Pet emergencies during the quarantine.
Got a call from my mom and dad yesterday AM, they were outside doing yard work and had their dog, Bichon, on top of the bed cover of dad's truck.
A 10yo little girl was walking her family's pit bull and was passing in front of my parent's home when the Bichon started barking at the pit bull. The pit dragged the little girl to the truck, jumped up l, grabbed the Bichon by the head and proceeded to drag him off of the truck and shake him like a rag doll. My dad, who is recovering from surgery, grabbed the pit and dragged him off of their Bichon.
The rest of the day was spent at two different veterinary hospitals. No human contact was allowed. The hospitals had numbered the service parking spots out from and the patient's owners called from their numbered parking spot and a gowned band masked vet tech would come out to get the animal.
Long dramatic story made shorter. My parents dog had to have an eye removed, several wound drains installed, is on meds for several weeks all for $1600. Dad called the owner of the pit to inform him of the costs and the guy got lippy. My dad informed him that there were two witnesses to the attack so the bills would be payed by the pit owner and since he got lippy dad would be calling animal control and requesting that the asshole's pit be out down. Dad has already scanned and emailed the guy the bills. Dad closed the conversation by informing the prick that he would be also be paying any further bills for care of the Bichon related to the mauling by the pit bull.
We (my parents my brother and I) had a pit when I was in my late teens to early 20s. She was the most gentle dog imaginable. If someone had invaded our home or attacked one of us she would have licked them to death. Dogs like this are the result of idiot owners. IMHO of course.
The little guy being mauled aside, I am impressed with how the Vet hospitals handled serving their patients while maintaining social separation.
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Im so sorry!
That is a very sad story.
I believe that ANY dog, in the right situation will bite or fight. No matter how gentle, or what kind of owners. IMHO.
Several years ago, I lived with my ex in a little town. We had 2 dogs, one of which was a 12-year old shepherd mix who was known for his extreme gentleness and friendlieness.
One Halloween evening, a pit bull came to our gate, and the ex let her in. After arguing over an EMPTY food bowl, the pit bit our dog on the neck, then top of the head. He just lay there, not moving. He was very large and fluffy.
We took him to the vet and he had drainage tubes and all that. The vet bill was 1900. The owner put the pit down straight away. Our beloved dog died 5 weeks after the attack.
I looked up local laws about that, and it didnt look like we had any kind of legal recourse. If a dog bites a human, yes, but if a dog injures another dog it was totally different.
Im glad that there was some kind of recourse, but also hope that agreements are reached. I do not know what current laws are.
So sad!
That's just awful, Clove!
Sadly, in our state animals are considered merely property, with no real value.
Apparently this dog has a
Apparently this dog has a reputation in the neighborhood for attacking other dogs. The Vet advised my parents to report the attack to the county animal control and if they have record of past attacks that they may put the dog down.
Tear-Jerker
I am so sorry you went through that and lost your dog. Horrible.
Thanks, but... Rambo (the
Thanks, but... Rambo (the Bichon named by my nephew who wanted a big dog) is doing fine though he is now impersonating a one eyed pirate. He is the family dog. He started out as my brother's family's dog. They did not want to put him through another international move with 90 day government facility quarantine so 6 years ago they left him with my parents. My wife and I periodically lived with mom and dad on and off between international assignments during those 6yrs.
He lights up when my wife and I visit mom and dad or when they visit us. He is just a sweet little guy. The next door neighbor's two little kids (4 & 2 with one on the way) come over to visit my parents and Rambo regularly.
Knowing him, it shouldn't be long before he is back to his usual incorrigible self.
Wow, this is awful. I hope
Wow, this is awful. I hope that little dog makes a full recovery. How traumatic for not only the dog, but your parents as well. That pit needs to be humanely euthanized, and I'd definitely report it to animal control.
I've had two pit mixes. Both of them as gentle and loving as can be. It's asshole owners who are the problem.
I’m so sorry for the poor Bichon!
How horrible for all involved (except the pit owner! I hope they throw the book at him!)
Hope the little one makes a strong recovery!
I'm so sorry this happened
I'm so sorry this happened Rags, and even sorrier that irresponsible pet owner got lippy with your dad. He should be thankful that no one else was hurt, but fools never seem to know when to keep their mouths shut.
In the past 10 days, I've had a vet come to my home to euthanize a pet with cancer (before the SIP order), and have been to the vet hospital three times. One sick cat turned into three cats with upper respiratory infections, and it was not easy to find a practice that was still open. My usual veterinary practice had to shut down their small animal office on 14 March because BOTH vets had to be quarantined, and the (great) one I eventually went to was doing what you described - park outside, fill out paperwork, and then escorted in when an exam room became available. We all wore gloves and masks.
As with all other health care workers, people in the veterinary business really deserve our appreciation. They work in small exam rooms and come in contact with multiple people each day, so they're risking their own health to care for sick/injured animals. That's a pretty noble endeavor, IMO.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your parents' sweet baby. This never should have happened and again, I'm so sorry.
Rags I am so sorry. I am
Rags I am so sorry. I am sure this is very hard on your parents. Poor little thing,. experienced so much trauma.
Isn't the vet required to notify animal control when a vicious attract happens?
I’m so sorry this happened to
I’m so sorry this happened to your parents & their poor, sweet dog, I can’t imagine how traumatic that must have been for them all. I hope their pup makes a full recovery, the pit should be put down. I don’t know why anyone would let their 10 year old walk a pit without being there with them, how irresponsible can you be? I hope your parents are doing alright, I can imagine they’re quite shaken up by what’s happened.
My sweet girl-kitty had
My sweet girl-kitty had surgery yesterday to remove a growth. Lots of staples up her leg/armpit right now. Poor thing.
The techs met us at my car, stayed distant except to hand me forms. They got her out of the car. Reverse for pick up. They will call me for payment, or send a bill since no one can access the payment area.
For follow up, I will have to send a picture of the area in five days rather than take her in and there's more phone calls scheduled where normally it would be another vet visit. We will have another visit for sure though in 10 to 14 days for an in-person check. Likely same routine will be followed.
My parents long term Vet.
They directly billed the credit card on file at their usual vet and the Vet opthomolgist swiped their credit card in the parking lot,
I hope your fur baby recovers well.
What really broke my parent's
What really broke my parent's heart was how freaked out the little girl who was walking the Pit Bull was. Mom had to walk her home with the two ladies across the street while dad wrapped their dog down to a board to keep him from moving before taking him to the Vetrinary hospital.
That little girl's pet may be going to Pit Bull heaven. Which will no doubt even traumatize her more. And she is stuck with a lippy asshole as a father.
I am so sorry about your
I am so sorry about your father's dog I realise they can be loving pets, but Pit bulls are on a list of breeds banned altogether here in the UK.
My brother's dog is a rescue
My brother's dog is a rescue and he is a little unpredictable. We think he is a pit mix even though his papers say boxer & lab.
When I dogsit, I never let the kids take him out alone or let the kids be alone with him at all. My brother has done wonders with this dog, spending money they dont have for training etc. He still cant be trusted around other dogs