3 Second Fight, $2000 Vet Bill

[Guest monasmom]

My 10 yo grey, Vinny, has begun attacking my 13 yo grey, Rocky. It has happened a few times, always when they were both in a narrow space together, and the damage was minimal--maybe a couple of small, shallow nicks.

 

Yesterday, Vinny went after Rocky in a wide hallway (at least 4 feet or maybe even 5 feet wide), and bit him so severely that Rocky needs to spend two nights at the vet getting surgery to repair the damage to his jaw and neck. I was standing about 8 feet away, with my back turned. The fight literally lasted only 3 seconds.

 

We have had both dogs for about 5 years give or take. There has never been any love lost between them, but this is definitely new behavior.

 

I don't want to crate or muzzle Vinny all the time, but Rocky is an older dog and somewhat fragile, and I need to protect him.

 

I'm upset and worried about both dogs. I wonder if Vinny has some sort of imbalance or needs to be on Prozac or something. Rocky's anxiety around Vinny is through the roof. Prozac may not be a bad idea for him, either, I guess.

[TheFullHouse]

I would have Vinny thoroughly checked by your vet to make sure there is nothing physical going on. If you don't want to crate him, at least muzzle him.

[ZoomDoggy]

I agree with Judy. If this is new or oddly escalating behavior, a complete health workup is in order, probably for both hounds. And I would not hesitate to muzzle an aggressive dog to protect a weaker one.

[Guest Clawsandpaws]

I agree with all of the above, however, I don't feel that a muzzle will be enough. A dog can still do serious damage with a muzzle on, and you don't want to have a false sense of security in case he can get the muzzle off. I would be worried about unseen internal damages if a fight breaks out when you aren't home. If they were my hounds I would crate Vinny.

[MaryJane]

You probably should keep the muzzle on Vinny all the time until you research this further and maybe find a cause. It could be that he will have to wear a muzzle all the time.

 

When you leave the house, you probably want to make sure that the dogs are separated - separate rooms or crate both of them and if there is a chance he could get out, maybe muzzle Vinny.

 

I know that this sounds like much trouble but, I always separate my two boys from my female (different rooms) when I leave the house and in addition, they are all muzzled. My female is an epileptic and while my boys have never attacked her, they might one day -- so I HAVE to separate them. My female can also be aggressive so I have to watch her constantly in the house (and sometimes muzzle) and she gets always gets a muzzle when all the dogs go out to play.

[2greyhoundMINI]

I am so very new to greyhounds, but this thread reminds me of part of the talk we got from our rescue we got the hounds from. He mentioned increased aggression could be a sign of thyroid issues. Just a thought. Good luck.

[Guest Giselle]

I'm sorry you had to go through that. My heart sinks whenever I hear about a bad dog fight. They are terrible things to witness, and I'm so happy that both dogs are physically okay now. I can't give you any advice since none of us have seen in-person how these dogs interact. So, I just hope that you can keep them safe with appropriate physical barriers until you can develop (probably with the help of a professional behaviorist) a more comprehensive behavior modification plan. Good luck to you, and give your houndies some hugs. They don't know "better", and it's hard when their behaviors are so dramatic and so potentially dangerous. Best wishes.

 

Also, medications are not to be scoffed at. If some medication means a safer household, I'm not one to judge. Ask your vet if s/he is comfortable prescribing medication or if s/he can refer you to a vet behaviorist who will come up with a behavior mod plan, as well as prescribe meds.

Edited October 7, 2013 by Giselle

[galgrey]

I agree with Judy. If this is new or oddly escalating behavior, a complete health workup is in order, probably for both hounds. And I would not hesitate to muzzle an aggressive dog to protect a weaker one.

 

I hope he feels better soon.

Edited October 7, 2013 by galgrey

[NeylasMom]

I would do a consult with a veterinary behavorist who will come to your home. Sorry that this happened.

[racindog]

I have observed various dogs(packs) of mine "turn" on an older sicker pack member many times. It is very sad to me because invariably it seems like the victim dog is on the road to crossing over once I see it happen. The pack seems to know somehow. The dogs involved, the relationships between the dogs involved etc don't seem to matter. The "pack" turns on the older weaker one sometimes. I watch my seniors like a hawk around the other dogs and that is just another reason I am a big believer in muzzles. Personally I don't think there is anything to be done about it except to manage it to keep everyone safe as best you can. Just my experience.

[GeorgeofNE]

Deer Vinny, my brudder from anudder mudder.

 

NOCK IT OFF.

 

It is very rood to beat up the elderly.

 

Yur brudder,

 

George (who only tries to attack dogs who are KNOT Greyhounds)

[Guest monasmom]

I'm sorry you had to go through that. My heart sinks whenever I hear about a bad dog fight. They are terrible things to witness, and I'm so happy that both dogs are physically okay now. I can't give you any advice since none of us have seen in-person how these dogs interact. So, I just hope that you can keep them safe with appropriate physical barriers until you can develop (probably with the help of a professional behaviorist) a more comprehensive behavior modification plan. Good luck to you, and give your houndies some hugs. They don't know "better", and it's hard when their behaviors are so dramatic and so potentially dangerous. Best wishes.

 

Also, medications are not to be scoffed at. If some medication means a safer household, I'm not one to judge. Ask your vet if s/he is comfortable prescribing medication or if s/he can refer you to a vet behaviorist who will come up with a behavior mod plan, as well as prescribe meds.

 

Thank you.