[SIZE=12pt]We faced something today we never thought would come our way. We had a severe dog attack and it was our own dogs. Our four dogs, one of them our livestock guardian dog, and our three beloved family pets mauled one of Mia's show geldings. Ramble is still alive and has at least a fair chance of surviving, if we can control infection.[/SIZE]
It's been incredibly crazy here lately. Mia's Dad is taking me back to court again and many other things are going on with close friends that have kept us busy. When I got ready to leave the house yesterday to meet with my lawyer, all four dogs met me at my car, two of them liberally covered in blood and the other two with bloody spots. They have been armadillo and raccoon hunting quite a bit and I thought they must have caught a big raccoon. I didn't even think seriously they could have hurt a horse.
I didn't check the horses individually (I only have 6 here right now), but when I drove past the herd down the drive, I stopped and everyone was curled up sleeping or stretched out resting as a group. They looked very peaceful and relaxed, so I *knew* the dogs hadn't been hunting near them...or so I thought. I didn't get home until very late last night (on alternate Wednesdays I have to take Mia all the way back to Huntsville for a 2 hour visitation with her Dad...a 3 hour round trip drive for us, so we're gone at least 5-6 hours..)
For some reason we just didn't understand, Nikki, one of our dogs, was VERY clingy when I got home last night and today too. This morning all 4 dogs were under Steve's truck and only Roy, his dog (normally VERY affectionate in the mornings) came out, but wouldn't approach Steve at all. Steve said he thought it was weird, but since Roy looked OK, he just went on to work. None of the dogs were around when Mia and I left for KINDERGARTEN registration about 9 AM. After we did that, I dropped Mia off at pre-school and came home.
Today about noon I was out and noticed Ramble, Mia's 30" two year old sorrel gelding wasn't with the herd. I called and then got on the four wheeler to look for him. About 15 minutes later I found bloody tail hair with tissue attached by one of the ponds. I thought then I was looking for his dead body.
I found him a few minutes later in a grove of trees, standing, but not moving. His tail was partially gone, he had a large area of bites well into the tissue completely gone on one side, severe bites on the other. When I lifted his tail, I saw that his anus had been chewed away and you could smell the infection.
He reacted very strongly to Roy's presence and Bruno's, our LGD. He did not react at all to Rosco, the youngest dog (the only one showing NO hesitation or remorse, just concern). Both Nikki and Roy had flattened themselves to the ground and STAYED down when I found Ramble. As soon as I started him moving Nikki ran for the house and hid under the motorhome.
I got him up to the house (a long walk). He defectated very painfully on the way, pushing two large globs of puss ahead of the feces. Being the honest, SWEET boy he is, he loaded into the trailer and waited while I got him water, which he drank thirstily and some alfalfa for the trip. He was VERY hungry and had obviously hardly moved since the attack.
Doctor Nancy was waiting for us at her clinic. She cleaned the areas and debrided them as well as she could. There is nothing to be sutured. The anal sphincter is gone and there are bites 2" deep into the anus. The wound on his left rump is several inches around and is obviously where everything was just bit and ripped away. His tail is partially gone, the cartlidge at the bottom is gone and there are tooth wounds that ripped downward 2"-3" around the tail, down to the bone. The bone at the bottom of the tail is exposed. The right rump has a patch eaten away and several inches around where the skin was pulled away from the tissue, with deep puncture wounds.
Dr. Nancy (Bohnhoff), our equine specialist, thinks he has a chance of recovering, as long as there is no nerve damage to the spinal cord. Now, the rest of the story. Last year, one of my retired show mares had a bad habit of sneaking up on Bruno, the LGD and stomping the crap out of his while he slept. Her whole line hates dogs, but loves everything else. I found her one morning with her tail completely engloved, just the very top hair remained, all hair and skin had been peeled off, leaving a raw meat covering the bone. I found Bruno with the tail.
I decided to put him down, but changed my mind later, knowing how she had picked on him at every opportunity. The mare recovered well, but started showing neurologic signs a few weeks later (which I posted about here). It became clear she had progressive spinal nerve damage from the trauma to her tail and we had to have her put down within 2 weeks, as the damage was progressing up her spine and could not be stopped.
