What To Do If Your Dog Is Attacked?
We take all the necessary security measures, but despite this, our dog can be attacked by others. Sometimes the incident happens right in front of us and we stand still, unable to do anything. The truth is, many homeowners don’t know how to act in this situation.
If we wait to think about what we will do at the moment of attack, it will be very difficult to react properly. For all that, below, we’ll give you some tips that will help you prepare to protect your dog in this situation.
The goal is to keep the offending dog away
The first thing we must do is really understand what our role is in the situation. Basically, it is not necessary to defend our dog and have a violent response attitude. On the other hand, we also shouldn’t stand still while the dog is attacked.
In reality, our goal will always be to safely drive away the attacking animal. This will lead us to take him away from our dog completely. If we get in the middle, the fight will continue and we could be attacked.
Once we understand this, we can move from thought to action. The next step will be to see what elements we have to remove the aggressor. This is perhaps the most complicated job.
Violence generates more violence in the animal world too
There are many owners who believe that hitting the animal aggressor is the best way out. In practice, if a dog is attacked, it will show a greater propensity to keep biting in self-defense. This is an almost instinctive action: the dog will not think of being outnumbered, but of preserving its life.
As we see, attacking or inflicting pain on the attacker will never be fully viable and should be considered as a last resort. Throwing rocks or hitting will only make the episode worse and may cause the dog to bite us. The correct thing is to use an impediment.
In this sense, what we will do should seek to reduce the animal’s rabies levels, scare it or attract its attention. Try not to get too close and remember that if the dog has a disease, such as rabies, it could be life-threatening.
Some deterrent actions if your dog is attacked
If, for example, the attack happens in the backyard of our house, it is better to use the hose. Simply turn on the faucet and spray a strong stream of water on the aggressor’s face. This will calm your stress levels and push you away.
But if you don’t have water on hand, you can use noise as a deterrent. If we have the car close by, we can use the horn, as well as play some instrument that generates a loud sound. The important thing is that the dog gets scared and decides to walk away.
Finally, if we don’t have anything to hand, we can scream and make uncomfortable sounds with our mouths. It is crucial to stay away while generating the noise.
After the attack: what should we do?
After the attacker has left, the next step is to provide our dog with medical attention. The correct thing is to try to see the extent of our friend’s external wounds. To do this, we must check all areas of your body, carefully when touching.
Bathing the animal with soap after the attack is not recommended. In the case of wounds, we should try to maintain some hygiene in the area, with water, and immediately contact the veterinarian. Even if there are no signs of external injuries, we will have to go to the emergency room for a specialized examination.
If we could identify the attacking animal and follow it, we would determine if it is lost or if it has an owner. In general, mechanisms exist to study attacking dogs and see if they have any illnesses. The most useful of these tests would be the possibility of ruling out rabies.
Final recommendations for recovery
- Follow medical treatment: it is our responsibility to rigorously perform all exams. We also have to provide the medications prescribed by the veterinarian. Even when there are no external wounds, dogs can suffer serious clinical symptoms that are not visible to the naked eye.
- Controlling the home’s climate: our pet’s recovery will depend on feeling as little stress as possible. Therefore, we must ensure comfort and the right temperature. In such cases, the temperature should be neither too hot nor too cold.
- Beware of the consequences: when a dog is attacked, he often suffers from physical after-effects and emotional trauma. Therefore, after these events, we must keep a close observation of our pet’s behavior.
