Deeni Was Hit By A Car Last Night

[Guest BooBooMama]

UPDATE: EMOTIONAL SETBACK

Deeni was doing OK this weekend. She was sleepy from the pain pills but I could get her to go outside in the yard with me (on a leash) to do her business. Then yesterday I had to take her to my vet for a blood check. She screamed the GSOD whenever they came near her, so I held her and stroked her and talked to her so that they could take blood. Ever since we got back from the vet- she screams whenever I touch her. She will not let me take her outside. If I do- she cowers in the grass. I try to coax her with treats and soft talk but all she wants to do is run for the house. I keep her on a leash but now the sight of the leash makes her scream.

It is ripping my heart apart to see her act this way with me. The first day she came off the track she was affectionate with me- no fear. Now she is a basket case. I need to get her to go out to relieve herself and to keep moving to prevent pneumonia but I do not want to have to force her and traumatize her even more.

What do I do?

 

Oh...I am so sorry!! Are you sure that there isn't something medical going on....I hate to even ask that, but given that she is shrieking when you try to touch her, I would be concerned about internal issues - though I know you said this didn't start until she went back to the vet. Does she let you touch her when you are in the house? Again, I hate to even bring it up. Many prayers.

 

She is doing the exact same thing to me that she did for the vets. They determined that it is not related to pain. If I leave her alone she will roach and roll around on the couch so it is not pain related. If I sit with her for a while petting her she will stop. She does it when I first approach her and when I try to put her collar and/or leash on her. It is not related to my touch- just the motion of coming towards her. Once I get her calmed down I can rub her belly, etc. so it can't be pain.

Edited October 12, 2010 by BooBooMama

[2ndChance]

Just saw this post now...and SOOOOO happy Deeni is okay! What amazing news and so glad she's home with her mama!

[maryz]

Tell me if this sounds silly, but could she be having flashbacks of the car coming towards her? This is the first thing I thought of when you said it was the motion of

you going towards her.

 

Sending prayers for your sweet baby.

[Guest BooBooMama]

Tell me if this sounds silly, but could she be having flashbacks of the car coming towards her? This is the first thing I thought of when you said it was the motion of

you going towards her.

 

Sending prayers for your sweet baby.

I think she connects the vets with pain since she was in so much pain when we brought her to the E Vet. My fear now is that I brought her to the vet yesterday so she no longer trusts me. My request is How do I regain her trust???

[maryz]

I feel so badly for both of you. I think the only way to regain trust again is with patience and love. If she trusted you once, she will

again. She needs time to recover from the physical and emotional trauma. Does she have a special treat that she loves?

A little bribery wouldn't hurt either.

[Guest BooBooMama]

I feel so badly for both of you. I think the only way to regain trust again is with patience and love. If she trusted you once, she will

again. She needs time to recover from the physical and emotional trauma. Does she have a special treat that she loves?

A little bribery wouldn't hurt either.

I have tried every treat I can think of- when she is in that state she is NOT interested. She only calms down when I stop trying to get her to go out and back off. But, I risk her getting pneumonia and a bladder infection if she won't go out. How can I take charge without making her fear worse?

[Guest Swifthounds]

Glad to hear Deeni is doing better - at least physically.

 

Does she have any food restrictions? I've dealt with more than a few fear/anxiety/aversion issues with my own dogs and others (nothing like a car accident, but I did adopt an IG who was emaciated, missing fur, and totally terrified of any contact with humans - now he's still apprehensive in some situations, but he's a snuggle bug).

 

The first thing I would do is try to stop worrying. You will get through this and so will Deeni. Worrying will only make her worry and be more unsettled. She needs a confident leader to show her that she is safe, loved, and that she can tackle even things that scare her (like the outside). If you aren't confident, fake it. She's understandably traumatized and she's reading you and looking to you for confidence. If you're afraid, she'll pick that up.

 

Get the tastiest treat you can find - something she's crazy about. Try verbally asking her to get up off her bed and come to you, rather than reaching for you - if you can, and if she can. Reward any efforts on her part. When you clip on the leash, reward and treat. Repeat over and over.

[Guest Energy11]

First of all, I am sooo glad Deeni is doing well physically! THAT is a miracle in itself :-))

 

When we first got my Curfew, he had been running loose in the Ocala (FL) Nat'l Forrest for over three months, eating out of trash cans and getting handouts from a restaurant on the edge of the forrest :-( When we first adopted this boy, he WOULD NOT leave the back bedroom, and held his bladder for hours!! During the stupid hurricanes back in 2004, he REFUSED to go out for 18 hours!!!!!!

