# dog--emergency care



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

My dog just made it home after being gone all day yesterday and all night. She was all scratched up, is a little dehydrated, possible had a tooth knocked out because one is missing. She looks like she was hit by a car. I gave her some dog aspirin and took her temp because she is shivering and it was 104.7. She won't eat or drink. What livestock meds can I give her that might help??


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Do you have IV fluids on hand?


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

No. I am drizzling warm water into her mouth a few times an hour.


----------



## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Can you take her to a vet? If she was hit by a car she may have internal bleeding ... this sounds serious to me.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

My husband said not today. :GAAH:She was strong enough to get herself home from where ever she was, so I am optimistic about her condition. However, she is slightly dehydrated and temp is up. And she hurts. Not sure why the temp is up. Could it be because of dehydration? She also had some ticks on her, so maybe because of them. She is getting irritated with the water drizzled in her mouth, but not enough to get up yet.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

I think I found the reason for the fever. Her front foot is swollen and hot so I looked at it more closely and pus came out between two toes. I soaked her foot in warm epsom salt/iodine water. Can she have antibiotics??


----------



## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

She needs to be seen by a vet.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Get her to a vet as soon as possible. 

You will loose the dog if she is not treated properly. The dog will need antibiotics and I bet has a broken bone(s).
Your husband, needs to wake up, this is serious. I am sorry for being so harsh, but she may of been injured and not able to move, shortly after she disappeared and practically crawled home to seek help, it may of took the dog that long. 
That is the love that dog has for it's family. I pray someone has the same compassion for the dog. Sorry for the rant.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

He won't... The rant is okay. I used to work at a vet clinic 20 years ago. And that is how I feel too. The foot looks like it has a puncture wound. I don't think that she was hit by a car. I think it is more likely wounds from a fight. She looks a lot better already. Tomorrow I will get antibiotics from my vet.


----------



## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

jschies said:


> He won't... The rant is okay. I used to work at a vet clinic 20 years ago. And that is how I feel too. The foot looks like it has a puncture wound. I don't think that she was hit by a car. I think it is more likely wounds from a fight. She looks a lot better already. Tomorrow I will get antibiotics from my vet.


Then you need to take the dog to the vet without him.


----------



## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

They can at least do a humane euthanasia


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

She's not going to die. I carried her into the house a little while ago and she walked part way to her kennel and laid down. She had started getting up outside and rearranging herself into more comfortable positions. But I think she could use some antibiotics.


----------



## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Aspirin isn't always a good thing as it could increase bleeding if internal injuries are present. Sorry if I missed it, but have you tried soaking the injured foot in warm water with salt or betadine?


----------



## MylieD (Sep 16, 2013)

Electrolytes might be good, if you have some around. TSC sells a little container of them that is good for all kinds of animals, including dogs. Otherwise, maybe some pedyialyte or however you spell it. You can spoil her with some boiled chicken or scrambled eggs too. That might help her feel a little better.

I have fixed minor infections myself by cleaning out the wound, soaking it like you did, and loading it up with antibiotic ointment. If she has a fever though, the infection might be worse than what it looks like. Plus, there's a chance she has internal injuries or broken bones you don't know about. You can usually talk to the vet on the phone and see what they say. I'm not sure what antibiotic shots would be good for her, since different antibiotics treat different kinds of infections.


----------



## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

catharina said:


> Aspirin isn't always a good thing as it could increase bleeding if internal injuries are present. Sorry if I missed it, but have you tried soaking the injured foot in warm water with salt or betadine?


This. And many human meds are toxic.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Her temp is down to almost normal. She is up and limping around, and drank and ate on her own!! We soaked the foot in warm epsom salt/iodine water twice and squeezed pus out. I also gave her some vitamin C. I really think that she was in a fight and not hit by a car. I think that part of the problem was exposure. It was around 40 overnight and she is an inside dog. I will get her to the vet tomorrow because I do think that she needs antibiotics. 

Can she have banamine if the temp goes back up?


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

No, dogs can have bad reactions to Banamine.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Thanks. I will continue the dog aspirin then. She ate steak and baked potatoes last night. I'm going to cook some eggs for her this morning. She looks so much better!! But....we are still going to the vet.


----------



## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

Make sure to tell them she's been on aspirin as it will effect what pain meds they can safely give her.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Has the dog had it's rabies shots?

I understand where you are coming from, though I am concerned on how fast the bacteria is spreading, if the dog was gone for that amount of time and if it was a dog fight or a coyote attack. It could be spreading through the dogs system. As you know, dog bites have really bad dirty bacteria. I am am very concerned for this dog. Again, I really recommend a vet. 

The pus needs to be cleaned out, any dead tissue needs to be removed.

Antibiotics should be given, if you do this on your own, do know penG can cause allergic reaction which can be fatal. 

A pain med should be given as well, safe for dogs. 

A vet needs to see the dog to determine how bad the injury is and how far the infection has spread, testing the blood is a good idea so proper treatment is given. When infection is present, it goes beyond any advice without knowing what is happening with the dog. An xray also should be done.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

I was absolutely delighted when I looked at Midnight this morning. No fever, no pus came out of the abcess. Everything looked good. I got enough water into her so that she urinated this morning! She was walking almost normally. We have a vet appointment at 4:30. I don't know how that wound abcessed so quickly and that scares me even though it looked great this morning. The vet agreed.

And yes she has had her rabies shot and all the other vaccines. Midnight is usually in the house or yard. But, we are in the country and neighbors end up with strays that roam, so I have the vet give all the standard vaccines.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad she is doing better.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good to hear, glad the vet is going to look at her.


----------



## MylieD (Sep 16, 2013)

Glad to hear she's doing so well!


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Midnight is even better this afternoon. The vet said it looked like she was in a dog fight to him. He gave us some antibiotics (Cephalexin) and anti-inflammatory pills (Rimadyl), and said that the abcess looked okay to heal without further treatment. Thanks for all of the advice!! :fireworks:


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad she will be fine.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

No problem, animals are very special to us and when they need help, we are there.
Good to hear all will be OK.


----------



## scubacoz22 (Nov 27, 2013)

I just don't understand your husband not wanting to take your dog to the vet. They are a part of our family and we are responsible for them and their care. I would take him to the vet anyway.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

He didn't object to the regular vet. But she came home on a Sunday and it would have been very expensive to go to the emergency clinic. None of the vets in our area take emergencies anymore. Everyone that we know that has gone there has walked out with at least a thousand dollar charge!
My visit yesterday was $65 including meds.


----------

