Horrible start to my birthday.. :( Poor Kaedyn..

[binka_nugget]

I was at work at my 2nd job tonight. I got a call from my sister telling me Kaedyn and Keeva got in a fight. She said it was really bad.. Kaedyn peed and was crying until he had a disgusting amount of goop in his eyes. He has a small, but most likely deep, wound on his neck/jawline area. He must have been terrified! My little man is a warrior and has never showed fear. He is the biggest small dog you will ever meet. To hear that he was crying and soiled himself broke my heart. I immediately gave him some loving when I got home. I've only ever seen him this sad once.. when he was at the shelter. This might even beat that.

I feel so awful for not being there. I know I can't prevent dogs from being dogs.. scuffles are bound to happen. And as much as I'd like to be home with the dogs, I have to pay the bills. But still, I feel horrible. I can't afford to get him stitches either. I took out a loan to get Kai's surgery a few months back. I'm still paying that off. My credit card only has $500 on it.. not nearly enough for stitches and living expenses until my next payday. Keeva's last round of stitches cost $700+. I feel awful. My little man is still going to the vets tomorrow but I will have to bypass the stitches. I can only afford a cleanup and antibiotics.. hopefully it will still heal nicely as it's not a wide wound. :(

I always said I'd never rehome my dogs.. my dogs are my family members. I love Keeva so much but Kaedyn was here first. It's not fair that he's in the state he's in now. It's still not a serious consideration yet but it's in the back of my mind now.. god forbid if Keeva and Kaedyn keep fighting like this, she will have be rehomed :( I will do my best to prevent any further fights though.. the Shelties and Keeva will be seperated when I'm at work. I will start feeding Keeva in a seperate room..

[joycenalex]

i am so sorry this is happening for your dogs

[chocolatepuppy]

Oh Ashley, I'm so sorry. I hope Kaedyn is ok.:( I feel your pain. I never dreamed the problems adding a third dog could cause.:rolleyes: And when one of the two fighting is bigger than the other, it's scary. :( Hopefully you can work something out to keep Kaedyn safe.

[Ginger's Mom]

I am so sorry to hear this, Ashley. I hope that Kaedyn is feeling better today. Give him some hugs for me.

[Freedom]

That is so sad, and frustrating! I know with my cats, I just want them to live in harmony, don't care if they aren't best buddies, just NO FIGHTS.

Prayers for Kaedyn to feel better and heal up fine.

Keeva, please contain yourself!!

[Taz_Zoee]

I am so sorry your birthday is going like this. :( I hope Kaedyn is feeling better soon. And you are doing everything possible to keep harmony in the house. I'm sure you will find a solution so you will not have to rehome Keeva. (I am sure hoping for you)

Please give Kaedyn lots of loves and try to enjoy your birthday a little.

[sasvermont]

Gosh, I understand your concern as I have been in your situation, only difference being with cats and not dogs.

I brought in a cat, one that I thought was going to do just fine, and it turned out that he, the newcomer, was a dominant male and continually fought with my older cat, Miley. I spent hundreds of dollars at the vet, getting Miley fixed up from the attacks. I just couldn't continue. I was going crazy.

I spent weeks finding just the right home for the male cat. I ended up selecting a woman living several states away from my home. I drove Ti, the kitty, to her home. It was and is the perfect place for him. I was so sad to give him up, but it was for the only option at the time. He is happy now, my home went back to being mostly peaceful. It was the right decision.

It sounds as though you could use some peace of mind and I think you may want to consider re-homing. Good homes are out there, you just need to take your time and be very selective. Luck also comes in to play here, and I wish you much of it right now.

I know how tight money is for many of us, and it is stressful thinking about one more vet bill along with the increase in everything else - and then working yourself to the bone. I worry about my pets and just getting the annual check ups, coming up soon. I am hoping that prices at the vet will drop a little as the economy goes down the tubes. We need a break in some expenses, soon.

The only free advice I can give you medically speaking is that drug stores carry a product that is wonderful for cuts and wounds, called Benedyne (sp). I use it for myself as well. I think it is the stuff the Drs. use when doing surgery etc. They swab the area with the stuff. Looks like Iodyne.... but does wonders keeping the area clean and cleans up the uglies. I learned about it when one of my bunnies, bit the hell out of the other and the wounds were not able to be stitched. The vet had me put the Benedyne on the wounds and wow, they cleared up nicely. I used it a couple of times. I have only one bunny now, so no more wounds!

