I'm about through with dogs - Kid injury

[deineria]

Oh my gosh, I am telling you. . .I'm about through with dogs - I'm probably as through with dogs as you guys are of hearing about my dog issues!

Our mini Dachshund, Mariah, weighs a total of 8 lbs MAX. She is very hateful
with any other creature except other dogs and children and people.
She is WONDERFUL with kids - my 18 month old can drag her around and she'd never offer to bother him (not that I allow this - but you know, sometimes you catch kids in the act).
Well, she is my 8 yr olds dog, sleep with him, and he is very sad now. . .
but we moved our 7 week old Nubian kids outside into our large horse stall today, and somehow Mariah squeezed in and attacked on of the kids and really hurt the doelings leg.
I am so thankful I happend to go up to the barn and catch this happening and stop it!!!

There are quite a few punture wounds, the doeling is crying and limping, but I am very concerned because the whole leg feels spongy and swollen.
I washed it, covered it with betadine and wrapped it.
I will get the vet if I need to but we are so broke, I hope we will not need to. No wounds are bleeding now. I just haven't seen a wound so swollen and fluid filled before and don't know if something major has been puntured.

I have contacted a rescue about Mariah, and she has to leave now. I am so over dogs. I mean, goodness! I just hope I can place her QUICK. My husband was livid, too.
My son is so sad What a mess!

Any suggestions on the doeling's leg? I mean the dog is super tiny - - - I can't believe she could inflict enough damage to seriously injure, but with how swollen and spongy the leg feels, I don't know!

[farmmom]

Banamine for pain.
Antibiotic injection to ward off infection - dog bites can be really nasty.
Betadine is a good disinfectant.

I'm so sorry this happened. I hope you can find a home that will suit her.

[Minelson]

Oh my gosh! You sure have been having a terrible dog streak I agree with Farmmom...and the antibiotic is most important!

[deineria]

What antibiotic would work best that I can get at TSC or a feedstore?
Also, how much Banamine - I only have paste for horses - for kids that are about 25 lbs or so. I will weigh to be sure.

[farmmom]

I use Agrimycin for most open wounds, nails in the hoof, etc. Also, don't forget to give ProBios after you're through with the antibiotics to replenish the good bacteria in the gut.

When using a paste type med, it's a good idea to squirt it all out, mix it up really good and put it back in the tube because a lot of them aren't mixed well so it could be easy to over or under dose. I usually give Banamine by injection at the rate of 50mg (1ml)/100lb) so on a 25lb you would give 12.5mg by injection. Some dosages change for route of administration. Usually a little higher for oral than injectable.

[deineria]

Can I buy Agrimycin at TSC or another place like that? Would I give 12.5 of the paste as well?

I went up and unwrapped her leg. It is even more swollen and spongy feeling, and the kid didn't want much of her bottle. . .
and seems to feel, obviously, awful.

[goatkid]

I don't know where to get Agrimycin. I use PennG for wounds and you can get that at the feed store. Your vet might be willing to sell you what you need for the goat without having to bring her in. Horses are single stomached. For rumianats, I like to use the injectable Banamine.

[deineria]

My vet is great about selling without seeing them, and I've paged him. He charges a LOT for after hours meeting for stuff though. . .but since TSC is closed, I don't have any choice.

[texican]

Dogs are companion animals. We don't eat them. They'll love you unconditionally, and mourn your passing. Goats are livestock. We eat them. They're like cats... as long as you feed them, they'll like you.

You know, you can train a dog to not do something. If the dog has been trained at all, it can be forced off goats.

I had a three month old la mancha that got her leg bit last week... she cried and limped overnight, next day I couldn't remember which leg was hurt... neither could she.

I did send an unmitigated chicken killer off to the x-GF's home today. She wasn't subjected to any kind of training, and I have enough good dogs that I don't need to spend hours or weeks working on her... she'll be just as happy at the X's.

Hope your kid gets better.

[susanne]

how traumatic this must be for your son. instead sending a dog away, you might rethink your management? if you watch your dogs and have the goats in a pen, this might be preventable in the future.
maybe the dog needs some training too?

[deineria]

