Well we were playing tenis and the dog was happily doing her thing, my husband did not notice that she had crept up behind him and as he went to hit the tennis ball she took a jump for it... She is a small dacshound and it craked her hard. One of her teeth broke clear off, and two others are horisontaly broken in half, she also has three cuts on her mouth. She howeled for half a minute then just wanted to be held. WE feel just awefull. She is acting normal so far, this happened about ten minutes ago. She is still barking at the neighbours and her usual things. She is also eating and drinking. How can we tell if she needs to see a vet or how can we tell if she is in pain? what should we do? She is a year old.

 

Why take a chance? Even if she is not in pain now, those broken teeth might cause problems later on. She deserves some TLC after a hit like that, so I'd say take her and get her checked out.

 

move away from your computer & TAKE HER NOW! and stop giving her food & water, in case they need to do a procedure of some sort....

how would YOU feel if that happened to you? why would your dog feel differently?

please post back....later......

good luck! poor doggie!

 

Don't beat yourself up, accidents happen.

But you DO need to take her to a vet right away; cracked and broken teeth need attention right away. Also, animals are very good at hiding pain.

 

I agree with the others. Take her to the vet. She might even have a slight concussion and would need to be kept quiet. Please let us know how she's doing.

Newt

 

Well she is going to be ok, the vet said that it was a hard hit but that she will be tip top in a couple days. We got some meds and she got a shot. She is VERY quiet and just sitting which is very unlike her. She is our first pet and we just hate seing her like this. She is licking allot. Should we put some oral B gel on her mouth? that is an infant teething gel that numbs the gums. She is shacking allot too. Gosh I feel so bad, I hate seing her like this and feel helpless.

 

Thanks so much for the update. Wonderful to know she's doing better.

You need to call the vet and let them know what symptoms you are seeing. I wouldn't put anything on her gums unless the vet says to. You could ask. The shaking could be shock or a reaction to the medication. If you can't get in touch with the vet, go to www.google.com and search for info about the medications she's on. Look for any side effects. If her symptoms get more severe and your vet is closed look for a local emergency vet clinic that is open 24 hours or at night and weekends and call them for advice.

Newt

 

well, Miss Honey is doing really well this morning. She is eating solid food and playing catch in the back yard with my hubby. She is still very sore but is much more chipper!! We are very glad she is ok. thanks for all the advice. We were so worried.

 

Wonderful news!! Thank you so much for keeping us updated. I hope Miss Honey continues to do well. You will probably have to have her teeth checked annually when she has her yearly check up. Once she gets older she may experience some problems from the broken teeth. I have a 16 year old cat with a broken tooth that has never bothered him, but we do check it from time to time now that he's older.

Newt

 

I will keep that in mind. We are getting a second pup in a couple weeks but I think we may postpone until she is fully healed so that "playing" together will not cause her pain. She just loves to play with other dogs. Thanks to everyone again

 

Please keep in mind that this story I'm about to tell you happened many, many years ago, and had a happy ending.

Back around 1960 or so, when I played Little League Ball, I was out in the back yard hitting a tennis ball to my little Toy Fox Terrier. I did this for some time, when my Dad came up to me and said "That's enough, He's getting tired". I said, "just one more, and that's it". I hit the ball, and while swinging the bat down to my side, the little guy ran right into the end of the bat. He came off spinning in circles. That alone scared this little 8 year old boy for sure. (Me). Well, Dad bundles up the dog, and put him into the car and off to the vet they go. They are back within what seems like only a few minutes. He makes a special bed for him, makes sure there is food and water close at hand, and the little guy stayed in or near that bed for about a month. One day returning from school, I saw the dog happily playing with the ball once again. I new right then he would be ok.

He had a pencil diameter hole in his skull where the bat hit him, and he still lived another 12 years. Tough little guy. I miss him even today.

cuedude

 

That is a nice story. She is her normal self now and has some medication that helps with the pain. The vet also ok'ed an oral gum medicine so she is not feeling the pain. Her teeth look ok as well. Two are a little lose but the vet said that if we keep her on soft food for a couple weeks they will be just fine. We are on our way into the BIG USA to pick up our second dog as the vet said that it would be ok to get her now.

 

I'm glad to hear she's doing so well. It's amazing how we love our pets. Today I have a little girl as well. She's half Lab, and half Chow. She looks like a low to the ground lab, with long, frizzy har, and sports about 70 Lbs. When I got her, she reminded me of the "Snuggles Bear" from the commercials, so that's what I call her. She was a field dog in Missouri for the first 8 weeks of life, and it was all I could do here in the Florida sunshine to get her to come inside out of the heat.. Well, it worked too well. I can't get her to go outside anymore. (Think she's a bit spoiled?) She still won't come in out of the rain though, so I guess it's true about not having brains enough to come in out of the rain. LOL. She's a sweety though, so it makes up for it.

cuedude

 

Well She is doing much better. She is simply marvelous considering her ordeal. We also picked up our new little pup Ms. Daisy. She is her sister )fromt he same mom and paw. They get along great and are having a blast. Ah to be house training again LOL

 

did the vet say anything about the 2 teeth broken in half? did he say to just leave them? not pull them? cap them? don't they have exposed roots now that would be very sensitive and/or susceptible to infection or something?

just seems like some dental work was in order.....

