How to separate fighting dogs?
Agree, the first thing owners rush to do is quickly pull the dogs in different directions. But this is not easy to do.
To separate dogs you need to:
- Let dogs off leash
- It is strictly forbidden to hit a dog
- It is undesirable to separate dogs by their collars, because an outstretched hand is perceived by the dog as a threat and the owners may be bitten.
- If you still have to separate him by the collar, this should be done by two owners at the same time. In this case, the collars should be twisted as tightly as possible
- If the dogs are locked in a deadlock, grab them by the collars and prepare a leash. You will have to twist the collars, cutting off the oxygen, and hold the dogs until they begin to choke and open their mouths. The first one to open his mouth is quickly given a loop from the leash.
- If both owners are nearby during a fight, you should try to stretch the dogs by the hind legs and tail.
- Alternatively, sticks are used to unclench the jaws
- You can pour a bucket of water on the heads of the fighters or throw a jacket on
In fact, there is no single recipe, and decisions have to be made while in the thick of things. That is, already in battle.
Dogs holding a grip on each other should not be stretched. Deep lacerations are guaranteed. If the dogs are fighting with the interceptions, wait for the moment when they come loose and pull them to the sides
Once you have managed to separate the fighters, ask the owner of the other dog for the exact address, telephone number and whether the animal is vaccinated against rabies. In turn, also provide all information about your dog's health. It is better if you show each other passports with vaccination marks.
Then hurry home and carefully examine your dog for damage, centimeter by centimeter.
My dog bit another dog, what will happen to me?
Compensation for material damage for a dog bite in Russia is regulated by Article 1064 of the Civil Code:
“Harm caused to the person or property of a citizen, as well as harm caused to the property of a legal entity, is subject to compensation in full by the person who caused the harm. By law, the obligation to compensate for harm may be imposed on a person who is not the cause of harm.”
Compensation for moral damages for a dog bite in Russia is regulated by Article 151 of the Civil Code:
“If a citizen has suffered moral harm (physical or moral suffering) by actions that violate his personal non-property rights or encroach on other intangible benefits belonging to the citizen, as well as in other cases provided for by law, the court may impose on the violator the obligation of monetary compensation for the specified damage. When determining the amount of compensation for moral damage, the court takes into account the degree of guilt of the offender and other circumstances worthy of attention. The court must also take into account the degree of physical and moral suffering associated with the individual characteristics of the person who suffered harm.”
Accordingly, here is the procedure you need to follow if you or your child are bitten by someone else's dog:
1. Immediately after you are bitten by a dog, try not to panic and, as much as possible, remain calm.
2. Talk to the dog’s owner, if he was nearby at the time of the bite, or if he did not manage to escape, and take his contact information - find out his first name, last name, patronymic and telephone number.
3. Also look around and try to find witnesses to the event (preferably they are adults) and try to get their contact information.
4. Immediately after the incident, go to the emergency room and document any injuries.
5. Then, you should return home and rest.
6. The next day, if you wish, you can go to the local police station and write a statement about an attack on you by a strange dog. Even if a criminal case is not opened (and most likely it will not be opened), this statement will have a deterrent effect. The local police officer will have to, at a minimum, have a conversation with the dog’s owner, which may encourage your opponent to resolve all issues amicably.
8. Think about how much money you would like to receive from the dog owner.
Just don’t overestimate this amount. It is clear that you are burning with righteous anger, but too high a “price of responsibility” may scare off your opponent, and you will not receive the money.
How serious are dog bite wounds?
It is estimated that dog bite wounds account for about 10% of all injuries treated by veterinarians.
A dog bite can cause serious injury to the skin and soft tissue. A dog's teeth and jaws are powerful tools, and the bites they deliver can easily tear muscles, penetrate the chest, damage the lungs, or cause serious or fatal damage to internal organs. Even bites that do not break the skin can cause serious and deep soft tissue injuries.
Bite injuries typically occur on the legs, head, or neck. The neck area contains vital blood vessels such as veins and the carotid artery, as well as nerves, the esophagus and the trachea. Facial wounds can cause serious damage to the eyes, ears and mouth, and eye wounds are especially dangerous. Leg bites can cause joint damage.
A dog's mouth contains a lot of bacteria, so any bite can lead to infection and bacterial infection. Therefore, all dog bites are considered contaminated and infected. If left untreated, infection can cause a local tissue abscess that will spread further.
In rare cases, penetrating bites can lead to septic arthritis (inflammation of the joint), osteomyelitis (inflammation of the bones), pyothorax (suppuration in the chest cavity) or septic peritonitis (suppuration in the abdominal cavity).
