dog attack

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    Antibiotics and Dog Bites to Other Dogs

    The decision to prescribe antibiotics gets weighed more carefully now than in the past because of the increase in meds-resistant infections. When it comes to antibiotics and dog bites to other dogs, veterinarians sometimes do NOT prescribe antibiotics if the dog bite wounds get clipped cleaned promptly by the veterinary team. If signs of infection develop, then sure, you can get some antibiotics for your dog. However, this 10-year retrospective study out of Australia generated some interesting results about how antibiotics and dog bites get paired up, including sometimes under-dosing.

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    Behavioral Euthanasia and Dogs

    Those who follow us on social media and subscribe to our site via email already know that our long-term foster dog Forest got adopted, returned a month later, and required immediate behavioral euthanasia on July 7, 2023. As a dog attack survivor in late 2021 and a lifelong dog lover, you can imagine the avalanche of emotions about his death. Let’s look at such decisions because they’re more common than you might imagine.

  • The Problem With So-Called Common Dog Attack

    I explained before how often others’ words belittle or diminish a dog attack after it happens. Along with the ever-present “It could have been worse” from others, I received a note from animal control, telling me this was a “common dog attack.” That phrase sounded like “no big deal” to me, especially when paired with them disagreeing with my assessment that the dogs that attacked me and my youngest dog in late 2021 were dangerous. What is a common dog attack, anyway? I truly don’t believe this label on our experience is true. And, if it is, then beware because that means a crap-ton of dangerous dogs live in our communities. Here’s what I think.

  • Unexpected BS After Dog Attack

    In our ongoing discussion of the dog attack Mr. Stix and I survived in November 2021, let’s look at some full-blown baloney that happens. Hope you never *need to know this, but just in case, here you go. Learn more about some of the unexpected BS you may experience after dog attack (s). Post features both an infographic and details explaining my experience with each additional element of trauma.

  • Dog Attack Details Ready or Not

    Almost exactly 7 months ago 2 big dogs running loose in our rural mountain neighborhood attacked me and Mr. Stix. It happened the day before Thanksgiving 2021. The ongoing physical, emotional, and legal fallout from the trauma of the attempted murder of my youngest dog consumes a lot of time and energy and tanked my income. I still suffer from PTSD from the attack. I still experience physical pain from my injuries. Specific therapy for the PTSD resulted in a “cardiac event” in late March. I need to decide if I will resume that work or not — now that doctors have assessed the data from a heart monitor I wore for a while and now that I’ve been on a medication for 2 months to help with the anxiety and depression. Maybe I’m not ready to write about what happened, but since I wrote statements for animal control, prosecutors, and the judge, I can at least share some of that. Fair warning. It’s pretty brutal.

  • Dog Attack: 5 Things NOT to Say

    At some point, I’ll be able to write about how 2 loose / aggressive dogs attacked me and Mr. Stix from behind on our daily, neighborhood walk, without warning or provocation, in November 2021. Suffice it to say that it was terrible and traumatic. Yes, we were both injured. Yes, charges (or whatever you call them) have been filed.

    In something my personal development coach calls “empathy Tourettes,” many people say things that don’t help and actually make things much, much worse — especially when the trauma is still so fresh. The list will likely get longer over time, but here’s what I’ve got so far for things NOT to say after a dog attack.