Puppy choked and now has bloodshot eyes

[tommytutone]

I know I'm not the first person to ask this but I did not see any helpful answers.  Basically, I foolishly let the two puppies play outside unattended (in our fenced backyard), but neglected to take the choke collar off of one.  As a result, the collar got stuck in one dog's teeth which was choking the other one.  We got them free with bolt cutters and the one's teeth is fine.  The other has been acting fine and happy as she always has, but we noticed last night that both of her eyes were very bloodshot.  They were still that way this morning, but again, her behavior has been normal and she seems to see fine, not tripping or moving particularly slowly.

We intend to take her to the vet after work today, but does anyone have any other information on the seriousness of this?

Thank you, and I'm glad to have found this site!

[GibbieGirl]

Thanks Ghilly! We were scared to death as our puppy and three year old dog were playing and puppy’s teeth got stuck in collar. Both dogs were so frightened and puppy was trying to get away. The more he tugged the tighter the collar. It was only seconds but today our dogs eyes are bloodshot and bulging. Of course it is Sunday. She too appears fine but your response was reassuring to all of us especially my 14 yr old son who was devastated by the event. Thanks for responding!

[Philbutler]

I just got to this post because I have a situation with my Cretan Hound now. There seemed to be no real explanation, now I think I know. Thank you. For some time Mojito has been going to a trainer who uses a modified choke collar. It has a lock, but basically it can put a lot of pressure if the dog pulls or gets in a situation. This happened the other night when Mojito got attacked from behind by a big German Shepherd. Normally, because of their agility, a Cretan Hound would evade such an attack, but in this case he had no chance. Anyhow, the two dogs got tangled and it was a minute before we could get the leads sorted out and separate them. Then, later that evening I noticed one of his eyes was really bloodshot. Then, the next day, the other one. I take him out every day, sometimes twice, so since he showed no other signs, we continued walking with this collar. I took him to the vet, and she was not too concerned because he has no other symptoms. We got drops for infection etc, but now it seems that the pressure on his arteries from pulling are keeping both eyes very bloodshot. Had I not read here, I would not have put two and two together. The vet even said a few minutes ago, the collar would put too much pressure. Evidently, she was puzzled by the strange circumstances of two eyes being bloodshot from one fight with no bit holes. Sorry, downloading on you guys, just thanks for the info here. I will get a halter for Mojito and work with him this way.

[lindapalm]

I thought she did answer the question, and very well.  She was trying to help others by warning them, and there are a lot of others on this site that need it.  I, too,  will be glad to read some of your answers to questions posted here.

[Margot49]

That post is from 2009, for one thing!!
Ghilly's answer was appropriate and I would have responded likewise.

These forums can be of tremendous help to those that read them, in this instance, just one example why choke collars should not be left on unattended dogs!  

And she did answer the question.

We will be glad to read anything constructive you have to say.

[gordofats]

your post doesn't help at all. BTW thanks for adding your own lecture in there instead of answering the question. If only everyone was like you... (you didn't help or attempt to answer the question as to how serious it is.) As for the collar the milk is spilled already and I highly doubt people will be reading your post prior to something like this happening so your comment is like putting a band-aid on a severed limb. Just answer the question!

[Ghilly]

The bloodshot eyes ARE a direct result of the choking, and they will resolve, but it's still a good idea to have the puppy checked out if the choking was serious enough to cause bloodshot eyes.

I remember a dog being brought into the clinic that had been at the groomer's.  The groomer foolishly left the dog tethered on the grooming table while they went to answer the phone, and the dog jumped off the table and was found hanging when the groomer returned.  The dog survived, but for a while after the "hanging" the eyes were not only bloodshot, they were bulging out of its head from the pressure caused by the noose!  It was one of the scariest things I've ever seen!  Even that resolved itself as everythingn returned to normal.  But, as I said, if it were me, I would still have the puppy checked just to make sure no lasting problems happened.

I know that you have learned from this, but I have to write this for the benefit of others who may be reading.  NEVER allow your dog or dogs to be unattended with a choker collar on.  Too many things can go wrong, and they can go wrong in the blink of an eye, and the animals are not always as lucky as your puppy.  I am SO glad that she's OK!

Ghilly