Having your dog attacked by another dog whilst out on a walk is every owner’s worst nightmare – but that’s exactly what happened to five-year-old Cavapoo Barney recently. Owner Mrs B explained: “He was on an extended lead, but not too far away – when suddenly a big dog came out of nowhere and went for him. He kept attacking Barney – I just couldn’t stop him.”
Mrs B immediately knew that Barney had been seriously injured and took him straight to her local vet, who initially treated the wound. His next appointment was not until the following week, but Barney’s owner knew that something wasn’t right and that Barney needed to be seen urgently. “His wound had become badly infected, and I knew if he wasn’t seen quickly, we might lose him. Purely by chance, a friend had come to visit and I was telling her all about Barney and how worried I was about not seeing the vet till the following week. She is registered with Animal Trust in Bolton and she advised me to call them. It’s the best thing I ever did – they told me to bring him in within an hour. I honestly don’t think he’d have made it if I hadn’t been able to take him there,” she explained.
Barney was initially seen by ECC vet Leanna, who operated on him to debride (remove the infected skin surrounding the wound) the huge hole that the attack had left in his side. He was hospitalised for a couple of days and during that time, his long-term care was handed over to RVN Amy, who specialises in wound management. “Barney was able to go home after a few days, but he had to come back every day for four days so that I could assess the wound, redress it and administer medication. He was such a lovely patient and very brave. It was also an extremely interesting case for me personally and I will use it for training purposes going forward. But the most important thing is that he’s fully recovered and his wound has completely healed,” said Amy.
Mrs B said: “It’s been an awful time, but thanks to Animal Trust, we’ve got through it. I honestly can’t thank Leanna and Amy enough for everything they’ve done. Everyone at Bolton has been absolutely amazing – from the front of house staff as you go in, to the clinical staff who helped Barney. He normally hates going to the vet but now when I say we’re going to see Amy – he starts wagging his tail! It’s such a relief to have him safe and well again – it’s like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Thanks to Animal Trust, we’ve got Barney back – we’ll be staying with them forever,” she added.
If your pet is involved in a serious incident, you can contact your nearest Animal Trust emergency surgery to get them seen by a vet.
