My five month cocker spaniel puppy has just been bitten by a male golden retriever in the mouth area and there is a tooth mark above her eye.  I am just going to the vet to get her checked.  There was a lot of blood and puppy screaming, we rushed her straight to vet but there was no vet on duty in that, or the other two nearby affiliated practices, as they were all on lunch.  I have an appointment at 2.15 and am just going.  Puppy is quiet and her mum has cleaned the blood up, I am hoping all will be well physically.  My question is how to handle taking her back out again and meeting other dogs.  Obviously I want her to be able to meet other dogs again, so should I take her back out as normal, or should we baby her a bit, pick her up when other dogs come over, etc??  Please help as I don't want her to be nervous, she was previously a very friendly, gentle loving pup who loved to meet people and other dogs, so how should I handle this, please any advice appreciated.  (I think I am in shock myself!)

Take her out as normal. On no account pick her up when you see other dogs as you'll only a) make her think there's something to be afraid of, b) make the other dogs curious about why she's so high up and try to jump up to say hello and c) possibly make her aggressive by (physically) elevating her status. It's easier to say than to do (I know from when one of mine was picked up by a lurcher and shaken!), but just behave as if nothing's happened. Good luck.

Firstly good luck at the vets with her, I am sure she will be fine, vet will probably prescribe antibiotics as a precaution.

The last thing you should do is baby her.  Obviously you will want to protect her, but over protection will do more harm then good and make her very nervous of other dogs.

Do you know someone with very good temperament dogs?  If so I would meet up with them at the same location if at all possible.  Obviously if you see this Goldie again walk off quickly in the other direction, I will be surprised if they show there face for a while incase you present them with the vets bill.

IMO I would act completely normal when meeting other people and dogs, if your pup is on the lead, try not to tense up, he will pick up on it.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

Sandra

So sorry to hear that. Im sure she will be fine, especially if mum has had a good lick of her. Sounds like you have dealt with it perfectly so far and well done for thinking about going out again so quickly.

I agree with the other 2 posters. You need to show that theres nothing to be afraid of and she will pick up on this. Give her lots of TLC today and carry on with walks again as normal asap.

Good Luck

Just back from vets, thanks for the replies.  He could not look inside her mouth because she was in too much pain, but he looked all round and said everything was very bruised, etc and that she was in shock.  Nothing life threatening though and he gave her antibiotic injection and a pain killer/anti inflammatory injection.  He said eyelids and what he could see of gums were nice and pink, so not too much to worry about, thank God!  The tooth puncture near her eye was literally quarter of an inch away from actual eye, so we have been lucky there.  Taking her back tomorrow and he will try to look inside mouth, he said she would have needed a sedative for him to look today and she was too shocked for that.

Thanks for advice about the walking, etc, yes I will jolly her along on walks.  Interesting, while I was worrying about how she would react to big dogs again, we were waiting in vet waiting room and in walked two GSD one after the other and she wagged her tail and wanted to go over to them, so perhaps her emotional constitution is stronger than mine would be in that situation!  Anyway I have taken that as a good sign and when she has recovered I will take her out as usual and try not to baby her when we see other dogs.  Thanks everyone, I am so shaken up because she is such a sweet puppy, she hardly even play-bites us, all you have to do is say no and she looks sheepish and leaves you alone, so she really didn't deserve this!

Best wishes

So please the news looks good.  Thanks for letting us know.

She doesn't seem to be too affected by the trauma if she was wagging at other dogs, you might find the location has more of an effect.

Poor little thing, as you say she doesn't deserve that.

Lots of hugs and cuddles tonight, back to normal with her tomorrow ;)

Good news that there's no serious damage, and excellent that she was happy to say hello to the strange dogs at the vet. :) She must be a lovely puppy, so keep up the good work with the socialisation so you can both put this unfortuante event behind you.
:)

Hi yes thank God signs are looking good.  The other thing I am struggling a bit with is this:  the owner of the Golden Retriever is my friend and we were walking dogs together and although she feels bad and is concerned for my puppy, she has not said anything about contributing to vets costs and I think in her place I would offer to pay the lot!  How should I handle it, cos I think I will feel peeved if she does not at least offer to help and it will probably spoil our friendship (not that I begrudge my puppy any money for these fees myself).  The cost today was £40 and tomorrow it will probably be about the same, so we could be looking at about £100, not exactly peanuts!  What do others think, does she have the moral responsibility to contribute?  To be fair I haven't broached the subject to her, just sort of expected her to do it and feel surprised she has said nothing.

My doggy friends and I have always worked on the basis that, if our dogs have a scrap, we each pay the other's vet's bill. That way we're only paying for the damage our dog caused. This way we avoid apportioning blame ("well it was your dog started it!") which always spoils a relationship. Hope this helps.
:)

Hi,So glad that your puppy is not too hurt by the incident.
Your friend is probably feeling rather upset about the whole issue,but i would just speak to her and tell her that although your puppy isnt injured too much you were shocked at the resulting costs of the veterinary trips.
some people just dont think and need a gentle shove and it would be a shame to lose a friend over this.
Thats just my honest oppinion though and others may not agree.