Keep us posted - I hope things calm down for you.

Re-homing takes some real soul-searching, time and energy, and luck, but sometimes it is the best for you and your pet. Pets can be very forgiving if allowed to thrive in another environment.

[IRescue452]

I'm sorry to hear. Maybe you should crate them even if somebody else is home, provided they aren't really paying attention to the dogs as you would.

[Husky_mom]

I´m so sorry.... poor Kae....

so hard.... so sad... but you´ll do best for all... lets´just hope things get solved and no more fights arise...

Keeva.... behave!!...

[binka_nugget]

Thank you everyone. My little man is doing better today. His spirits have picked up a little but I can tell he's still not feeling quite himself. I put the Shelties in the basement (they get along famously and can't stand to be apart). Keeva has the entire upstairs to herself. When I had Nancy do a reading on Kaedyn, she said he just wants more time to rest and be an old dog.. without the "annoying young puppy" around. So hopefully this'll keep them safe and make him a little happier.

I'm taking Kaedyn to the vet after work today. Having an injury-prone Malinois, I'm certain he'll heal just fine. Keeva has had worse with little to no treatment other than keeping it clean. His wound isn't quite as bad.. I just worry about infection because it's deep and in such a central location. I will update you all as soon as we're back tonight :)

Sas: Thank you for your encouraging words. I don't feel like I've exhausted my options yet. Hopefully it won't come down to it because Kee and I are making a lot of progress with her training.. but if it needs to be done, I'd make sure it's the right home so that everyone, including her, is happy. :)

[pitc9]

Oh... I'm so sorry to hear this... I hope things work out and everyone can stay where they are!

[Daisy and Delilah]

OMG!! This is terrible. I'm sorry to hear this. I hope all will be normal soon. Maybe a later Happy Birthday celebration? {{{{{HUGS}}}}}:)

[Twisterdog]

Dog fights among your own dogs are one of the worst things to deal with, because you feel SO bad for the one that got the worst of it, yet you love the one that did the damage, too.

I just went through this exact thing last month. I rescued an ACD/border collie cross last Christmas, we found her wandering in a truck stop parking lot. Someone had dumped her. I had no intention of keeping her, but we just fell in love with her. She is the sweetest dog, but jealous and not used to other dogs. It should have been against my better judgement to keep her, but our hearts were talking louder than our heads.

We had a few scuffles, but nothing major, until last month. Then, my three female terriers ganged up on her, and beat the snot out of her. So, a thousand dollar vet bill later, she lived, but the aggression level was seriously ramped up around our house. We kept her in the living room away from the other dogs while she was healing, but that couldn't go on.

The vet tech who took care of her for her week of in-clinic ICU just fell in love with her. She has one old, mellow dog and has been looking for a year for the "perfect" second dog. Apparently, Karma was the one. So, I gave her to Stacey, and it's been a perfect situation. I miss her very much, but it's for the best.

I also found a home for one of the terriers involved in the attack. Same thing - we took two pups and their mother from a nasty BYB. Found a home for the mother, but my husband wanted to keep the puppies, "for the boys". Well, the boys are 15 and 17, and frankly could care less about puppies, they are into cars and girls now. I should have put my foot down, because from 4 weeks of age I could tell this puppy had very little canine social sense and was quite aggresive. In this dog fight, she was not just fighting, she was literally trying to kill Karma, she pretty much ripped her throat out. If I would have been one minute slower breaking up the fight, she would have killed her. Ugly. I gave her to a wonderful couple who own a ranch, where she can be an only house dog. Working out great.

So, I feel your pain very freshly. But, let me assure you, IF you do have to re-home your dog, the fact that all dogs and people involved are happier and in a better situation makes the loss bearable. Sometimes it's just the right thing to do.

[ramanth]

I'm so sorry they had a fight and hurt Kaedyn. :( Hope he heals up soon.

[Kfamr]

I, too, know how you feel. Nala and Mufasa got into it the other day. Moo's got a pretty decent puncture wound on his leg. I've been keeping it clean.