Possible events
The most dangerous is a bite in the neck area, as it can result in broken bones, ruptures of large vessels, which means internal bleeding and death. If the symptoms include lethargy and apathy, three scenarios are likely to occur:
- The wound was a puncture wound, but it became infected with pathogenic bacteria that lived in the mouth of a large dog. In the future, the inflammatory process and rotting will begin. The danger is that a wound infection will develop in a short time and subsequently spread through the vessels, and this will provoke sepsis - infection of the pet’s body.
- The most dangerous may be a deep bite, since time to see a doctor is limited due to possible internal injuries.
- If the bitten dog is infected with rabies, then the owner of the bitten pet should ask the owner of the “offender” whether she has been vaccinated against rabies. If the answer is negative or the mongrel has been bitten, then you should immediately go to the veterinarian, regardless of whether you have vaccinated your dog.
Rabies is a disease that primarily affects the nervous system of the body and is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal. This means you can’t come into contact with your pet’s saliva. Use a mask and special glasses as personal protective equipment.
After an unpleasant incident (bite) or in the very near future, you must take your pet to the clinic, not forgetting to take with you documents confirming or denying the animal’s vaccination.
If it happens that the bitten dog is not vaccinated, then the doctor will probably suggest euthanasia. Of course, any loving owner will reject this solution to the problem. Another option is to inject the dog with an antigen and quarantine the dog for six months (the incubation period of the rabies virus). By the way, even if the dog is vaccinated, you still need to place the animal in quarantine, but for a short period of time - about ten days.
If the risk of virus penetration is not high, then, after consulting with a doctor, quarantine the animal at home. Isolation means either a separate room or a cage, to which children and strangers will not have access. During the quarantine period, it is necessary to monitor the animal’s condition and monitor the occurrence of symptoms:
- Aggression;
- Irritability;
- Paralysis;
- Lack of appetite;
- Fear of water;
- Foam in the mouth;
- Changing habitual behavior;
- Anxiety and other uncharacteristic behavioral traits of the animal.
Should you take your dog to the vet after he gets into a fight?
If your dog gets into a fight with another dog, it can sometimes be difficult to determine the extent of the damage, especially if the wounds are in areas covered with hair. Small puncture wounds from dog teeth can close so that you can easily miss them.
Therefore, if your dog has been in a fight with another animal, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible to have it examined. If you see obvious bite wounds, you should seek veterinary attention immediately.
Wounds that appear minor on the surface can be deceptive and, depending on their location, life-threatening to the animal.
First aid for a dog bite
Many people do not know how to treat a dog bite, which is why they often do it incorrectly. The first rule is that before treating a wound with an antiseptic, it must be thoroughly washed using water and soap, and it is better if the soap is laundry soap.
This is because it contains many times more alkali, which prevents bacteria from entering the wound. This must be done in any case, even if the dog did not bite until it bled, because invisible scratches may remain on the skin, which are also a “gateway” for infection.
You should not use alcohol, vodka, brilliant green, etc. to treat the wound. You can resort to such antiseptics only if you do not have hydrogen peroxide on hand. It is with its help that it is better to treat a bite. And the antiseptics listed above can slow down wound healing due to tissue burns.
After this, it is advisable to apply a tight gauze bandage to the bite site and consult a doctor. Well, if there is heavy bleeding at the wound site, do not waste time and call an ambulance.
How are dog bites treated?
Your veterinarian will determine what treatment your dog will need based on the nature of the injuries, general health, and location of the wounds. The goal of treatment is to reduce the severity of the infection that will develop. This is achieved by cleaning the wound, removing dead or damaged tissue, and suturing the wounds if possible.
Antibiotics should be prescribed for any bites. If there is any doubt about whether there has been any penetration of the skin, your veterinarian will likely prescribe a broad-spectrum antibiotic to reduce the chance of infection.
The sooner antibiotics are used, the faster and more effectively the infection can be stopped. Wounds that are examined within 6 hours of the bite have the best chance of healing without complications.
Most wounds are very painful, so to help ease your animal's pain, you may want to give him some painkillers or sedatives before attempting to assess the extent of the damage.
The veterinarian will likely need to shave the fur from the bite areas to be able to clean the wound and remove any debris. In cases of extensive injury or contamination of large wounds, the dog will need to be placed under general anesthesia to safely and thoroughly clean all wounds.
Small bite wounds usually remain open, so any infection can enter there. Lacerations may need to be stitched up, but temporary openings must be left to allow fluid to flow through so that it does not pool in the area of the bite. Also, in many cases, the size of the wounds can be increased in order to be able to examine and clean all the underlying tissue.
