Swollen nose? And now a dog attack...

[BSharpRanch]

The dog(s) WILL return until they kill your minis. That is the way it works. I hate to sound like a glummy gus, but been there, done that. I have absolutely NO problem killing dogs trying to kill my horses and prosecuting the so called owners to the fullest extent of the law!

I have way to many horror stories, personal and friends, to just shrug off a dog attack. Putting the horses in your garage just may not be such a bad thing till the dog is gone for good.

FWIW.

 

[poniesrule]

Not sure I know what FWIW means....

The neighbor is sitting out there watching for the dog to return, and he is retired with nothing better to do, and he is armed

He's my new best friend!! He was in tears when he was telling me about what happened, and he said it wouldn't happen again, even told the officer he was going to take care of it if he saw it around again! (I did ask him to not shoot unless there was NO DOUBT he would hit it & miss the horses, mercy! The boys are doing very well considering. The one with the broken nose is losing weight, but still acting like his usual goofy self. It's raining & cold so they are both in the barn but they hate it, I don't think the like being confined, but they were shivering even with their woolies on. I just talked to someone else here in town who keeps a few horses and such, the good news is my boys will be moving tonight if the rain stops, or else tomorrow. And the best part, she has a pair of mini-mules who are dog stomping machines, so they will be in the paddock with them (if they get along). She said she never has any trouble with stray dogs around there, her mules have killed a couple though, and she breeds mini donkeys so if she's never lost a foal, I'd say the mules are effective. Seriously, I haven't slept since this happened. I know the dog will be back.... I know it. I'm giving myself an ulcer! I talked to a couple officers yesterday, they are all good friends and are looking for the dog, & they have been encouraged to throw the book at the owners, but sadly I think the dog will be destroyed owners fined and a new dog bought. UGH! So frustrating. A little about our location: we live in a small agricultural town, I board at a farm literally outside of town, only about a 5 minute bike ride from my house so unfortunately I'm not there all the time. The place we will be moving to is about a 15 minute bike ride, but it is waaaayyyyy more mini friendly. She wanted us to wait until Memorial Day weekend to move there (she's trying to sell a few mules) but called today and said bring them over! Thanks for all of the good thoughts. I really appreciate everyone here.

 

Until this is over, I would get that little mini mule that hates dogs and let it go for it! I lost two breeding horses to a dog attack once and a friend lost 2 yearlings on the same day just down the road, and we never had another problem once donkeys were in place. With your friend on the look-out and the little mule in the pen with them, they should be better protected.

So sorry this has been happening to you, but hope you can get this resolved soon, and the little mule idea sounds like a good one, to me.

 

[chandab]

If you aren't doing it already, try soaked feed for your little guy with the broken nose. It'll be easier for him to chew.

 

[BSharpRanch]

FWIW means "for what it's worth".

Glad you found another place. I know first hand just how unsettling dog attacks are, thus why I feel they way I do.

 

[poniesrule]

Well... The boys have been spending their nights locked up in the barn, the neighbor has been watching during the day. The dog I suspect is responsible is no longer at the house she used to live... I'm a nervous wreck. My little roan, RockStar, has been cleared by the vet to get back to work and start getting in shape. BUT my heart horse Kenai still seems to be struggling. He's losing weight and continues to have nasty drainage from his eyes & nose. We were at the clinic yesterday, and she checked him over but still believes its just an infection or a build up of fluids from the impact to the face. He is getting 2 meals of alfalfa pellets & grain soaked in water (can't get beet pulp until Friday, love me some rural life!) because I don't think he's eating much hay, and vet said to add a third meal if possible but not change total amount. Still going with a slight fracture, there's nothing displaced, so not much we can do. I took them both for a long walk through town (they did awesome, even around the friendly dogs I knew would be around!) and let them set the pace. They were both eager to move, and did a nice road trot most of the way. They were their normal happy selves. Then last night I went out, and Kenai was shivering, so back on with the blanket. He didn't finish his supper, and he was moving funny... like hesitating with his left legs. I'm hoping I just woke him up from a snooze and he was a little out of it? No fever, poor guy gets checked 3 times a day. I suspect they are not happy with the barn life... Called the vet again, she has to be tired of me by now, but she said unless there's a significant change in behavior or temp to just let time work for us. I hate time, it never goes fast enough when I want it to! But the good news, their new home is ready today!!! They will have 3x the room, a perimeter fence along with their own paddock fence, and a lot of social buddies through the fence. Hopefully they will both perk up and get back to normal. I miss my goofy, smiling, always searching my pockets Kenai....

 

[Mona]

Have they done xrays at all? Maybe he has an infected or broken tooth that is causing this facial problem. I would certainly ask to have xrays done.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Have they done xrays at all? Maybe he has an infected or broken tooth that is causing this facial problem. I would certainly ask to have xrays done.

I second this. Frankly, vets are not very good about teeth, especially horses. I lost a dog one time due to a tooth injury. It formed a fistulous tract and, after nearly six months of care, was discovered and was inoperable. If a fistulous tract forms, antibiotic won't heal it. She went up and down; sometimes we thought she was getting well, then it would break out again and we'd start over.

Most vets are very open to tactful suggestions.