 

TIME AND PATIENCE is what it took. I sang to him and whispered in his ears. BUT, THE ONE THING that made him leave his "shell" and become whole was when we adopted Goldie! SHE, brought him around! :-)) Maybe you could foster??? Just a thought! If Deeni had a CANINE companion she could follow outside, etc., maybe it would help??? I think so.

 

Because of what she has gone through, ... it will take TIME, LOVE and PATIENCE. I would also ask the vet what he/she thinks of a mild sedative??? Just another thought.

 

Sending you lots of hugs! I wish we were there to help! Dee and The Five ...

Edited October 12, 2010 by Energy11

[Guest meakah]

Glad to hear she is doing better. My neighbor's Viszla got hit by a car last summer and suffered a collapsed lung amongst other injuries but he was fortunate enough to fully recover. The one thing that lasted the longest for him though was the mental damage. He used to be super outgoing and friendly and would jump into my yard almost daily to say hi to me and play with my dogs. He was around 1 yr when the accident happened last summer. Now...even 1 yr later...I cannot pet him and he will not play with my dogs anymore in the yard. He has lost trust in virtually all strangers and has never fully recovered from the trauma of it all. What they did was they kept walking him and would encourage friends to offer him treats and such but not reach out to pet him or anything. They also walked him to the clinic every few days for months just for a visits....just for treats and a pet hoping he would start to trust people again. It did help but he is still a different dog and probably always will be unfortunately. I hope your girl comes around but if it is anything like my neighbors dog....it is going to take A LOT of time and patience. Just try to expose her to many things slowly over time and try to keep them as positive as possible and she will hopefully start to trust people again.

[Trihounds]

My first thought was psychotropic effects of all the meds and the whole situation, really. I'd also suggest time and patience and for you, tenacity. Be strong and positive and hopefully she'll quickly accept your leadership...something she is probably looking for right now.

[Guest BooBooMama]

Glad to hear she is doing better. My neighbor's Viszla got hit by a car last summer and suffered a collapsed lung amongst other injuries but he was fortunate enough to fully recover. The one thing that lasted the longest for him though was the mental damage. He used to be super outgoing and friendly and would jump into my yard almost daily to say hi to me and play with my dogs. He was around 1 yr when the accident happened last summer. Now...even 1 yr later...I cannot pet him and he will not play with my dogs anymore in the yard. He has lost trust in virtually all strangers and has never fully recovered from the trauma of it all. What they did was they kept walking him and would encourage friends to offer him treats and such but not reach out to pet him or anything. They also walked him to the clinic every few days for months just for a visits....just for treats and a pet hoping he would start to trust people again. It did help but he is still a different dog and probably always will be unfortunately. I hope your girl comes around but if it is anything like my neighbors dog....it is going to take A LOT of time and patience. Just try to expose her to many things slowly over time and try to keep them as positive as possible and she will hopefully start to trust people again.

 

This is terrible. Basically you are telling me she will never be the same. I was hoping for more postitive advice on how to help her.

[Guest meakah]

Glad to hear she is doing better. My neighbor's Viszla got hit by a car last summer and suffered a collapsed lung amongst other injuries but he was fortunate enough to fully recover. The one thing that lasted the longest for him though was the mental damage. He used to be super outgoing and friendly and would jump into my yard almost daily to say hi to me and play with my dogs. He was around 1 yr when the accident happened last summer. Now...even 1 yr later...I cannot pet him and he will not play with my dogs anymore in the yard. He has lost trust in virtually all strangers and has never fully recovered from the trauma of it all. What they did was they kept walking him and would encourage friends to offer him treats and such but not reach out to pet him or anything. They also walked him to the clinic every few days for months just for a visits....just for treats and a pet hoping he would start to trust people again. It did help but he is still a different dog and probably always will be unfortunately. I hope your girl comes around but if it is anything like my neighbors dog....it is going to take A LOT of time and patience. Just try to expose her to many things slowly over time and try to keep them as positive as possible and she will hopefully start to trust people again.

 

This is terrible. Basically you are telling me she will never be the same. I was hoping for more postitive advice on how to help her.