Roy, Steve's dog WILL chase the horses if he thinks he can. Rosco will if Roy does. Bruno will chase, but not with intent...or so I thought. These LOVING, WONDERFUL, GENTLE family dogs almost killed this poor, sweet horse. From what we can determine, they must have been playing/chasing and Bruno got Ramble by the tail and the others just jumped in with pack instinct. They could SO easily have killed him, all I can think is they weren't able to get him down or they heard us up by the house and let him go.
As far as the dogs, they're going. Bruno, who I love as much as any of my horses, will be put to sleep tomorrow morning. I will not rehome him as a pet and take a chance on this happening again. Roy may go to my sister's. She has a VERY secure fence and recently lost one of her two dogs to advanced old age. Her heeler is loney and Roy would have a great home, away from any stock at all. I am going to try to find a rescue group that will rehome Rocso. I truly believe he carries the least guilt of all of them. Nikki, my sweet Nikki, will go to Mom's place, where the horses are seperated by a secure fence from the yard, until we can decide what to do. Nikki will STILL not approach me, even when called...she knows what she did is unforgiveable and I KNOW she feels guilt.
Steve is devastated, as am I. He met me at the vet today and held Ramble for much of his treatment. Mia, luckily was at school and won't see Ramble until we go visit him at the vet's tomorrow. I told her that dogs do things in groups they would never do alone and that they hurt Ramble, so they have to find new homes. She's fine with that and said they need to go somewhere with no horses. She just wants her boy to be OK.
I was OK today until I got everything handled, Ramble loaded, the dogs kenneled (where they will STAY until they leave here) and was on the way to the vet. Then I fell COMPLETELY apart the whole hour's drive to the Vet's. I love these dogs, but they formed a pack and did harm and they can't stay, period. This sweet, sweet horse is in agony, because of PETS.
I know of a pack of pet dashounds that brought a mini down at a breeder's many years ago. We tend to think our PETS won't do this...how wrong I was. A friend brought me a mini donkey tonight to go out with the horses. I'm not swearing off LGD's, I LOVE them, but if we have another one it will NOT be allowed to run with our other dogs freely and if or when we get a new dog for a pet, it WILL NOT be allowed around the horses, period.
Our hearts are just sick.....
It's been incredibly crazy here lately. Mia's Dad is taking me back to court again and many other things are going on with close friends that have kept us busy. When I got ready to leave the house yesterday to meet with my lawyer, all four dogs met me at my car, two of them liberally covered in blood and the other two with bloody spots. They have been armadillo and raccoon hunting quite a bit and I thought they must have caught a big raccoon. I didn't even think seriously they could have hurt a horse.
I didn't check the horses individually (I only have 6 here right now), but when I drove past the herd down the drive, I stopped and everyone was curled up sleeping or stretched out resting as a group. They looked very peaceful and relaxed, so I *knew* the dogs hadn't been hunting near them...or so I thought. I didn't get home until very late last night (on alternate Wednesdays I have to take Mia all the way back to Huntsville for a 2 hour visitation with her Dad...a 3 hour round trip drive for us, so we're gone at least 5-6 hours..)
For some reason we just didn't understand, Nikki, one of our dogs, was VERY clingy when I got home last night and today too. This morning all 4 dogs were under Steve's truck and only Roy, his dog (normally VERY affectionate in the mornings) came out, but wouldn't approach Steve at all. Steve said he thought it was weird, but since Roy looked OK, he just went on to work. None of the dogs were around when Mia and I left for KINDERGARTEN registration about 9 AM. After we did that, I dropped Mia off at pre-school and came home.
Today about noon I was out and noticed Ramble, Mia's 30" two year old sorrel gelding wasn't with the herd. I called and then got on the four wheeler to look for him. About 15 minutes later I found bloody tail hair with tissue attached by one of the ponds. I thought then I was looking for his dead body.
I found him a few minutes later in a grove of trees, standing, but not moving. His tail was partially gone, he had a large area of bites well into the tissue completely gone on one side, severe bites on the other. When I lifted his tail, I saw that his anus had been chewed away and you could smell the infection.
He reacted very strongly to Roy's presence and Bruno's, our LGD. He did not react at all to Rosco, the youngest dog (the only one showing NO hesitation or remorse, just concern). Both Nikki and Roy had flattened themselves to the ground and STAYED down when I found Ramble. As soon as I started him moving Nikki ran for the house and hid under the motorhome.
