A trip to the (doggie) ER

I am surprised that, in almost 10 years of (including fur) parenting, none of our children has required a trip to the ER... until yesterday (Iver required urgent surgery as a neonate for pyloric stenosis, but was direct admitted as an outpatient after a confirmatory ultrasound). 

While walking Pepper in our neighborhood yesterday afternoon, we walked by a man and his border collie, which was unleashed and crouched down on the sidewalk like it was practicing herding something. Giving them a wide berth (and assuming he could control his dog or that he/she was friendly), I gave them a wide berth, walked around them on the road, and was nearly past them when the dog darted towards Pepper and put its jaws on her back, which was met with a yelp. 

It happened so shockingly fast. I muttered something angrily about "Can you put your dog on a leash?!", quickly checked for injuries, and kept walking Pepper away down the block, eventually making it home.  I was thankful she seemed okay, that it was just a scare, and we went about getting dinner on the table, etc. I wanted to forget the whole thing as quickly as possible.

Then, about an hour later around 6 p.m., I noticed a large a ~2-inch gash on her right flank which had opened up and obviously needed closure. Kelvin hadn't noticed it earlier, either when greeting or holding her.  We debated on what to do (including trying to wash it and suture herself ourselves at home, as we have some materials which we anticipate having to use on the boys at some point but haven't to date]; however, Kelvin called the after-hours vet number and spoke to an emergency vet who told him to bring her straight in to a the local animal hospital for repair.

I walked back to the house in front of where the injury occurred, as the unprovoked attack was witnessed by a woman in her front yard, but no one was home, the attacking dog and his/her owner dog were nowhere to be found, and I didn't have any information about either. I left a note asking to be called with any information the homeowner may have about their identities (and rabies vaccination status), although the vet didn't seem particularly concerned about this and Pepper is up to date on her shots. I was kicking myself for not getting this information in the first place, but obviously wasn't thinking straight.

Pepper had a brief to to the canine ER where she got cleaned, shaved, and stapled and returned in a cone a couple of hours (and $300) later with some antibiotics and pain pills.  It's been a rough few years for this little one (and our wallets)! 

 

Today, the homeowner called me back and gave me what little information she knew about the dog's owner (who apparently lives somewhere on the street behind her). When I cool down (I was extremely emotional about the injury and still am whenever I see little Pepper and her laceration), I may go door-knocking to reinforce the importance of keeping his aggressive dog leashed to prevent other bad outcomes, for the sake of all dogs (and kids!) in the neighborhood.  I don't have much hope that he'd offer to pay our emergency vet bill but one can only hope that a change in behavior will happen.