Sorry, I was not trying to be negative...was just sharing a similar experience. All animals (including humans) react differently to different situations. The initial trauma may be similar but the recovery all depends on each individual. Just because my neighbors dog has some longterm mental anguish doesn't mean your girl will as well. I find Viszla's quite quirky anyhow....mind you greyhounds are too. lol But honestly, time and patience and exposing her to many positive things is going to be all that you can do right now and just take it day to day. She has gone through a very traumatic experience...one that she is unable to fully comprehend...and this has forced her to not trust anyone right now. I have seen many animals go through trauma (worked at a clinic for years) and many bounce back like nothing ever happened. So hang in there....keep positive (she will sense any negativity that you may have)...and just go like normal with her...pushing her a tiny bit each day past her current comfort level...as long as it is positive...and she should start to improve leaps and bounds.

[Guest BooBooMama]

My first thought was psychotropic effects of all the meds and the whole situation, really. I'd also suggest time and patience and for you, tenacity. Be strong and positive and hopefully she'll quickly accept your leadership...something she is probably looking for right now.

 

A friend called me earlier today and said the same thing. I remember that BooBoo would hallucinate when she was on Tramadol. She would "chase" imaginary critters around the house and whine in frustration when she couldn't "catch" them. I hope that the drugs are just amplifying her fears and that when we begin to wean her off on Thursday that I will begin to see little bits of my little girl coming back to me. Thank you.

[maryz]

Please don't get discouraged. We've seen time and time again on this forum how resilient these animals are at coming back from all

kinds of trauma, including abuse, neglect, terrible living conditions and lack of socialization. Deeni has lived in love and comfort and

I believe, in time, she will get back to where she was before. It is so obvious how much you love her and you will be there for her to help

find her way back, I have no doubt.

[Guest BooBooMama]

Please don't get discouraged. We've seen time and time again on this forum how resilient these animals are at coming back from all

kinds of trauma, including abuse, neglect, terrible living conditions and lack of socialization. Deeni has lived in love and comfort and

I believe, in time, she will get back to where she was before. It is so obvious how much you love her and you will be there for her to help

find her way back, I have no doubt.

I won't give up on her. I just hope she hasn't given up on me. Thank you for your words of hope.

[greyhead]

This sounds like PTSD to me. Meds for doggie anxiety may be necessary and helpful to Deeni. You should let her vet know about this situation sooner rather than later. Being positive, by itself, may not be enough.

 

Sending lots of good juju to you and Deenie

Edited October 13, 2010 by greyhead

[TheFullHouse]

Poor thing, I can understand why she doesn't want to go out, outside caused her a lot of pain. Do you have a friend with a greyhound that could come over and spend a couple of hours. Maybe she would respond to another hound going outside. She main need to regain her confidence and I've found a lot of greyhounds will respond to another confident greyhound.

 

This is horribly hard on both of you but I know you'll get through it. Try and stay positive, be a strong leader for her and I'm sure she'll return to the happy girl you once had with time.

[racindog]

BooBooMama, PLEASE check into BACH flower essences. There wiill be particular ones specifically addressing her current emotional state. Maybe there is a practioner in your area. If not then at least get her some BACH Rescue Remedy. I guarantee you it will help. Right off the bat I can tell you Rock Rose and Minimus would be good ones to give her and RR has Rock Rose in it I know. It will help her I'm sure to get her emotional state back in balance. I have found them to be highly effective especially with "fear" issues like this. If you can't find a practioner there are books that will help you select the correct essence. I have them and can look up in them for you if you like. At the very least though I would highly encourage you to get her some RR ASAP. Also only use the BACH brand. The copy cat clones are not as effective. Dr. Bach was the physician that discovered their effectiveness and developed the protocol and they are very specific essences. It is very cheap. It is completely 100% safe and will not interact with any other medications she is on. It is easy to administer- just put 4 drops or her tongue and you can even put it in her water too. You can give it too her as much as she needs it. Love conqueors all. I really believe your girl can bounce back sooner than everybody thinks with the ultimate kind of loving support she will be getting from you. IMO the current drugs are surely influencing her right now too. As soon as the initial injuries and drugs and pain etc. are left behing and the positive effects of something like the Rescue Remedy and possibly other energy modalities have a chance to help her get herself balalnced again I just really have to believe she'll get better. Please check out the BACH flower essence therapy though. It sounds to me like she could really use it and it would really help. Praying for her and you too! Hang in there!

