my chow chow bit me and I had to get stitches

sharimac · Post by **sharimac** » Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:18 am

HI, I am a new member to this group. My 7.5 year old chow had both rear knee TPLO surgery due to ACL ruptures, surgery was 4 years ago. He is an active chow chow and we hike for 45mins to and hour everyday. I took him for a longer hike one day and after that hike he began to limp. I took him to the vet and they did X-rays and said he has severe osteoarthritis in both front legs. He also tested positive for anaplasmosis. They put him on doxy and rimadyl. I elected to give him rimadyl only for a couple of days due to the bad press it has received. I put him on cetyl-m and he started to get better. On labor day I took him for a short walk and he seemed in good spirits rolling in the grass on his back etc. When he rolled on his injured side, He started yelping and crying. I went to help him up and he bit my face. It was devastating for me. I had to go to the ER and have stitches in my lip as it was ripped open. The next few days I was afraid to pet or touch him. I hired a pet trainer as I have before and I went back to all the training programs that I have done in the past etc etc.. alpha pack leader rules that I had become relaxed on.. He was better for 6 weeks and now he is limping again. I have to take him to animal emergency tomorrow. Im so nervous as he has anxiety going there since he has been there so much due to the double knee surgeries and double entropian surgeries/cherry eye. I have relaxed on all the training since the dog can barely move around.. was wondering if there is any one who has experienced this and any a dice besides the obvious alpha training. thanks

Fozzbear · Post by **Fozzbear** » Thu Oct 25, 2012 1:08 pm

Your dog obviously bit you because it was in pain so I dont think that you need to do anything other than be consistent with your alpha/pacl leader training. I think the priority must be your dogs health/pain management. So sorry to hear that this has happened and you are having such medical problems

Sarahloo · Post by **Sarahloo** » Thu Oct 25, 2012 1:34 pm

Fozzbear wrote:Your dog obviously bit you because it was in pain

Yes, that is quite obvious! It had nothing to do with him trying to be the alpha. It was a shock reaction he had no control over and that wasn't in any way personal.

Don't be nervous about going to the vet, it will only make your Chow even more nervous. Stay calm and and act positive, and it won't be so difficult for your dog. After all, you're getting help there, so it's really a good thing that you're at the vet's.

Victory · Post by **Victory** » Thu Oct 25, 2012 2:30 pm

Here are two things you need to realize. At his age he is a senior chow now. With his previous health history, long walks are going to become a thing of the past. A sick elderly chow needs a slightly different approach than a younger healthy (or almost healthy) one. I don't know for sure, but I'll bet when he was yelping and limbing in pain, rushed to his aid? This was not the correct reaction even if it is instinctive on your part. If a chow is in enough pain to yelp continusously, they are in GREAT pain. What should have happened is that you calm him from a distance, talking to him calmly, (not allowing your own anxiety to show) approach slowly and continue to speak calmly, don't try to touch until he was calm and laying down, then slowly and gently reach for him.

Pain causes an adrenline reaction, in people and in canines, for a dog this can last a bit longer and cause aggressive behavior from panic. It doesn't mean that he was suddenly agressive, it means he was in severe pain and didn't know how to react.

The same is true for future vet visits, you need to get his pain under control, for joint issues this may entail several visits to the vet and medication regimes. Have the vets prescribed cosequin with the NAIDS? It can help. But get the prescription, not the human suppliment, (it is cheaper and some people try it) because the human one is un-regulated and may not have enough of the actual ingredients in it. The animal prescriptions are regulated and therefore must contain a certain amount of the main ingredient.
Caring for an elderly pet who is subject to pain requires immense amounts of patience, understanding, watchfulness and calmness. Don't fear that he's becoming agressive, he's not, he's just confused, scared and in pain. What he needs now is a lot of support and comfort from you.

Rory's Dad · Post by **Rory's Dad** » Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:34 pm

I have to agree with the responses. Unfortunate as it is, you experienced a pain reaction and not an aggression issue.

sharimac · Post by **sharimac** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 1:41 am

I really appreciate everyones responses to my post. I have been super depressed about this as I ADORE my chow chow and don't want to fear him. He is personality plus!!! We are off to the vet this morning so I will post what they find!

Victory · Post by **Victory** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 1:27 pm

sharimac wrote:I really appreciate everyones responses to my post. I have been super depressed about this as I ADORE my chow chow and don't want to fear him. He is personality plus!!! We are off to the vet this morning so I will post what they find!

I'm glad we could help. Keep us posted on his condition. Many of us have cared for an aging chow with joint and other problems, while we may not be able to help you medically, we are here for support.

Chowmomma · Post by **Chowmomma** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 2:46 pm

I lost my 16 year old chow this year and she was arthritic and when she was in pain she would snap anytime I tried to pick her up, but in no way was she ever what I would call aggressive to me...

They can sense any fear or hesitation so just remember to just keep on caring for him as you always would, he needs to feel secure and know that you aren't uneasy

Think about how a human acts when something hurts us...grumpy and snappy .

Good luck and let us know!

Terrina Harris · Post by **Terrina Harris** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 4:28 pm

For your Chow's pain ask your Vet about Gabapenton. I have used it for 2 of my guys. Also if you have a Vet in the area that does acupuncture, that also is another good way to go.

sharimac · Post by **sharimac** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:50 am

My vet suggested plasma platelet therapy... anyone know about this. He has been doing well with cetyl m and doxy for 2 weeks..then out of the blue yesterday back to hobbling around and extremely lame. I have him on glucosamine, msm, omega... He can hardly get up and cries.. its killing me.

Cam Atis · Post by **Cam Atis** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:25 am

Next time when your chow is in pain, stand back and think logically before attempting to help him asap. Make sure he sees how you are going to approach him and NEVER touch the leg that is affected because dogs bite when in pain unless they trust you and will suffer the pain instead of biting. but you'll never know. Soothing words while approaching works wonders. Don't immediately lift him off. Scary stuff you have had. And bad publicity too for chows but it can happen to any breed - dog people knows that.

Glucosamine, msm, omega are all food supplements. There are no definitive studies that supports such claims, say 20 year study on them. But it doesnt hurt to try them. They are the latest hype. Just saying. Tried and tested are pain relievers to alleviate the pain he is in.
What do you mean by DOXY? is that for Doxycycline?

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my chow chow bit me and I had to get stitches

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