Topic: Bad day at work - dog bite!

[Plekto]

Note to self:  Pay attention from now on!!

Heh.  Yeah, it was about the kids goofing around.  It's also why my son's NOT getting anything remotely new for his first car. 

[germ]

antibitoic that is giving me a gnarly case of the trots 

Go to your local health food store, and pick up some Lactobacillus Acidophilus wafers. They will help to replace the normal flora in the gut, and get rid of the squirts. Usually takes a day or two.

P.S. use a mixture of vitamin E oil and antiseptic (Neosporin works well) in equal parts while it heals to get rid of any major scars.

You could also pick up some Vit E capsules, poke a hole in one end and squeeze out the goop and rub it on the scar 2-3 times per day. Aloe Vera is also said to work. The magic is in the rubbing, not what you use. Try to go across the grain of the scar, because as scar tissue lays down, it falls into a jumble. By rubbing the tissue, it re-organizes it to lay down smooth. It takes about a year for a scar to fully form and heal, so you can rub the stuff on there for as long as your interested. Also, try to avoid sunburn, as it will alter the scar formation and make it more obvious. Wait until the sutures are out to start this though. While the sutures are in place, only antibiotic ointment should be applied.

Glad your OK. Could have been much worse. Looks like the ER doc did a decent job sewing you back together.

Erik

[kneedownnate]

Erik, I know you work in the medical field, but it never ceases to amaze me your level of knowledge! 

[fatt_matt]

What, for money?  Sue him?  I doubt it very much.  My medical care is being paid for by Worker's Comp insurance, and I am apparently not disabled.  The dog's owner has been a stand-up guy thus far, staying in contact with me and making sure that I am OK.  I believe he is genuinely concerned and not just covering his butt legally.

If I had suffered monetary losses, or loss of income or earning potential, or been permanently disfigured, I might feel differently.  But I have practically no pain and only minor hassles to deal with - such as an antibitoic that is giving me a gnarly case of the trots 

i was hoping you'd say this.. My old dog supposedly bit this person, and she had to be locked in our backyard with a muzzle, for 2 months, and we were sued. Eventhough no one knew it was our dog, because there were 3 identical black labs, if the kid was even bit at all...  glad there are good people like you today...

[blackdiamond]

I'm sorry to hear about this.

This story is a bit unsettling because my wife and I have a 6 month old rott pup that was 92 lbs at last weight check.  I think the standard is about 10 lbs per month so he will be a giant in his breed.  My wife did some research while in puppy class and found that rotts can range from happy-go-lucky/goofy to very protective and any mix in between.  We are very careful with him simply because his sheer size could hurt people when he's just playing.  On our walk last night a group of small kids took a look at him and said, "that's a BIG dog!"  Ironically there is a large dane on the street so they should be used to seeing large dogs.  We had him sit down, on a leash, before they could pet him.  So far he has shown no signs of agression towards anyone or anything, even other dogs eating his food and was once nipped on the nose by a larger dog and didn't even flinch.  I have been around other rotts in the past that were great dogs, but did have a side that demanded respect, it is possible he will develop that as he gets older but we are hopeful.  I won't put up with him if I consider him a risk to anyone it's simply not worth it.

Do you know if the dog had been fixed?  Male or female?  Find out if the owner had raised him from a pup.  One of the great rotts that I have been around was a friend to everyone but showed a strong dislike for black people.  We know she had been mistreated through the fence a time or two, once someone threw battery acid on her face, and we guessed it was an association thing with the person that was mean to her.

I new a guy with an Akita that was going to court because his dog had bitten a kid and the victims parent were trying to get the dog put down.  The dog was not agressive and the owner said it was a case of the kid picking at the dog over a long period of time and he reacted with a nip that nobody would have noticed had he not been a large dog.  He took responsibility for allowing the situation to occur, but didn't blame the dog for his actions.  If I remember correctly, the kid hugged his neck and choked him in the process.

Glad to find someone that isn't a lawsuit freak!  Thanks for being reasonable.

[germ]

Erik, I know you work in the medical field, but it never ceases to amaze me your level of knowledge! 

  Aw shucks, now your going to go make me blush.....This is what I do (medicine). Glad to share some of my insight with others when possible.

I'm just trying to help out a 4-wheeling pal.

Erik

[te51levin [OP]]

You could also pick up some Vit E capsules, poke a hole in one end and squeeze out the goop and rub it on the scar 2-3 times per day...<snip>...Also, try to avoid sunburn, as it will alter the scar formation and make it more obvious...<snip>...Glad your OK. Could have been much worse. Looks like the ER doc did a decent job sewing you back together.