[Guest BooBooMama]

BooBooMama, PLEASE check into BACH flower essences. There wiill be particular ones specifically addressing her current emotional state. Maybe there is a practioner in your area. If not then at least get her some BACH Rescue Remedy. I guarantee you it will help. Right off the bat I can tell you Rock Rose and Minimus would be good ones to give her and RR has Rock Rose in it I know. It will help her I'm sure to get her emotional state back in balance. I have found them to be highly effective especially with "fear" issues like this. If you can't find a practioner there are books that will help you select the correct essence. I have them and can look up in them for you if you like. At the very least though I would highly encourage you to get her some RR ASAP. Also only use the BACH brand. The copy cat clones are not as effective. Dr. Bach was the physician that discovered their effectiveness and developed the protocol and they are very specific essences. It is very cheap. It is completely 100% safe and will not interact with any other medications she is on. It is easy to administer- just put 4 drops or her tongue and you can even put it in her water too. You can give it too her as much as she needs it. Love conqueors all. I really believe your girl can bounce back sooner than everybody thinks with the ultimate kind of loving support she will be getting from you. IMO the current drugs are surely influencing her right now too. As soon as the initial injuries and drugs and pain etc. are left behing and the positive effects of something like the Rescue Remedy and possibly other energy modalities have a chance to help her get herself balalnced again I just really have to believe she'll get better. Please check out the BACH flower essence therapy though. It sounds to me like she could really use it and it would really help. Praying for her and you too! Hang in there!

 

I am very familiar with Bach's. I have never been successful with RR. Star of Bethlehem is supposed to be the essence for PTSD. I might give it a try.

[Guest BooBooMama]

This sounds like PTSD to me. Meds for doggie anxiety may be necessary and helpful to Deeni. You should let her vet know about this situation sooner rather than later. Being positive, by itself, may not be enough.

 

Sending lots of good juju to you and Deenie,

a former psychotherapist

 

How long should I wait? She was fine with me until last night. Should I wait until she is off the pain meds or call my vet now? I can't imagine that they would want to add anti anxiety meds to the mix she is already taking- pain meds, antibiotics and anti inflammatory meds.

[Guest budsmom]

Are you at all familiar with Tellington T-Touch therapy? It's similar to massage, but works on both the physical and emotional level, and would help Deeni heal from her injuries and her fears. I think this would be really helpful to Deeni right now. I'm not sure how far you are from Oconomowoc, but there is an excellent behaviorist and T-Touch practioner there that I have taken classes from and consulted for my own hound. Her business is called Kindness K9 the Dog Nanny. Here's the link to her website Kindness Canine. If it's not too far for you, I would really encourage you to give it a try.

 

(((Hugs to you and Deeni)))

[Xan]

Poor Deeni and you!

 

I'm with the time and patience crowd, and also for trying the RR, and also for seeing how she does after the meds clear her system before trying new drugs.

 

Calming signals might really help, too. If you're not familiar with these, there's a slim volume by that title, maybe you can find it, or someone can send/lend it to you? There are even some vids on youtube. I'm thinking, coming close to her reaction zone (but not in it), sit down looking anywhere but at her, and yawn a lot, like it's just the most relaxing, boring moment. When she relaxes, move a little closer, and repeat. Maybe she'll even come to you. Just yawn, and look around, maybe adding a little "nose lick" (for humans, just flick your tongue up on your upper lip a few times, like dogs do when they're getting a good scritch, or meeting a new dog they might like). Take her cue if she comes to you for how much touch she actually wants. She might just be comfortable with being close only, at first.

 

I did this a lot in Dewey last week, and several dogs that were pretty wound out, shy, or over-stimulated, calmed down and pushed their noses into me for pets.

 

Good luck for a speedy and full recovery, mentally as well as physically!

[sabrina]

for Deeni

 

 

 

for you

[Guest happygrey]

I know this is hardly ideal, but would it be possible to set up an indoor area for her to relieve herself while she's still feeling so nervous about going outside? Maybe put down some pee pads or buy one of those fake grass patches?

 

My fingers are crossed that she will soon start to feel more herself.

[Jerilyn]

It breaks my heart that Deeni is not trusting you. I don't have as much experience as the rest of these folks, but I do know that once they get scared it takes a long time for them to get it out of those pointy little heads. But I do believe that patience and love can overcome a lot.

 

I don't know if you or Deeni would be up for it, but I am planning on taking Lila to the meet & greet here in Green Bay on Saturday. Maybe a group of friendly people and hounds could help? We would love to meet you!