Omg! I am shaking and need advice!

[NYRIR]

My kids and I took 3 baby goats(all between 3-4 months) for a walk down our country dirt road....they were on leashes and we were walking on the opposite side of the road from the neighbors property. All of a sudden, a HUGE pitbull comes flying out of his front door and tackles my doeling, pinning her to the ground in a second flat!! My daughter (14) was screaming and trying to get in between them,I was punching the dog...and I am almost 6 foot tall, so I know I pack a bit of a punch...and my son 14 also, started to kick the dog....HE WOULD NOT LET GO! The owner comes out, says calmly..."He'll let her go, he'll let her go"...he is able to wrench the dog off of poor Daisy May , but she gets loose in the process and runs off.
The guy never said sorry....or anything else for that matter.... HOW RUDE IS THAT!!??

Anyway, we got ahold of Daisy...she has a puncture wound in her ear, and a small one on her neck. i cleaned them out with peroxide,put neosporin on them and started her on Pen G(I know probably premature). I'm worried because she is still shaking like crazy....is she going to go into shock? She was licking my hands but she is shaking so much....what do I look for?

I did not know he got a new dog.....grrr....why does he ALWAYS get HUGE dogs!! I yelled at him that is one reason I keep my dogs CONTAINED! So frustrated, and this is 2 days after my Mom accidentally stepped on one of our kittens and killed it!!

I am so frustrated....I had the DH call the police and they called Animal Control...so we should get a call from them...

Now I'm really worried about all my livestock...that dog went at her with one thing in mind. How big of a charge do i need for the goat pen to keep a HUGE pitbull out?
Please don't berate me for walking a goat on the road...I feel if they are on leashes we should be able to safely do that....of course I won't now. I'm now worried about my cats...they are the only ones that aren't contained on my property...we have spent lots of money making sure our animals don't bother anyone else....

 

[ksalvagno]

I don't know what the law is in NY but in Ohio, even in rural areas, it is the law to keep your dog in your control at all times.

I'm sorry it happened to you. I'm not sure on the electric charge but I wouldn't be surprised if you need it a little higher.

 

[jodief100]

I am so sorry. I can't think of anything else to do for your doeling except check her regularly and make sure her temperature stays normal. If she goes into shock it will drop. As far as walking on the road, your animals were under control and you have every legal right to be there and not be attacked by a dog. The owner is one of those fools who believes their dog will never hurt anything and it is "just playing". You and he are lucky it wasn't your children the dog attacked.

I don't know about the laws in NY but here the dog needs to be contained, even in rural areas. If the police and/or animal control do not do anything, remind them the next time it be someone's toddler. I love dogs but a big aggressive dog must be kept under control, for everyone's good including the dog's.

Again, I don't know your laws, but if it is legal for you to do so, I woudl inform the neighbor that if the dog sets one foot on your property, he is DEAD!

 

[BrownSheep]

I second Jodie ! An electric fence is pretty easy for dogs to avoid.

 

[Roll farms]

Keep up the pen G, 2x a day for 7 days at least (I'd go 10). Dog bites can be nasty wounds, and any time there's a deep wound you want to use Pen G. Is she UTD on her CD/T?

She will probably be sore tonight / tomorrow and may act pretty droopy. Keep her quiet (not alone unless she wants to be), give her lots of love and comfort, and you might consider giving her banamine or children's liquid ibuprofen for pain / swelling late tonight and tomorrow morning....I wouldn't go more than 3 doses of either, 12 hrs apart.

A B shot won't hurt and probiotics any time they're on antibiotics.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Oh wow, I bet that was scary. I walk our goats all the time (I do have my clip-on pink pepper spray with me and sometimes my walking stick just in case ever since I encountered someone jogging with their dog who was not leased). I hope all is okay----I'd be saving receipts too to hand over to the neighbor for compensation too.

 

[elevan]

I second everything that has already been said. Here in Ohio we can demand that the dog be turned over to animal control for either euth or rehoming depending on the circumstances. I did just that recently when a neighbors dog killed my cats.

You had every right to walk your animals. They were restrained. The neighbor failed in this case. And Jodie is absolutely right...next time it could be someone's toddler. A dog that will attack in that fashion is dangerous - period. Regardless of breed.

I wish you and your doeling the best. I know it's hard.

 

[Stacykins]

That is horrifying. I really hope that your girl will be fine and have no issues with infection. I take my goats on leashed walks too, so I totally understand! There is some really good browse along the side of the road near my house.