Experts recommend that a sample of bacterial cultures be taken and tested for their sensitivity to various antibiotics.
This way, the veterinarian can choose the most appropriate medications for treatment. However, tests may take several days, so broad-spectrum antibiotics may be prescribed initially.
Folk remedies for treating bites
You can also treat wounds from dog bites at home. However, this type of treatment is only permissible if the damage to the skin is minor and was caused by a dog vaccinated against rabies.
In other situations, the use of remedies prepared according to traditional medicine recipes is permissible only as an additional element of complex therapy aimed at eliminating the consequences of a dog bite.
Honey and turmeric
Turmeric can be used to relieve inflammation and disinfect wounds.
To disinfect the wound surface and stimulate tissue regeneration processes, you can use a mixture that includes natural honey and turmeric powder. The combination of these components promotes faster healing of the skin and prevents infection of affected surfaces.
To prepare a medicinal product, you need to mix natural bee honey and turmeric powder in equal parts until you obtain a mass that has a homogeneous consistency. Apply the finished mixture to the wound and secure with a sterile bandage or gauze. In the first few days after the injury, it is recommended to change this bandage at least once every three to five hours.
Single-component products
Aloe or agave is an effective remedy for healing any wound surfaces.
To disinfect shallow wounds caused by a dog attack, you can use lotions based on a variety of products that are available in almost every home. These kinds of home remedies will help disinfect the surface, relieve pain and speed up tissue healing processes.
The video in this article, as well as the table below, will tell you more about such treatment methods:
| Name and properties of the medicinal product | Methods of application |
| Peanut butter. Stimulates regenerative processes, eliminates pain and discomfort. | It is necessary to take nut oil orally daily in the amount of one teaspoon, and also lubricate the edges of the wound surface with the indicated product until the tissues are completely healed. |
| Freshly squeezed aloe juice or pulp obtained from the leaves of the plant. It has highly effective disinfectant properties, disinfects wound surfaces and accelerates their healing. | It is recommended to apply aloe juice to the wound until complete healing. You can also use the product as a basis for medicinal lotions and compresses. |
| A solution of table salt prepared in accordance with the following proportions: a teaspoon of the product per liter of boiled or purified water. Helps disinfect the wound. | This solution should only be used to clean the wound surface. Most often, salt water is used to treat wounds immediately after injury, as well as when changing compresses and medicinal dressings. |
| Fresh nettle leaves. They have a disinfecting effect and stimulate skin regeneration processes. | Before use, the leaves should be crushed into a paste, and then used as the basis for a medicinal compress. It is equally useful to periodically wash the affected area with a decoction prepared from dry or fresh nettle. |
We should not forget that homemade remedies can only be used to heal minor wounds or scratches. If the wound surface is extensive, the use of home remedies is recommended only after consultation with the attending physician.
Multi-component products
A variety of herbal remedies will help eliminate the symptoms and consequences of bites.
There are many recipes for alternative medicine that can be used to heal wound surfaces, prevent the appearance of scars, and also improve the general well-being of the patient. Depending on the nature and depth of the dog’s bites, it is permissible to use both external and internal products.
The most effective and popular medicines that you can prepare yourself are:
- Clove decoction. Promotes the activation of regenerative processes, strengthens the immune system and has a disinfecting effect. To prepare it, you should brew ten to fifteen buds of the plant with a glass of boiling water and leave the infusion for several hours. After the product has completely cooled, you should take it in the amount of one tablespoon three to four times during the day.
- Infusion of immortelle. To prepare such a remedy, you should pour a teaspoon of dry herb with a glass of boiling water and let the remedy brew well. The finished medicine should be taken in accordance with the previous prescription.
- A mixture made from garlic and onions has excellent disinfectant and healing properties. To obtain such a medicine, you should mix one tablespoon each of garlic and onion, previously crushed into a pulp, and then add a teaspoon of fine table salt to the resulting mixture. The finished product can be used as a basis for compresses.
- A mixture made from nuts and onions will help speed up the healing of a small wound and eliminate discomfort. To obtain this medicine, you need to grind the kernels of three walnuts using a coffee grinder, grate a large onion on a fine grater, combine the ingredients and add a few pinches of table salt. The finished medicine must be used as a basis for therapeutic compresses.
In addition, you should eat foods that are enriched with vitamin C, such as rose hips, black currants, and sweet peppers.
Proper nutrition will strengthen the immune system and improve metabolism, which contributes to faster tissue recovery. In the vast majority of cases, dog bites do not cause long-term disability or serious health problems. However, we should not forget that before treating dog bites at home, even if the damage is minor, you should always consult a doctor.
