Greyhound attacked unprovoked

[Vcolsen]

Hi all- my 8 year old girl was attacked by two unleashed dogs in the neighborhood last night. I’m not sure if they bit her but banged her up pretty good. the attack was partly on the sidewalk so I think her main wound is from being scraped on the pavement...I cleaned the wound with water but wasn’t sure if I should put something else on it.

I called the vet and they don’t have any appointments until next Monday which I feel like is too late anyway. Does anyone have any suggestions for helping with wound care/ and or if the emergency vet is necessary? 
 

Thank you 🙏🏻 

[MerseyGrey]

I hope you’re both ok. Cleaning with warm water/very diluted saline solution should be enough for a scrape. If you’ve had her for a while you will know that she will probably lick, and lick, and lick...........the last scrape ours had, we tried to cover with a bandage but not matter what we did it slid down his skinny leg and he just licked it anyway. It healed pretty quickly. Just keep an eye on her licking anywhere else like it’s going out of fashion as this could highlight any other cuts you haven’t noticed yet.

Do you know who the unleashed dogs belong to?

[Vcolsen]

She has (of course) already started licking it. I will try the saline solution too thank you for the suggestion. 
 

 

And yes, the owner was standing right there with the dogs and didn’t seem to understand why the situation was so unsafe. 🙄

[greysmom]

Make sure you check her over *extremely* carefully.  They can have small bite wounds hiding in flaps on skin, or in the folds of joints or in leg creases, so really run your hands on her.  Watch for limping and evidence of soft tissue injury too as that can show up in the next few days.

I wouldn't even take my dog in for a scrape like that unless she licks it really open and raw.  If you can soak it a couple times a day in warm water and epsom salts it will help it heal up.  Soak a wash cloth or clean rag in the water solution and wring it out, wrap around her foot, and cover with a plastic bag to contain the dripping.  10 minutes if she'll stay still - do it while she's napping.  Dry well and keep her tongue off it using her muzzle - tape over the bottom holes if necessary.  Best invention EVER is spray neosporin!  Get some and use it several times a day until it's well healed.  Cover with a sock to protect it.

Idiot owners of unleashed dogs never do understand.   

[KF_in_Georgia]

Take a damp paper towel (a white one is best), and wipe her down all over carefully. If there's a hidden injury, the paper towel should show a bit of blood. This is good for finding injuries hidden in skin folds or otherwise hard to spot.

[macoduck]

Have you reported this to Animal Control? If they attack again at least you'll have this event already documented. Take as many detailed pictures as you can get. Write down all you can remember about the attack. Are the other dogs, and your girl, up to date on vaccinations? Were there any other witnesses?

Better to report and have all this info saved now. Hopefully there will not be a second attack and hopefully your girl's injuries are minor.

[MaryJane]

As already noted, take photos and write down you recollections - send it to yourself as an email (cc). Check your dog over thoroughly to make sure there are no small bite wounds. Also, did you get the owner's information and whether the dogs were up-to-date with rabies. It's very important to contact the Animal Control Officer so they have a record of the incident.

[HeyRunDog]

I hope you are both OK and the nerves have settled down.

To make a saline solution add 1 level teaspoon of salt to 500ml (2 cups) of cooled boiled water. Although by now it's probably started to scab over so if it's not showing any signs of being infected I would try and keep it dry. Greyhounds heal surprisingly quickly.

To stop licking cover it with an old sock and tape it around the sock. Be careful not to let the tape rub and cause a sore. You could spray the sock with bitter apple and let it dry before putting it on to stop her licking it.

Here is Grace after her abscess removal from between her toes two years ago showing off her sock. You might need a longer one so it can be fastened higher up to avoid the injured area.

.

 

[BatterseaBrindl]

Absolutely agree that you should contact animal control. We had several non_violent instances with a neighbors dog before he finally attacked. I sure wish I had reported them before it happened. 

[racindog]

Yes, definitely report it to Animal Control.  I have been an Animal Control Officer and also a Police Officer and we WANT these incidents to be reported so we can build a case if necessary in order to protect innocents from being attacked by such rogues. Whose to say they won't go after a child next? Please report it. Special hugs for your girl. What a terrible thing to go through. Hope she gets well soon. In the future you had better take a club of some sort or a stun gun or something with you to protect yourself and your girl.  (The civilian pepper sprays available to the public are not reliable.) Hit the attacking dog(s) in the head as hard as you can. Don't worry you won't hurt them they have a very hard head. One of the larger aluminum flashlights(Maglight) is handy and better than nothing. In addition to having a light if you hold it around the lens,bulb area with your hand you can effectively hit/strike with the 'handle' part pretty effectively and it won't slide out of your hand if you hold it there either. I think Lowes sells them to.

Edited October 6, 2020 by racindog

[cleptogrey]

ditto re animal control and the council person & police from your neighborhood. have it on as many records as possible.

saline solution should do the trick. felix as a young dog managed to scrape his pastern down to the tendons- i was shocked- a good washing and i kept it covered for a short period of time since he ripped off the sock. it healed much faster than us humans heal. if you have some metacam (anti-inflammatory) that wouldn't hurt. gh are very good at filing for workmen's comp. let her rest and do your civic duty reporting this incident. 

[Vcolsen]

Thank you all for your posts! They are much appreciated. Her scrapes are starting to look much better!