Aa
A pup with a head injury.
I have a 7 month old pup named Sheldon, he is a mutt but from small breeds so he looks 90% chiwawa. On Saturday night at around 21:00 a bigger dog snapped at him and caught his head in her mouth. He immediately was knocked out, after a few minutes of panic and screaming I picked him up, he never stopped breathing but it was shallow and slow between breaths. The knot on his head was horrible, he looked like a science fiction monster. He did not bleed but I could see the mark on his head. I put ice on it and it immediately started helping with the swelling. The main injury is on the right side of his head. His eyes show no sign of bleeding and he has NOT blead from the nose ears or mouth. He did do a little drooling but that has stopped. Afterwards he was leaning to his left side and his head was cocked that way too. When I put him down he stumbled very badly and walked in circles. I took him to a vet but they wanted to run CAT scans/ MRI's do blood work etc etc and wanted a $1000.00 down payment before they would do ANYTHING. I can't afford that so I brought him home. When I got him home I was comforting him and he seems to know his name. (When I call it he lazially opens his eyes) He continues to sleep alot and when held he does not lean nor does his head tilt like it did right after the bite. He seems to be OK except he is still walking in circles. 98% of the swelling has gone but he still has a nasty knot on the spot that got bit. He is very young (7 months) so I am praying he will get better on his own. I have a feeling I am going to be nursing him for awhile, His pupils dialate when I shine a light in his eyes there was never any blood or redness in the whites of the eyes so I am hoping he has a slight but it is more likely to be a moderate concussion. The bite was a snap from a much much more powerful dog but it was not an attack. She snapped when he tried to take a toy from her. A vet at those prices is out of the question. I have bought some Nutri-cal and some other very high calorie wet dog food for him and he is eating but not drinking much. I put some chicken broth in some water and he refused it, I put some water in some regular wet dog food and he drank from those juices for a little bit. He looks fine except for the knot on his head and the walking in circles. He is peeing & pooping when I take him outside, his urine is more yellow then it was before. Does anyone have any advice or know if the walking in circles will be permanent? I hope he will recover over time like humans do with some brain injuries.
yeah i agree, like u said it just makes them even more loveable!
1 Comments
I have the same similar situation with a puppy that now spins. My question is how can I potty train this puppy? And advice?
You are very welcome. I am glad to hear it. Like I said it mat take awhile before all the spinning stops but as long as she and Sheldon are OK a spin every now and then is not a problem.
She is improving more and more each day. i just wanted to thank you for all your support and help along this hard road!
She wasnt out long maybe 2 mins but she wasnt very active at all she just opened her eyes and was whining. i shinned a flash light in her eyes and they do dilate. And she looks at me when i call her so it seems like she cant see. i do thing she has a bit of swelling i think that might be causing the circles, but she also is doin like ur dog when she is eating its like she cant find the bowl when its right infront of her. i was amazed to see her walking already because its been a week from today since it happened. but its like her back legs give out on her but i thought that might be caused from the weakness from not eating but im not sure. It is definitely a blessing from God that she is with us.
Also. When an animal including humans get knocked out it is considered a concussion so I think Sheldons would have been a moderate one. He was out for about 3 to 5 minutes before he started moving. It was a miserable 3 to 5 minutes for me too.
Thats what I thought about Sheldon at first but I think it was more to do with the swelling he had & even though the outside went down I am sure there was still enough to cause him to spin. He turned to the right like your dog is doing. He still has a little permanent knot and something like that to little dogs may effect them. Like I said I do know if it effected his sense of smell. Try using a flash light and shine it in each of his eyes to see if his pupils dilate. If he eats drinks pees and poops he should live. Sheldon never blead so it sounds like your dog was hurt more then him. If it were a serious brain injury she likely would have died by now. It was a full 2 weeks before Sheldon even began to start to walk straight. It may take quite awhile longer for your dog.
do u think she could possibly be blind on one side? Could that be causing the circles?
Make sure you get her a cage with plenty of padding. She does not need to be walking around until she gets better because she could only injure herself more.
That sounds like what my Sheldon was doing but he did not bleed at all. He is fine now but I think it effected his sense of smell because you can give him food and he has to continually sniff around until he gets close to it. He still has the occasional spin move and he sometime bumps into stuff but he is as feisty and quick as ever. Get some Nutrical off of Amazon or the local pet store for a nutritional supplement. Amazon has a tube for under 10 dollars. If she is eating and taking water she should be fine but it is going to take some time and she might not fully recover. So I hope a spinning dog that bumps into stuff is OK with you. To me it makes Sheldon even more loveable. Sheldon got bit in mid July and like I said he still spins a little. The main thing now is to keep her warm, make her feel loved and safe and keep her eating and drinking. Make sure he is taking enough water. Good luck and keep us posted on how she does.
i have a 11 week old puppy she is mini chiwawa mixed with shtzu. Last Thursday i was giving my pit water in his 3 gallon bucket a bee stung me and i dropped the bucket on her head. Right after was terrible she was bleedin from her nose and mouth. her tongue was out we thought she was dead. she opened her eyes after a few mins but wouldnt move. she didnt eat for 3 days. she is eating now and using the bathroom but she is just walking in circle. she seems like she can see but she stumbs around a bit and just walks in circles. i am already livin paycheck to paycheck there is no way i can take her to the vet. im worried she may have something wrong with her spin or neck. she only goesto the right side. i not sure what to do. does anyone know how to help my poor lil baby?
I worked for a vet for 8 years. This sounds to me like the classic neurological disorder that can occur after a head injury. I have seen many cases of this. Some come out of it after an unknown period of time, some improve somewhat, and others will not improve at all. There is simply no telling. Continue to care for him as you have been, and be ready to love a dog who walks in circles if that becomes the case. All my best - Blu
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Dogs Community
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
