Do I not understand correctly?


  • Just a 'my opinion' on the swollen foot. I find the feet sometimes take time for the swelling to come down. When Rose had half her pad ripped off it took the better part of about two weeks before she would even put it down on the ground. Took about a month to heal pretty good. When Sugar and Damisi had a tussle and Sug got her leg bit, that was also the better part of a week before I started to notice any improvement. I think the legs/feet just take a bit of time because of the lack of fat on them.

    I, too would be looking for another vet. Accidents can and do happen and not always are the aggressive dog accidents.


  • Arlene, thanks for the input…feet/legs do seem different...he does however seem pleased with the special treatment and with getting to sleep on the couch snuggled in a down comforter watching animal planet ( I am a sucker I know!)

    Definitely finding a new vet, it all so silly to make a play accident into such a dramatic deal...


  • I should add that Oakley was an absolute gem when it came to interacting with the other basenjis. His playdate was actually a test to see if he would accept another basenjis presence around his mom. Not only did he, but I am sad to admit I didn't exist…lol..

    So now that I know better how he is around them that will likely play a big role in possibly getting a pup this season...along with mentally preparing myself and of course financially accepting another BIG responsibility..
    I must be crazy!


  • I will say that I was told (by an ER MD doc and my vet) NOT to use ointment (neosporin, etc.) in a puncture wound. I've used both witch hazel (which is a pain free natural astringent - an alternative to betadine) and hydrogen peroxide for the puncture itself and then around the wound use neosporin. Once the wound has closed and the healing has started, then I use neosporin on the actual wound. The doctor told me that punctures can get infected if ointment is put in it.

    Is the wound on his foot hot to the touch?


  • I didn't know about the witch hazel…I used hydrogen peroxide and was told I could also use saline would wash...and I too was told not to put anything into the wound itself...he has two punctures, one on each side of his hock...to my surprise I got home to take him to the vt an he is walking and running just fine and the swelling has subsided a good deal. I actually cancelled the vet, there's no odor, the wounds are starting to close already an I've been checking for heat and there is none...looks like I'm going to keep a good eye on and assess if we should need a vet should something change...I'm a happy momma


  • I use hydrogen peroxide all the time for puncture wounds, on horses, dogs, or cats. And I put it right into the wound with a syringe. They don't like it much, but it bubbles out any debris from the wound and cleans it out thoroughly. I had to do this with a horse that had an abscess once, and I can tell you by the second day he sure saw me coming! Had to use a lip chain to get it done, but it healed up nicely and he didn't hate me forever. You want a puncture to heal from the inside out, you do not want it closing up prematurely. More likely to get infection that way.

    I have also used this method on a dog with an anal gland abscess. It also healed well, without incident.


  • Okay, as explained, they don't have to just give you an Rx… in fact, it's probably against all sorts of ethics to do so. The wound might need flushing, it might need a drain, whatever. For a vet to just call it in would be far more of a sign of a bad vet to me than one who did unless they truly know you for many years and have experienced your competency. The threat to call animal control however, yeah not a vet I would use again.

    That said, the 2nd vet who actually SAW the bite, wth? Puncture wounds should almost always go with prophylactic antibiotics. I really WOULD complain they didn't give you a script at the time and insist on one now.


  • Because of the over prescripting of anti-bacterias, doctors and vets are refraining from the 'shotgun' treatments of wounds, or prescribing the antibiotics that used to be good for almost anything. MRSA, or antibacteria resistant staf infections are all too common now. Don't fault the vet for not simply giving you the antibiotic without a visit.


  • There might be a possibility that if a vet feels the dog bite your pet suffered was severe enough, they might feel the need to report it. Also the possibility of complications, including rabies, could be at the root of any vet's concern. While we are not saying your vet was correct in their statement or behavior, we are saying there might have been underlying reasons for it. Vets get sued just like anyone else. It stands to reason they want to minimize any possibility of that happening. One would think, a good vet would want to know any and all information about the other animal and its current health that was involved.

    We are think its very possible that your vet was attempting to be careful. In addition, unless you spoke with your vet directly, the statement made in regard to animal control could have come from his front office staff. We have experienced this ourselves, when someone who was in the front office felt they had the authority and without their knowledge spoke for the Vet and their opinion.


  • It was the office staff, while I've had some issues with the vets most always it the staff that are "too big for their britches"…I don't fault them for not prescribing the antibiotic...I'm just more frustrated about the situation as a whole, from the weekend vet visit to having to leave work, the persistence/bullying about the incident...just "over it"...and luckily for me Oakleys doing wonderful, swelling is almost gone, he's running around, and I've been able to get a better look at the depth of the punctures and they are fairly superficial...little depth, and are healing...I think he is past the point of infection but I'm still cleaning it...I have started looking for another vet...anyone's whose followed posts from me knows I've had issues with this practice, I thought if I just exclusively saw one vet from it that issues would stop but it hasn't....the benefits of them seeing a lot of basenji's really isn't compensating for the care....


  • @tanza:

    As far as getting bullied… I would never put up with that and would be looking for a new Vet...

    Yup, me too. There needs to be a communicative and overall good relationship with your animals and your vet(s).


  • I once had the receptionist at the vets where I go (we were arguing about sedation for an OFFA x-ray, I refused, she said I HAD to) tell me that if I didn't like it to go somewhere else. I called the vet directly and told him what she said to me, and informed him that I would take my five dogs and (at that time) 3 cats and he would lose all my business. I stated HE was the vet and if that decision about the sedation was further required, he would be the one to make it or tell me to go elsewhere. (I liked the vet by the way, he's good with the animals, listens to what I have to say, gives me his opinion and is willing to work with me and learn) Funny how nice she became to me after that. We get along great now.

    While the receptionist may be frontline and know what is going on, she/he is not a vet and doesn't know what is going on with your animal-only you do. I don't think anyone needs to worry what the frontline staff thinks or does, as long as the vet knows. Leave it to the vet to talk to his staff. But, since you weren't thrilled with the vet either, I would find another one. Just becuase a vet knows a certain breed, doesn't mean they are always good either. This one had never treated a basenji before, but he had a willingness to learn about them when I first came to him. So now, he not only has mine, he also has a fellow breeders to deal with and she has over 10. Just willing to learn and being good expanded his client base. It's a smart man/woman who realizes this.

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