Jonelle

I think she has a moral, legal and everything else responsibility of paying it never mind contributing :)  I think your friendship could suffer more if you seethe on without asking her.  Take the bull by the horns tell her the bill doesn't seem too bad considering the damage done and two consultations but you thought she would want to settle it for you perhaps in a couple of installments.

Hi

So relieved for you. The whole reason we love out littluns so much is because they totally amaze us with their courage and spirit just as yours has today. She sounds amazing.

With regards to your friend, you have 2 options. You can either grab the bull by the horns or you can, as suggested, drop the cost of the vets bill into the conversation. It all depends how friendly you are and how assertive you are in yourself.

Personnally, I would drop it into conversation and see if she offers to pay. If not, then you have the choice of whether to sever the friendship. I know what I would do. In any circumstance I would give her a few days as she is probably very shocked and upset herself and then see what happens. It may not have even occurred to her.

Good Luck :)

Hi, will your insurance not cover part of the cost? I know this is not the point but just thought, if your friend doesnt contribute towards the bill then at least if your insurance pays out you wont be left with the full wack :)

Unfortunately we don't have insurance, deciding to be our "own insurer" for better or worse, worse in this case!!  I think I will give her a couple of days to think about it and hope she does the right thing, then I will drop a hint, and if that doesn't work I will have to think about whether that is the sort of friend I want, but she is usually a decent person.  Thanks for all your advice and support, I was certainly shaken up and needed someone to talk to today and Champdogs came up trumps!

Hope your little one is recovering ok :)

My puppy is doing great tonight, really bounced back, incredible how resilient they are!  I have been able to gently look in her mouth this evening, there is a cut in the gum on one side, but she won't let me see the other side yet.  Her mum has been busy licking her and comforting her so that has been good therapy, just when I thought she had given up the mumsy thing.  It is so sad to see the damage to her little mouth and the baby teeth and half-cut adult teeth, I am still reeling with the thought I could have lost her.  Thanks for all your support, best wishes to all

Mums tongue will be the best antiseptic too!

Have you seen your friend since?

Hi, took pup back to vet today, he still couldn't see inside her mouth properly cos its too sore, but he had a feel round, gave her an antibiotic jab, plus tablets and we have to go back Monday as he says he must see inside properly in case of palate damage, etc.  However she is back to her normal self and apart from the sore mouth is fine.  My friend rang today to see how she was, and I dropped into the conversation the vets costs so far £66, plus visit to come on Monday and she did not get the hint and certainly did not offer to even contribute.  To be honest I feel hurt and rather ashamed of her, I know I would have acted differently had I been her and I feel she is putting a few pounds before our friendship because I have had all the stress and worry, my puppy has been injured, plus I have had all the financial cost for something her dog did.  It wasn't even as if it was an equal contest between two big dogs, this was nothing less than an "attack".  She is going on holiday for three weeks on Monday and for me this is the end of our friendship - I would rather have no friends than one like this!!  The best news though is that my little pup is fine and full of the joys of spring again, thank God.

So glad shes ok. Sad about your friend but like you say, is she the sort of friend you really want anyway?

Im sure you have the best friends you could ever want in your pup and her mum.

Best wishes xxx

So true, Caroline, I am fast coming to the conclusion that many others have reached before me that dogs are more lovable than people!!

csmad, isnt it humbling how dogs and puppies bounce back and are still trusting and loving after such an awful experience.  What has happened to your little one is my worse nightmare realised, Im what is refered to as an over protective parent, I try hard not to be.  What you have been through with your little one is awful and as for your "friend" I cant understand her reaction.  Do you think she is thinking ive got a 3 week holiday coming and need all my money for that, whatever her reason I too would have the same reaction as yourself you dont need friends like that.   Had it been my dog who done the attacking I would have paid for treatment and done all your housework for a month just from pure guilt.  At least your little one is okay and has you and her mum to look after her :-)

Thanks Leanne, yes the way she has bounced back is amazing, if I had been attacked like that I would still be hiding under the duvet!  I can't understand my friend either because she is certainly not hard up, nor would I have thought her an unfair person, before this incident that is.  I can't help thinking she would have expected me to pay if the roles had been reversed!  Well, you live and learn, maybe it is just something about me that makes people think they can treat me like a mug (paranoia setting in now ...)  As my husband says, we will pay for our pup to be made well ourselves, learn from the experience and move on.  She must be worrying now about the fact that she has a large, unpredictable dog on her hands, what if it is a child next time? At least my baby will be fine, that's my main concern and I won't be walking my dogs with that particular dog again.

I think your friend, or your ex friend has already paid her price, and thats losing a good friend like you! :)