dog depressed after getting hit by car
#237097 - 04/22/2009 02:48 PM |
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Hello,
I used to be on this site all the time when I first got my pup...this site was a wealth of information for me back then! Well, now I need some help again.
My 3 year old dog got hit by a car last Friday. We were visiting my in-laws and sitting out on the deck and my dog was romping around with the other German Short-hairs they have....having a ball. Well, my father-in-law came up the driveway and before I could say or do anything, my dog sprinted out from behind an evergreen and got hit by the tire. It was so scary...he yelped and limped off...I checked him out and could only see a few cuts on 1 of his legs. We took him to the local vet the next morning, the vet looked it over and said it was just cuts & gave us an antibiotic in case of infection. No xrays or tests.
So that was 5 days ago & my pup is still totally depressed. I'm not trying to humanize his emotions, but that's all I can say. He won't eat or drink unless I hand feed him to get him interested...then he'll take over. He just lays around the house...won't come and greet me at the door like he used to. My dog was a high level energy dog...hyper even! Now he seems, sad and sorry for himself. I've taken him on a couple walks and he seems nervous. He's still favoring that leg pretty bad and when we go on walks he seems to get better but we get back in the house & bam, he's laying around again. He just seems very sad and unsure of himself.
What can I do? Should I take him back to the vet? I'm worried about a bunch of expensive, unnecessary tests that I KNOW my vet will do. Any suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks in advance. This site has really helped me build a balanced dog, I hope this accident hasn't taken that away from me!!
Amy
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Re: dog depressed after getting hit by car
[Re: amy_daws ]
#237098 - 04/22/2009 02:53 PM |
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He is more likely in pain, than he is "depressed".
A morose demeanor is a good sign of pain in dogs.
Get the x-rays.
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Re: dog depressed after getting hit by car
[Re: Aaron Myracle ]
#237099 - 04/22/2009 02:59 PM |
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Re: dog depressed after getting hit by car
[Re: Angela Burrell ]
#237101 - 04/22/2009 03:04 PM |
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Frankly, I would take him to a vet within the hour.
The more I ponder, the more I fear all manner of injury.
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Re: dog depressed after getting hit by car
[Re: Aaron Myracle ]
#237102 - 04/22/2009 03:06 PM |
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Check his gum color and press your finger hard on his gums. they should be nice and pink and the color should return in <1 second after you press.
It certainly sounds like x-rays are indicated.
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Re: dog depressed after getting hit by car
[Re: Aaron Myracle ]
#237104 - 04/22/2009 03:10 PM |
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I third the xrays. The dog can't lay there and remember what happened to him, so he isn't being emotional about it, he's reacting to the present - which is probably pain. They will react according to OUR behavior too, so if you are treating him like there's something very wrong, he'll pick up on that. So you need to know!
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Re: dog depressed after getting hit by car
[Re: Lori Hall ]
#237106 - 04/22/2009 03:16 PM |
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I don't want to startle anyone but I used to run with our local ambulance and rescue squad as an EMT.
Any trauma such as that requires a FULL work up on humans to rule out internal injury. I don't see what that would be any different for a dog. It's possible he injured an internal organ or maybe slowly bleeding internally.
Again, I don't want to startle anyone but those are the things to be concerned about for a human. A dog is smaller and got hit with a lot of force - IMHO a workup is in order.
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Re: dog depressed after getting hit by car
[Re: Becky Shilling ]
#237107 - 04/22/2009 03:17 PM |
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His gums are still pink....and the pressure thing is good...they turn white then go right back to pink.
My husband thinks I'm worrying about nothing...he doesn't even think our dog needs to go to the vet....grrr! So annoying! He comes from a hunting family where dogs get hurt in the field and lick it clean. I'm sorry, but being hit by a pick-up is a tad different then getting caught in barb wire!!
Earlier my husband pushed down on his back rear end area and he said he yelped cuz he was surprised, but when he did it again there was no yelp. ?? So it's almost like he's just scared. Could we be babying him too much??? If something was broke, wouldn't we be able to tell??
...Regardless, I have an appt with the vet at 8:20 tomorrow morning, that was the earliest I could get in. I hope that's okay.
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Re: dog depressed after getting hit by car
[Re: amy_daws ]
#237108 - 04/22/2009 03:27 PM |
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The gums turning color back quickly is a GOOD sign.
You can't tell if something is broken inside. That's what tests are for. If it was a bone then yes you would be able to see a deformity (for bad cases and no deformity for a hair-line fracture) and it would be tender to the touch.
If it's tendon or ligament then you can't see that - tests are necessary.
If it's internal - tests are necessary.
So basically unless something is protruding from the skin where it shouldn't be - tests are necessary.
Someone else can chime in here as well - maybe someone that had something similar happen - dog hit by car.
I can recall a time from my childhood where our family dog was hit by a car and survived. He too just laid around for a couple weeks then was just fine (we did take him to the vet to rule out anything first).
So, if that situation is similar to yours then it's quite possible that this is all nothing to be worried about and will self-correct in a little time.
Just be sure before giving it "the little time".
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Re: dog depressed after getting hit by car
[Re: Peter Marek ]
#237110 - 04/22/2009 03:37 PM |
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Yes, absolutely, I agree with all of you. I am getting him checked...Xrays will be a great piece of mind. It's kind of annoying that that vet we took him to the morning after the accident didn't do anything in the first place! In my home town, my vet pushes for so many tests & vaccinations...I'm constantly arguing with her b/c I don't vaccinate the way most vets would like. But this guy was very short & quick about it all. Just a quick look over of the body, then the wounds & said, there's a little leakage on the cuts so I'll give you an antibiotic. Bam, that's all. What's the deal? I thought all vets are all about milking you for money! :P
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