First, I prefer our goats to our dogs, if the truth must be told. I like them better than our
10-15k Arabs, too. lol.
Also, the goats have earned their keep more than any creature here (human kids included - lol). . . which is at the heart of homesteading, right? I paid a nice sum for this doeling, and I will likely spend a fair amount to treat her now.
But. . .there is no way to train this silly dog - at least not with children and other animals to tend to. I know that sounds awful and untrue. . . but I can't even teach her to not pee on the carpet. I've worked with her more than any dog in my life. I have tried every approach to teach her to leave the goats be, and as I said, these kids are in a horse stall, and you'd never believe how small a gap a 7 lb weenie dog can fit through. . .
We had the chicks in the house, and no matter how many times she was corrected, she would try to get into the cage where they were. When we moved the rabbit into a hutch, no matter how many times she was corrected, she would jump for hours trying to get it through the fence if she wasn't put up.
With as many small kids as I have coming in and out of the house, no matter how many times a day I tell them to NOT let her out, she gets out, and with two little ones under 2 years old in the house, I cannot chase her down way up at our barn, where she always runs, and bring her back. I have her behind a gate in the kitchen most of the day, but anytime the door is opened, she gets out. . .
Believe me, I have tried very hard with her.
My son was so upset when he saw the goat kid, he cried and said she needed to leave, but I do know he will be upset when she has to be placed because she sleeps with him at night. I have tried harder with her than I usually would because he cares for her. .. in regards to potty training and such.
This dog gets through cattle panels, jumps over gates, and can get through any fence, including welded wire, that isn't chicken wire or chainlink. Who can afford to fence in chainlink?
Now, all that said, she is a wonderful little dog. . .if she is just with kids and other dogs.
We have a Toy Manchester Terrier, which like the Dachshund, has a strong small prey drive, but he listened when corrected and never bothers the goats, and even though if a chicken or rabbit were out and in his reach, he probably would chase them, he doesn't stand any longer and try to attack them through their fences.

Also, I called and paged the vet - no call back yet.

Can anyone tell me what the dog might have hit that would cause a fair amount of clear fluid to leak from the leg? That is what concerns me most!

[christie]

Dachsunds are hunters... no amount of training is going to get that out of them. Try to stop a hound from sniffin, or a heeler from herding.
I am sorry this has happened. Those dogs are very keen at getting what they want.

[deineria]

Yes, I agree. They are bred to hunt small animals. . .rats, etc. That is what she does when outside, too. She is always killing mice when outside. I am surprised she views doeling much larger as prey. . . but she does. I have had better luck teaching our remaining Aussie to not herd, and he does not herd anymore. . .but NOTHING could have taught his littermate to stop herding, and now she is in a pet only, inside home elsewhere. . . placed through rescue.

[farmmom]

The clear liquid could be serum from the blood or lymphatic fluid. I sure hope she's ok.

[jil101ca]

I have a friend who has a goat dairy, over 300 head. She used to breed Dachshunds and Jack Russels. Last year her dogs escaped the kennel and managed to get in the goat barn. They damaged 150 goats, some with torn udders so bad they had to be put down. She no longer breeds dogs and will never have dog on her farm again.

Sry to hear your dog did this.

[fishhead]

Dog bites are puncture wounds and can cause tetanus just like a nail hole.

[HillsideWayCSA]

Shock collar and lock the dog in the pen with whatever you don't want it to harass. Everytime it even looks in the direction of that animal you shock him. Might take an hour but it does the trick. I had to do just that with a springer mix and a brooder full of chicks. Guess what. She doesn't bother the chicks anymore. Sometimes tough love is what they need. She's a great dog now and earns her keep. She'll still flush birds too if I ask for it. Just not without me asking. Eventually she'll be my hiking companion and replace my older dog when he passes (what a sad day that will be).

If your 8yr old loves the dog I'd do something to keep the dog around. Everyone needs someone they can talk to and I bet your 8yr old talks to that dog a lot.

[horsepoor21]

I am so very sorry this happened ! I sure hope your little doeling will be okay !

I can attest to the stubborness and untrainability (is that a word?) of a dachshund ! My Mom has one , I think he's around 8 or 9 now , and he's just aweful !

No amount of training (even with shock collars) has worked . He still isn't house trained , he never listens . But he's so smart it's scary . If only he could use his powers for good instead of evil ! (LOL)

But he's great with kids and loves people . They live in town so he's not such a problem there but I'd never own one !

[deineria]

I have even had Dachshund breeders tell me they are very hard to train, at best.

I'm going to give a Tetanus Antitoxin shot today because she hasn't yet had her CDT.

[4piecesof8]

I am so very sorry about your little doe. I am also sorry about your child's impending loss of his beloved pet.

This thing happens when we people keep prey animals and predators. We own 20 sled dogs. Much caution is put into place here. Fencing, and barriers and training....loads of hard work.

I also have a German Shepherd that helps out around the farm. The first few times in spring when it's time to move the goats around, she is way over zealous in her duties. However, after many training exercises, she knows off limits in certain areas. Oh she thinks about going in to stalls and pens, but no longer follows through on that drive to work. This did not happen over night, but over time and consitence in training.

Dogs can be taught boundries, but the outdoors only isn't the sole place for that training. It must happen over and over and in several scenarios, like not on the furniture, not in the kitchen, not in the stall or birthing pen.

If we are honest with ourselves, we spend more time " untraining " than training. *example* How many times have we been watching TV or reading a book and call the dog to come. The dog doesn't respond and because we are into something else we DO NOT follow through on having the dog come when called. We just shrug off the non-response.

My thoughts on this incident while harsh, I think is smartest at this point in time. Rehome the dog. It isn't her fault she is being what she is...A dog and a predator.