Dog got attacked

zaksmum

My female dog was attacked last night by a male Japanese Akita out on the streets on his own.

She was bitten on her back leg and was screaming, but fortunately my male dog went for the Akita and chased him off.

She was shaking like a leaf and I got her home with the help of a neighbour, who saw what happened.

He said the Akita belongs to a man in the next street who allows him to roam the gated alley behind our house to save bothering to walk him. The gate is always being left open, so he must have got out.

Fortunately the bite wasn't deep but Lucy is reluctant to go out today.

I feel like going to speak to the man but he's a nasty piece of work and has been known to threaten neighbours.

I'm really fuming!

geri1965_2

Can't you report it to the dog warden? If they have had other reports, they may be able to do something.

VitaK

Sounds like the dog is 'dangerously out of control'

You should be able to get the basic from the link below incl. what you can do.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/InYourHome/AnimalsAndPets/Dogs/DG_180008

krlyr

Unfortunately a dog-on-dog attack is a civil matter and a hard one to persue, though a decent Dog Warden may go and have a word. At the very least, you could report the dog as straying/being out of control in a public space if it's constantly allowed to wander.

Dog bites can easily get infected due to all the bacteria in a dog's mouth, could be worth a vet trip for Lucy before it gets nasty, even if it wasn't that deep.

zaksmum

geri1965 wrote: »

Can't you report it to the dog warden? If they have had other reports, they may be able to do something.

I rang the dog warden when I got in, they said it was out of hours and anyway if the dog's dangerous, I should call the police on their non emergency number.

I did this, and the police said they would send someone out to the area where the dog was last seen but otherwise couldn't do anything.

Lucy's bite seems ok this morning, though she is trying to lick it a lot.

I'll clean it again and see how she is in the morning. If it looks inflamed I'll take her to the vet.

krlyr

Try to stop her from licking it, contrary to the old wive's tale about dog saliva being antiseptic, it will transfer bacteria from her mouth (eating food, dirt, poo, etc, all the gross stuff dogs pick up in their mouth) into the wound. It can also cause something called a lick granuloma that is a nightmare to treat, Casper got a mild one from the stress of moving house and it took about a month to heal with me bandaging it every day to stop him licking it further - they become a bit obsessed with licking it and lick it raw. I bought Tesco value bandages and secured it with micropore tape, but it was a dry wound - if it's weeping or wet then I would suggest using one of those non-stick dressing pads underneath the bandage and keep a close eye on it for any signs of infection. I tend to keep a bottle of Hibiscrub in the dog's first aid kit so any scrapes or nicks can be cleaned out with that, and that tends to keep the nasties at bay. You can buy it from a regular pharmacy, OTC at the vet or online - about £7-9 for a big bottle but you dilute it a lot so it lasts forever.

rising_from_the_ashes

Try the dog warden again on Monday and you may have more luck.

I guess it varies from area to area but the ones in our council are fantastic and do follow up any such incidents - my pal's dog was attacked a couple of weeks ago and the dog wardens tracked down the other owner and the dog now has a "dog asbo", has to be on a lead/muzzled when out in public and has to attend mandatory training classes.

Hope Lucy's wound heals soon (she may need an antibiotic jab at the vet as they do get infected really easily) and her confidence returns soon.

Finally (((hugs))) to you as it really is a horrible thing to go through.

dizziblonde

Dog wardens are really variable - ours thankfully are fantastic in terms of actually getting out and about in the dog-walking hotspots and pulling up things like the collarless wonders we tend to get a few of and the phantom pooers... but I know other areas have naff all other than the minimum stay stray pound.

Seconding the licking thing - mine currently has decided to have a good go at an old old scar and made that scab over so has a finest Tesco 28p bandage over it to keep the tongue of doom away (well it's better than the overnight solution of a cut down j-cloth)!

zaksmum

Thanks all. I'm trying to stop her licking it! She seems really miserable in herself though. I examined her minutely and can't find any other injuries or bites on her apart from this one. She's eating normally though.

I might take her to the vet to e checked over in the morning if she's still like this...just in case I missed something.

The way she was screaming, I would certainly have expected more.

con1888

Poor dog, I hate when people let their dogs roam the street, used to happen a lot when I was a kid but don't see it as much now.

I would definately try speaking to it's owner and tell him you are going to be reporting it.

dibuzz

I hope Lucy recovers quickly.
Our dog was attcked by another staffie not long after we got her. It was with someone ut not on a lead (we were walking down a street) and as soon as t saw us it came running. I was trying to get it off my dog and the owner, a youth, just kept saying sorry but didn't do anything to help. and we were both bitten.
I emailed Merseyside Police saying I knew there wasn't much they could do but thought I should report it anyway and they turned up a couple of days later to ask questions then returned to say they had been past and would keep an eye out in case it was out again but I never heard anything else.