I got him up to the house (a long walk). He defectated very painfully on the way, pushing two large globs of puss ahead of the feces. Being the honest, SWEET boy he is, he loaded into the trailer and waited while I got him water, which he drank thirstily and some alfalfa for the trip. He was VERY hungry and had obviously hardly moved since the attack.
Doctor Nancy was waiting for us at her clinic. She cleaned the areas and debrided them as well as she could. There is nothing to be sutured. The anal sphincter is gone and there are bites 2" deep into the anus. The wound on his left rump is several inches around and is obviously where everything was just bit and ripped away. His tail is partially gone, the cartlidge at the bottom is gone and there are tooth wounds that ripped downward 2"-3" around the tail, down to the bone. The bone at the bottom of the tail is exposed. The right rump has a patch eaten away and several inches around where the skin was pulled away from the tissue, with deep puncture wounds.
Dr. Nancy (Bohnhoff), our equine specialist, thinks he has a chance of recovering, as long as there is no nerve damage to the spinal cord. Now, the rest of the story. Last year, one of my retired show mares had a bad habit of sneaking up on Bruno, the LGD and stomping the crap out of his while he slept. Her whole line hates dogs, but loves everything else. I found her one morning with her tail completely engloved, just the very top hair remained, all hair and skin had been peeled off, leaving a raw meat covering the bone. I found Bruno with the tail.
I decided to put him down, but changed my mind later, knowing how she had picked on him at every opportunity. The mare recovered well, but started showing neurologic signs a few weeks later (which I posted about here). It became clear she had progressive spinal nerve damage from the trauma to her tail and we had to have her put down within 2 weeks, as the damage was progressing up her spine and could not be stopped.
Roy, Steve's dog WILL chase the horses if he thinks he can. Rosco will if Roy does. Bruno will chase, but not with intent...or so I thought. These LOVING, WONDERFUL, GENTLE family dogs almost killed this poor, sweet horse. From what we can determine, they must have been playing/chasing and Bruno got Ramble by the tail and the others just jumped in with pack instinct. They could SO easily have killed him, all I can think is they weren't able to get him down or they heard us up by the house and let him go.
As far as the dogs, they're going. Bruno, who I love as much as any of my horses, will be put to sleep tomorrow morning. I will not rehome him as a pet and take a chance on this happening again. Roy may go to my sister's. She has a VERY secure fence and recently lost one of her two dogs to advanced old age. Her heeler is loney and Roy would have a great home, away from any stock at all. I am going to try to find a rescue group that will rehome Rocso. I truly believe he carries the least guilt of all of them. Nikki, my sweet Nikki, will go to Mom's place, where the horses are seperated by a secure fence from the yard, until we can decide what to do. Nikki will STILL not approach me, even when called...she knows what she did is unforgiveable and I KNOW she feels guilt.
Steve is devastated, as am I. He met me at the vet today and held Ramble for much of his treatment. Mia, luckily was at school and won't see Ramble until we go visit him at the vet's tomorrow. I told her that dogs do things in groups they would never do alone and that they hurt Ramble, so they have to find new homes. She's fine with that and said they need to go somewhere with no horses. She just wants her boy to be OK.
I was OK today until I got everything handled, Ramble loaded, the dogs kenneled (where they will STAY until they leave here) and was on the way to the vet. Then I fell COMPLETELY apart the whole hour's drive to the Vet's. I love these dogs, but they formed a pack and did harm and they can't stay, period. This sweet, sweet horse is in agony, because of PETS.
I know of a pack of pet dashounds that brought a mini down at a breeder's many years ago. We tend to think our PETS won't do this...how wrong I was. A friend brought me a mini donkey tonight to go out with the horses. I'm not swearing off LGD's, I LOVE them, but if we have another one it will NOT be allowed to run with our other dogs freely and if or when we get a new dog for a pet, it WILL NOT be allowed around the horses, period.
Our hearts are just sick.....
I read this entire post with my jaw dropping to the ground. I didn't even need the photos. You always worry about others' dogs but would hope your own pets would not do something like this. What a terrible position to be in to have to decide between one or the other of your beloved pets. How tragic for you and Steve and especially Mia. I hope she continues to handle this so well and that you have the strength to get through this. Try not to get too stressed out for the baby's sake. I will be saying prayers for your entire family.
