted coons w/dogs. What time are the attacks? Oh yeah...the female dog is doing all the work!

 

[Gallus Sapien]

maybe not against all three dogs though, and through a fence like someone said...... it looks like a big dog, If their are two of them, and a black lab, AND a fence, It could very well be a cougar... We have them here in southern NY, even though NY claims no too.... lol

We do not have them here either.................Just ask our Dept. of Nat. Res.

 

[leadwolf1]

I was thinking coon also...I'm not sure why you keep sending your dogs out to be hurt. I would have used the trap. That gash could have used some stitches. I'm not saying this to belittle you or tell you what to do, I'm just a little confused.

 

[This_chicks_place]

I've seen a gash like that when our neighbors dog cornered a ground hog. It was MEAN! Only took one swipe of its paw to do that damage.