Thanks for the suggestions.  The doc seemed to be pretty confident - not cocky, just seemed at ease and familiar with what he was doing.

So far he has shown no signs of agression towards anyone or anything...<snip>...I won't put up with him if I consider him a risk to anyone it's simply not worth it.

Do you know if the dog had been fixed?  Male or female?  Find out if the owner had raised him from a pup...

Glad to find someone that isn't a lawsuit freak!  Thanks for being reasonable.

Interesting comments.  I believe I remember hearing the owner say that the dog was neutered, and I know he's had him since pupdom (six weeks, I think he said) and that he's never shown any signs of aggression in the past.  I may have just smelled too much like a ham sandwich and made him hungry...but during the course of my treatment a number of people have mentioned, anecdotally, that Rottweilers have a reputation for turning aggressive rather suddenly.  I don't know whether statistically there's anything to that or not.  Needless to say it's a breed I won't be going out of my way to adopt.

As long as I heal up (which is going well so far) and the scarring is minimal, I can't see any reason to sue.  All it would do is break the dog's owner by transferring some of his assets to two lawyers and their employees.  Lawyers already have more money than the owner and I do, so there's no net benefit.

I'm just trying to help out a 4-wheeling pal.

I do appreciate it, even though  I don't actually have anything off-roady yet.  I'm just here for the beer and the tech, mostly.  Plus sometimes it's actually easier to keep in touch with family (kneedownnate and Stocker in this case) via forums than through direct contact since they're all out of state.

   Thanks again for the help.  Shouldn't be much uglier than I started when all is said and done!

[blackdiamond]

I think statistically Cocker Spaniels are one of the most "aggressive" dogs based on bites.  They're just not big enough to really cause damage.

[BLACKDOG]

Erik, I know you work in the medical field, but it never ceases to amaze me your level of knowledge! 

  I know you're in medicine, but you seem to know EVERYTHING!!  jeez!! 





bd,  I have a friend who had a rottweiler for many years.  When the pup was young, his mom took it to aggressive/large breed specific (Rott, Pitt, Dobie, etc. ) training.  Basically the class was designed for any type of dog that is too big to be thrown off/kicked off by the average person.  you may want to look into some training classes like that.  The training stressed structure in the dogs life, and also strict obedience in all forms of commands.  According to the trainer, if a dog understands that it doesn't "have" to sit when ordered, its not as likely to follow commands in a more tense situation (it's just been kicked, or something like that)  When my friend's dog was done its training, if you told it to sit, it would sit until otherwise told too, even with food in front of it, out in the rain, etc.  (it was always kind of funny to look outside and see the dog sitting in the yard because you told him to sit and didn't release him )  The dog was trained in all sorts of commands, and my friend's whole family was trained in reining him in if hit the fan (going from simply tugging the leash to hitting specific pressure points that would put the dog on the ground immediately in a worse case scenario) 

  if they have anything like that where you are, it may be something to look into though.  The class was expensive, but I guess where we lived (OK) the city and the SPCA would give scholarships to reduce the cost. 

[germ]

I know you're in medicine, but you seem to know EVERYTHING!!  jeez!! 

I don't want the reputation as a F**king know it all! Hope it doesn't come across that way....

[BLACKDOG]

I don't want the reputation as a F**king know it all! Hope it doesn't come across that way....

Not at all!!    Its great to have you as a resource

  sorry if it sounded wrong.  Its more of a

[blackdiamond]

Rufus, see picture below, has been through a puppy obedience class and will start the next level in January.  He listens really well most of the time.  He is finally getting "down" and often skips the "sit" out of laziness knowing what comes next.  I really believe that the vast majority of rotts never have the episode that this thread was based on, BUT that doesn't mean owners don't need to be careful about allowing a situation to develop and to be realistic about the potential.

[79coyotefrg]

  Prissy  can kick  Rufus's butt 

[79coyotefrg]

least ways if  he lays down  so she can reach it 

[germ]

Not at all!!    Its great to have you as a resource 

  sorry if it sounded wrong.  Its more of a 

No, it didn't come across that way, I just know how annoying people who think they know it all are to those of us who do......Just kidding!!!!

Sorry to hijack the thread. I will now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion.

Erik

[germ]

I think any dog is capable of doing what this rot did. I've seen tons of dog bites come thru my ER, and the most common thread is that the parent/owner keeps repeating that they can't believe THEIR dog did this, cause s/he wouldn't hurt a fly. Dogs are instictive by nature, and even though we can train them to a certain extent, they will always revert back to their instincts when put in a situation that stresses them, whether it's that they feel threatened, are in unfamiliar surroundings, their injured or what-ever. I think Rot's get a somewhat unfair label, simply because they are easily trained to be agressive, and alot of people will encourage this behavior.