Is concealed carry an option you would be willing to pursue? Only if you are already comfortable with firearms, and can take the required training most states require. Because here if that happened, I hate to say it, that dog would have been dead before the owner wretched it off. Another option is carrying bearspray on a walk, or a steel telescoping baton. I have had to do the baton before, since where I used to live, there were a few rouge dogs who were insanely aggressive against other dogs. I got severely bitten while protecting a neighbor's dog from a mauling, and has many near misses with my own dogs while I had them leashed. When a dog the size of a small bear makes a beeline for your dog, snarling and barking, I will not play around, no matter the breed or how 'sorry' the owners are.

Anyway, the dog's owner should pay for any vet bills, if your girl will need to see the vet. Also, hopefully the dog gets a 'strike'. Livestock attacking dogs are not welcome in any agricultural area. Though most of the problem is the owner's lack of control.

 

[SkyWarrior]

I am so sorry to hear this happened.

As a large dog owner and semi-retired sled dog racer, I would say the pit bull's owner is at fault. The pit bull isn't necessarily people aggressive, but could be. Dogs have a natural instinct to go after prey--and sorry to say, but your goats are on the menu. That doesn't preclude the owner from keeping his dog under control at all times.

I too second that you were perfectly within your right to walk your goats on leash on the road. Now that you had that experience, I would keep a nice bottle of bear pepper spay with you for the purpose of keeping possible dogs from getting at your goats while walking. Yes, I don't think you should have to carry one in a perfect world, but our world is seldom perfect.

As for dog bites -- you did good to give your goat a shot of Pen G. Keep that up. Dog bites are notoriously bad for infection because dogs have enzymes in their mouths that break down tissue. Also, flush the wound out with a syringe filled with a mix of hydrogen peroxide and water. You want the wounds to heal from the inside out. Dog bites, especially big ones, do a lot of damage by trauma (trust me -- first hand experience here!) Your goat is in a lot of pain, so if you can give her bantamine or some other pain meds that are safe for goats, do it. Use ice packs wrapped in a towel on that neck to reduce swelling. I would also talk with your veterinarian about looking at her neck, if you can.

The shaking is due to pain and being shaken up. Pit bulls bite with something like 400 lbs per square inch, which is pretty gnarly. Keep an eye on that doeling. Shock is characterized by a drop in temperature, pale gums/low capillary refill rate, and a fast, thready pulse. If she's showing symptoms, maintain a consistent body core temperature and get her to the veterinarian ASAP. With pit bull bites, there can be internal bleeding.

Good luck! Let me know how it goes.

 

[AdoptAPitBull]

I am so sorry to hear this happened.

As a large dog owner and semi-retired sled dog racer, I would say the pit bull's owner is at fault. The pit bull isn't necessarily people aggressive, but could be. Dogs have a natural instinct to go after prey--and sorry to say, but your goats are on the menu. That doesn't preclude the owner from keeping his dog under control at all times.

I too second that you were perfectly within your right to walk your goats on leash on the road. Now that you had that experience, I would keep a nice bottle of bear pepper spay with you for the purpose of keeping possible dogs from getting at your goats while walking. Yes, I don't think you should have to carry one in a perfect world, but our world is seldom perfect.

As for dog bites -- you did good to give your goat a shot of Pen G. Keep that up. Dog bites are notoriously bad for infection because dogs have enzymes in their mouths that break down tissue. Also, flush the wound out with a syringe filled with a mix of hydrogen peroxide and water. You want the wounds to heal from the inside out. Dog bites, especially big ones, do a lot of damage by trauma (trust me -- first hand experience here!) Your goat is in a lot of pain, so if you can give her bantamine or some other pain meds that are safe for goats, do it. Use ice packs wrapped in a towel on that neck to reduce swelling. I would also talk with your veterinarian about looking at her neck, if you can.

The shaking is due to pain and being shaken up. Pit bulls bite with something like 400 lbs per square inch, which is pretty gnarly. Keep an eye on that doeling. Shock is characterized by a drop in temperature, pale gums/low capillary refill rate, and a fast, thready pulse. If she's showing symptoms, maintain a consistent body core temperature and get her to the veterinarian ASAP. With pit bull bites, there can be internal bleeding.

Good luck! Let me know how it goes.

The bite pressure thing is grossly inaccurate, but I digress.

NO peroxide. Peroxide kills healthy tissue and good bacteria. Water only is best.

Dogs of ALL breeds can be very prey driven. It is absolutely the owner's fault for not having it contained. With that said, it doesn't seem like the guy really gives a crap about his dog. You now have to be proactive and bring pepper spray, an airhorn (good distraction), a BB gun...something to divert the attention away from the goats. I won't walk my dogs if I know the neighbor's intact GSD is out. I have never trusted that dog. Maybe try walking around a bit and if you see the dog, don't take the goats out till he's inside.