This summer has been very full of activities for Hershey, including a lot of camping and some very cool new tricks, but (and I choose that word on purpose), the most significant thing this summer was that poor Hershey had her tail and butt bit very badly.
We went to the dog park in July and early on in the visit Hershey got in a pretty big snarling match with another smaller dog. We broke the fight up quickly but I noticed the dog had put a big gob of spit on Hershey's back end. We didn't see anything that seemed to require attention, so kept on with the dog park visit. Hershey ran around like normal and even went swimming. She was fine we thought, so we took our time there and coming home.
Once home I decided she needed a bath, and thank goodness I gave her one. During the bath I noticed that her butt had been bit near her pooper. It was bad, quite deep and red, but it wasn't really bleeding any more so we just cut the fur off the area and cleaned it well and decided to keep an eye on it.
The next day (Sunday) I took Hershey for a walk and I noticed that her tail was dragging low. Her tail normally curls a bit at the end, but her tail fur was just hanging down on the ground now. We headed right home and I got Chris to check it out. He saw that the bite had gotten abscessed and a lot of dark fluid had collected into a bulge on her tail. We called the emergency vet clinic and headed right over there.
The vet was able to see us quickly and they took Hershey in to get a drain put into the bit hole. This would help it drain any grossness out and heal from the inside out. We were able to take Hershey back home the very same night, but goodness, when she was let out of the operating room, it looked like she'd seen a ghost. She had the drain in the bottom of her tail (which was really just a rolled up piece of silicone to act as a tube), and also a stitch in another bite that we hadn't seen at the top of her tail. Her whole bum was shaved, and very messy from the procedures. There were a few other bite marks including one that the vet recommended should be left open to drain and close up on its own. It was horrible. She was given lots of pain killers and some antibiotics for the week and had to wear a plastic collar too.
Chris stayed home with her for the Monday and Tuesday. We kept Hershey company on the first few nights sleeping downstairs in the living room (on the floor) with her. It was so sad, she looked like she'd been really mangled. The pain killers sapped her energy, and she kept sitting to do everything, including eating and drinking which she normally does standing up. We realized later that it was because the drain was poking her and it was easier for her to sit, but we were really worried that she'd have long-term or permanent effects from this bite.
A week after the emergency vet visit, we had the drain taken out of the bottom part of her tail at the regular vet. Her other bites had healed a lot too, some had already scabbed over, and were healing. After the drain was removed, Hershey went back to standing more, and being much more energetic. It was a relief to see that she'd be back to normal.
It's been about a month now, and her tail end is doing just fine. Her fur is still growing back, so, she looks a little silly and a bit like a lion from behind. She's been on walks and car rides, and we will eventually get back to the dog park, but not quite yet as we'd rather wait for her fur to grow in a bit more first. This was a really scary experience, and we are very grateful for the excellent care the Edmonton Emergency Veterinary Clinic in downtown.
I will spare you the gruesome pictures of the post-vet butt, but here's a picture of a zonked out Hershey wearing her collar (with her Ausie also wearing a paper collar that Chris made for it).
Labels: bite, dog park, vet