 

[poniesrule]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr................ I asked yesterday..... they said that they would refer me to a specialist or else we wait a couple weeks yet. (glad you both agree with me...) Because there is no fever they don't feel it is anything too terrible. The other thing working against me is my husband not wanting me to spend any more money than necessary. " He's been seen several times. Listen to the vet, be patient, give it time not money" Rock-Me-Hard Place. I agreed to wait until next Wednesday and see where we're at. But no longer. I can't sleep. Gahhhhh!

(My grrrs & gahhs aren't directed at any of you, just frustration in general)

 

[chandab]

None of us want to spend more money than necessary, horses are a bottomless pit of money needs, but we all want to do what is best for them, and sometimes that takes spending more money to figure it out.

 

[poniesrule]

THANK YOU Chandab! My sentiments exactly...

 

[HGFarm]

I agree, get that horse in to be seen somewhere. You need to really know what the real damage is in there. It may just hurt for him to eat much. I had a friends mini years ago got it's jaw broken by a big horse (through a fence even) and they were VERY worried about infection in the bone. If that happens....

I would get him in for xrays and further treatment. Go with your gut- if you suspect something isnt right, then it probably isnt.

 

[Minimor]

A kick to the face can cause major damage--which may not be obvious just from an external exam. an x-ray would show if there is bone displacement or some sort of damage to other parts of the face/teeth/jaw. If a brine is broken or cracked the damage could extend into the nasal cavities, which could in turn account for the weepy eye.

 

Also, you might try giving him some ulcer meds, as he's been through a lot, and that might help soothe his tummy. I haven't gone back through the thread to see if you were doing that already, but adding an ulcer med and some probiotics might help increase his appetite.

Praying for his recovery. All good advice here, and you must follow your gut -- as you know him best.

ray

 

[poniesrule]

Moved to a new home yesterday... I actually slept last night! When we went to get them in the trailer, Kenai's nose swelling seems to have gone down!!! It's the first time that it's looked different to me. Not ruling anything else out, but maybe the probios & antibiotics are starting to kick some butt? He was acting more upbeat last night and slurped his supper right up, and then this morning he was bouncing around the new paddock playing with RockStar. I think he was celebrating the return of the sun like the rest of us. Regular vet is FINALLY coming today to check him over... she said the X word when I talked to her

YAY! Have my daughter's dance recital tonight & tomorrow, will update Sunday. Thanks for the support, thoughts, kind words (& plain ole kick-in-the-pants words!), & prayers everyone.

 

So glad that your regular vet is coming. Will look forward to her comments and opinion of what you've been through.

 

[poniesrule]

Alrighty........ I know all of you have been waiting impatiently for my results

HAHAHAHA!

Dr. Sarah came out and checked him over, he was being a brat (yay!) but we managed to get a couple shots of his face. She said that nothing, as of right now, looks wrong other than a slight fracture right over the bridge of his nose, where the halter goes. Good news!! Of course, watch him since he's young to make sure there are no teeth problems in the future, but time will help. I knew I was over-reacting, but my gut just wasn't happy with it. Since moving last Thursday, both have calmed down and bounced back to normal. Kenai even races, bucking to the gate! Calmly looking back, I suspect 1) Their old pen was surrounded by trees on 3 sides, every noise had to sound like the dog coming back 2) They had been through the fence twice in one week, of course they were in shock 3) The weather sucked big time- wind was blowing, all of the blown junk had to look like the dog coming back 4) I was interrupting their day & night every couple of hours all jacked up on adrenaline that I'm sure they were picking up on. Dr. Sarah agreed with that and said that's probably closely related to why they were off their feed. She checked over what my feeding plan was, and gave me a thumbs up on my adding ProBios (thank you guys!), only adding that I could add a 3rd meal for Kenai as he will do better with extra hydration & soft food for a while. She also added that he can start exercising as long as he's not having trouble breathing, and when I feel he's in shape and it's safe to go ahead and start driving some. I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders. It's fairly easy for me to feed them throughout the day since I work 4 blocks from their new home. RockStar is on a diet, I knew he would be, and we are starting conditioning all over again. It's supposed to be 80's this week - poor guys in their woolies yet... Thank you all for your comments and urging me to follow my gut, you're right... Mama knows best!

Attached a picture of them in their new home sporting the neck warmers I made for them. They really enjoy the company.

 

[Mona]

So glad to hear you had the xrays done and at least now know for sure what is going on in there.

 

[poniesrule]

Happy Birthday to me! They found the dog and the completely incompetent irresponsible owners!!! I'm doubly glad we moved as the dog lives in the income based apartments next door to where we were at. Officer told me the owners we "cited" for dangerous dog and that I could push for vet costs associated with the attack from Sunday, but guess what. Everything stems off of the FIRST time they went through the fence (even though I believe it was due to dog attack also, have no proof), so I probably don't have anything to stand on. However, I am friends with the apartment manager & will be making a friendly phone call... Any other thoughts anyone? Officer said there's a county leash law but citation is really all they get for first offense... Ugh! But I am relieved that they found the stinking thing...

 

[bevann]

Now that you know who the dog is you really need to push for the dog to be removed from the area.Not sure if the apartment owner could be sued for allowing tenant to have unsafe animal.Just a thought.No building owner wants to go to court for irresponsible tenant.Glad you found the culprit.