Erik

[blackdiamond]

I think Rot's get a somewhat unfair label, simply because they are easily trained to be agressive, and alot of people will encourage this behavior.

Erik

I partially agree with you one this.  Rotts and German Shepherds are both commonly used as Police dogs and also a "thug" dogs.  I find it interesting that Rotts get a worse reputation that Shepherds in general, maybe because they are not as smart...Rotts are not always the smartest of dogs.  I don't know that Rotts are "more easily" trained to be agressive than other dogs, they were bread to be herding dogs.  Germans seemed to like dogs that would heard you into a corner and then guard you which would explain the Police dog benefits of both breeds.  "Thugs" certainly are not going to get a poodle for their junk yard dog.

Pit Bulls get blamed for everything even though I have never personally met a nasty one, but if not for them Rotts would probably be rock bottom in the opinon of the general public.

[germ]

So, lets see an after shot of how things are healing!

Hope all is well

Erik

[Yota Up]

You sound like a good guy and so does he.

To simply argue the point however(because I'm bored):  The lawsuit would fail because you approached the window and made contact with the dog and that was not required by your job.  If it was required by your job to reach into that window, you'd be suing your employer, not the guy anyway.  Defense lawyer says "The dog was doing his job of protecting the change in the ashtray from your sticky fingers".   HA ha.  Ok, too much fun.  Back to serious---

Hope you heal up good.  Chicks dig scars, so it's a double-edged twinkie.

I pronounce you....."FANG".  And I owe you a steak and a beer anytime I see ya.

[blackdiamond]

How about an update?

I'm been doing some reading about rottweilers and it amazing how many subtle signs there can be that people miss that could warn of potentially dangerous situation.  The sad part is that many people, and I'm not judging the owner of the dog that encountered, don't recognize the signs of dominance.  I'm sure it can be important with all breeds, but with large dogs it becomes more important.  Below are a couple of examples of indications that you dog doesn't look at you as the "boss" or pack leader.

(1) If your dog run in and out doors before you, or without your specific permission. - We are working with Rufus so that he sits at the door and gate until we give a verbal ok.

(2) If you dog is protective of its food, toys or treats. - We are careful about controlling these items and removing them if necessary.

I was just reading this morning that growling is a sign that the dog is uncomfortable with the current situation in some way (thank you captain obvious), but rotts can even give the same signal when they are looking back (eyes darting) and forth between something and their owner.  It's difficult to explain which is why it would be easy to miss.  There was a couple of really subtle signs that I have never heard of that I can't remember right now.

I actually got Rufus to sit and lay down with hand signals while I was sitting on the living room couch and he was watching me from the back deck looking through the sliding glass door.  He was a good 25 feet away!  We didn't realize that he understood the signals that well.

[kneedownnate]

I saw him at the first of the year and didn't notice any scars.  I didn't even remember until after he'd already taken off, so if there are scars they must not be too bad!  Personally, any decent scar I've got takes quite a while to fade anyway.

[te51levin [OP]]

How about an update?

Ehh, not so bad.  You can see the scar, but it doesn't stand out, and I don't have complete strangers walking up to me and asking "Dude..what HAPPENED to your FACE?" anymore    I still look about as doughy and harmless as ever, no glory, no badass battle-hardened look or anything.

But thanks for the concern just the same! 

[topar]

Sorry this happened to you.  Glad you handled it the way you did  to you.  As far as a name will lets see It was a Rotwiller and you got the trots so logically it would have to be Rotytrot!  Thank you I will be here all week. 

[kneedownnate]

Thank you I will be here all week. 

That made me

[46&2]

Pit Bulls get blamed for everything even though I have never personally met a nasty one, but if not for them Rotts would probably be rock bottom in the opinon of the general public.

I think there are just trends. I remember when I was younger there was a big thing about Rots being the big bad human killers and they should be banned and all that BS because they were the most popular big dog at the time. Over time Pitt Bull breeds rose to be very popular and then they became the scapegoat of the dog world. I remember buying all that crap as a child because I was chased by a Rott when I was pretty young as I rode down the street on my bmx bike, and so the media and that experience made me hate them. Only after I got older and met other rotts that were way cool did I realize there was no truth to any of it and I was just being ignorant. Any dog has the potential to be dangerous and one must always be aware of this. the problem is that people get these weird agendas against dog breeds based on a few bad cookies and just run with it. I am sure there are nasty attacks by many other breeds besides rotts or pitts that inflict very serious injuries on people, but do not gain national head lines because they are not pitt bulls. The words "Pitt Bull" draw a crowd just like "Britney Spears" over shadows school shootings and the war in the middle east.