The vet wanted to give Nala stiches when she busted her lip, but I couldn't afford them, so I just went with antibiotics and keeping it clean myself. Turns out she healed perfectly fine without stitches.

Hugs to Kaedyn and Keeva (and Kai too!)

[Giselle]

HUGS.


Do NOT feel bad. When food is involved, the gloves are off and the dogs are crated. I don't care how many years they've been living together and how well they get along during all other times of the day. I don't care. When resources are involved, the dogs are supervised like a hawk/confined.

At least Kaedyn isn't a greyhound, or else you'd have this one your hands:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/LSophie/IMG_2997-1.jpg
This was Ivy's first and only scuffle with Giselle, but she has had *many* scuffles with Lucky. We know what Ivy's triggers are and how she'll react. Is she sorta "not right" in the head? A little, but we know that and we made a commitment to her. She's workable and managable, and, for all of that, we just can't give her up.

MANY hugs to you. I definitely feel your pain!

[mr.chiwawa]

Hugs and kisses go out to you and the pup. I am sure all will turn out to be just fine in the end. :love:

[binka_nugget]

The vet visit went pretty well. The vet said she only spotted one new wound. It was inside his ear, which is probably why he was whining. The other two I found looked old. One was scabbed over but looked like it was aggrevated in the fight, and the other was trying to heal but had puss and hair in it. She flushed them out and said they both should heal fine on their own. All I need to do is keep it clean and give him his meds.. he should heal up fine. :)

We did, however, find out that he needs a tooth removed, and a dental cleaning. I knew it was coming but again, I've been so caught up in paying past vet bills that I really couldn't afford to do this right away. It's not super urgent so I have time to save the $700..

My vets must love me. :rolleyes::D

[Lori Jordan]

I know exactly what you are going through,My Lacy and Molly have had there rounds at eachother too,Things are better now but i now know what to look for and when they get grumpy with one another i remove them from the situation immediatly.Molly and Lacy are never left alone when we are not here,I dont take that chance anymore.

I said too that i would rehome Molly but i just could not come to terms of not having her around.It has been months since there last skwable so things seem to be working out.

Hugs to Kaedyn and Keeva hopefully this is there first and last fight!

[dreamparkingspace]

Tatum and Shawnee used to fight. One of their fights once was just brutal. But if it makes you feel better, I've gotten the staples for Shawnee (as opposed to the expensive stitches) and there were no scars left or no spots where hair wouldn't grow back -- nothing like that. She heeled just fine. Also, Shawnee and Tatum haven't fought in almost a year which I credit to walking them side by side practically every day for the past 11 months. It really does help. I really hope everything works out well for you.

[cyber-sibes]

Oh, poor guy, hope he heals up quickly.
we've had dog fights here too. Very difficult to deal with, I hope you can find a livable solution.

[Alysser]

I'm sorry this happened, especially on your birthday. I've never been in a situation with owning two dogs, but I've seen two dogs fighting before and it was awful. They often sound alot worse then they are. I'm glad Kaedyn is alright though! =)

[bckrazy]

Oh noooo!

I'm so sorry, Ashley. What a terrible birthday present, indeed. :(

I really hope Kaedyn heals quickly and easily, and I hope this doesn't ever happen again. I think it's more about management than anything, and yes, scuffles do happen... just like with people! I bet Kee and Kae will kiss and make up. Now that you know they're iffy together, I'm sure you can work something out that prevents any more spats.

[AdoreMyDogs]

What a scary way to start your Birthday :( I hope you were able to have a nice Birthday, dispite the dogs' scuffle. I've never had a dog fight with my dogs but growing up we had a GSD/beagle mix, Keefer, who just hated other dogs. I remember my mom opening the front door to grab the newspaper off the porch (this was when I was a small child and we didn't know about dog training) and Keefer bolted out the front door and went right towards a lady walking her sheltie. Keefer picked up the sheltie by the neck and shook him. It was so traumatic. I was maybe 7 years old and I still remember it. I wish I didn't see it. The sheltie ended up doing OK, but his voicebox was destroyed, so he could no longer bark after that incident. How scary it is when dogs hurt each other. We love them so much and hate when they disagree and resort to violence.

I hope everything is starting to return to normal now and the naughty Keeva is behaving herself around her siblings.