QUOTE CUEDUDE: "He had a pencil diameter hole in his skull where the bat hit him..."

cuedude: sorry, but i don't believe that. or rather i should say, i don't believe he was fine after that. infection, swelling, bleeding, brain damage........nothing??? VERY hard to believe. also, how does a pencil diameter hole result from a blow from a baseball bat? that also doesn't make sense. i'm not saying it's not a "nice story", but i think maybe you don't accurately remember the event from that many years ago.

 

cuedude: sorry, but i don't believe that. or rather i should say, i don't believe he was fine after that. infection, swelling, bleeding, brain damage........nothing??? VERY hard to believe. also, how does a pencil diameter hole result from a blow from a baseball bat? that also doesn't make sense. i'm not saying it's not a "nice story", but i think maybe you don't accurately remember the event from that many years ago.

Hi Annette,

I assure you, it is something I have never forgotten. The hole did exist. It happened when he was struck with the end of the bat. It would have been better if he had hit the barell of the bat, as it would have been more of a glancing blow.

As far as any Medical / physical damage, I don't know. He could have had almost anything. I did not hear of anything, even later on after I was grown. I too suspect he did have a bit of brain damage though. Not from anything in particular he did. Just the nature of the injury. But it is true, he came off that bat like a top. He spun pretty hard and fast probably half a dozen times. I sure am glad he made it.

Another story about that dog. We got him when I was 4. Dad and I went and picked him out of the litter, and took him home. As it was the first time I had seen a dog up close, I didn't know how to carry him. Dad said be carefull, so I scooped him up in a double handfull. The little guy was only 6 weeks old, and remember I was 4, and my hands were pretty small. Off and on, over the last 40+ years, it has come up how I carried that puppy into the house. Or at least until my Mother Passed away in 1999. She was the one that always brought it up.

Honestly, I can see how it would sound unbelieveable. I can only say that it did happen.

Also, I have a question unrelated to this forum. Are you the same Annette on the CU board? If you are, you know what CU stands for. And if you aren't, CU is Coin Universe.

cuedude

 

Well anyway, I took honey to the vet today and he is going to pull one of the teeth the broke. It is not only broke in half but also has a large crack in it which is going to cause her more pain in the future. she will go for the procedure in a week. poor thing, as if she has not been through enough. As well I have another question about the new pup.... BLOAT!!!! she is so bloated. The vet said to give her a little milk to help the transition from tit to food. She is eating well, but she has the bloaty belly. What should I do? I am going to bring her in again with honey (her name is Daisy) so I don't get charged twice... however I think if I can't get rid of it tomorrow I will have to bring her in again... VET bills are crazy....

 

Loreyna, Daisy may have worms. Has she been dewormed, and if so how long ago? Sometimes it takes a few treatments. Have the vet check for that. Bloat is actually a very serious condition where the stomach becomes twisted.
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bloat.html

Newt

 

thanks for the info, I will take her in first thing tomorrow. She is pooping and eating normal but her stomach is abnormally large and hard. She was dewormed and had a clear vet bill last week before we pickd her up.

 

Loreyna, I do hope all goes well for Honey tomorrow. I meant to say that in my last post. I'm sure she'll be fine once the broken and cracked tooth is removed.

Do have the vet completely check that hard tummy for Daisy. If she stops eating at any time there is definately a problem. It's one way to tell that something is wrong.

I hope you'll update us again.
Newt

 

well we are back from the doc. Daisy will be ok, she was just not acustomed to the change in food. Poor little thing, she has the poops but the vet said that is likely the shots she got a couple days ago. We just love Daisy and Honey. Honey loves her new friend and is VERY protective, she won't let people neer Daisy. She is a little jelous as well but it dissapears when they play together. Honey lets Daisy take naps with her in her kenel even though Daisy has her own. It's very cute.

 

Loreyna, glad to know there is no serious problem with Diasy's tummy.

Please don't misunderstand when I comment on things you say, but you said,

"Honey loves her new friend and is VERY protective, she won't let people neer Daisy. She is a little jelous as well but it dissapears when they play together."

That behavior concerns me. You need to let Honey know that Daisy doesn't belong to her but to you, and that you and each person in your family are the dominant ones, not her. When she acts possesive towards Daisy you should correct her immediately and not allow the behavior. I remember you mentioned that you've never had a dog before so I would recommend you watch The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Reruns are on several times a day and you could set your VCR to record it. There will be a new season soon too.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/

Newt

 

thanks for the advice. It is not that she is protective to me or hubby, but when we went to tha big box pet store the other day she was growling at other dogs which she had never done before. If a dog came running up to the pup, Honey would practically leap from where she was to in front of the pup. She is barking allot more at paser by's as well. is this normal? My husband and I don't have a tv but obviously we have the internet ) thanks for the tip though

 

Showing aggression towards is not a good thing and can escalate. This should be corrected immediately with a GENTLE tug on the leash to stop it. You don't really need to say anything, especially when she responds properly. You do need to stop the behavior though.

The Dog Whisperer has his own site where you should find some helpful info.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

Newt

 

wow that is a great website. Thanks! Honey is getting allot better with Daisy. They just love each other. The only hing is that Daisy will not pee outside with Honey because Honey plays with her... We have to take her out by herself. If there anything we can do so that they will both pee outside at the same time... to save us time? hope so.....

 

Glad you like that site. If you both take out the dogs to do their business, keep them on a leash and keep them apart. Even if you take them in the yard and the yard is small, don't let them play or be close to each other until they do their business. Keep their collar high on their neck and not alot of slack until they do their stuff. Remember, you are the leaders and they must learn to follow your lead.

Newt