Rottweiler Attack - Advice Needed

[Maltipoo]

Today, my three oldest children were walking our new family puppy, a five month old male Maltipoo (Maltese / Poodle mix). During their walk a few blocks away, they encountered a Rottweiler that had escaped it's enclosure. The Rottweiler attacked the puppy by viciously picking him up and shaking him violently. The Rottweiler's owner came to the rescue by calling off his dog, removing our puppy from it's mouth and restraining his dog. My oldest child was able to pick up our puppy and carry him home, completely terrified and emotionally devestated from the whole ordeal. As our child and dog were getting back to our yard, the Rottweiler's owner drove up and apologized, saying that his dog escaped while he was in the process of mending the fence. He said that he didn't train his dog to be vicious, and has no plans to keep it if this behaviour continues. He expressed genuine concern for our puppy and promised to keep his dog under control. He literally had blood on his hands from our puppy.

We took our puppy to the nearest vet clinic (after hours, emergency), approximately 40 minutes away. The vet's office x-rayed him and found no broken bones. However, the vet did find that our puppy has two puncture wounds from where he was attacked, one in the shoulder and one in the belly. The wounded areas were shaven so that we could better care for the wounds by swabbing them with hydrogen peroxide. He was also sent home with a dropper-style antibiotic and a recommendation that we administer a mixture of (30mg) chewable children's asprin and (30mg) chewable children's Tylenol. The vet warned that it's possible that our puppy may have permanent nerve damage from the attack, but it is still too early to tell. The puppy seems to be in alot of pain and is dragging one of his front legs. We were told to expect that he will be sore for the next week or so.

My questions are: My first instinct would be to call Animal Control to have them deal with the Rottweiler and it's owner. I certainly don't want to see anyone (or anything) be hurt by this Rottweiler again. I'm reluctant to make this call because I don't want the Rottweiler's owner to have any hard feelings towards us. He DID come to our home immediately to introduce himself and try to make amends for his dog's actions. How would you recommend that I handle this issue?

The vet's office didn't tell us how much today's treatment will cost, but agreed to bill us for the services instead of requiring payment today. I can imagine that it will be expensive, since it was after hours and involved much more care than a typical checkup. Should the owner of the Rottweiler be asked to either help us with the bill, or cover it entirely since their negligence caused it?

Would a large breed such as a Rottweiler see a smaller breed such as our Maltipoo as an easy kill? Should I expect that attacks like this are probable in the future due to this large size difference between our dog and the majority of dog breeds?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

[Lady's Human]

If the owner of the rottie agrees to pay for damages, I wouldn't get animal control involved. If he balks at paying damages, however, I would definitely call them.

I wouldn't see this as the rottie seeing your dog as prey, some dogs just don't like other dogs for various reasons.

[BC_MoM]

I'm so sorry to hear about your puppy! I'm so relieved he/she wasn't killed!

I would definitely expect the Rottie's owner to pay half or the WHOLE bill for the vet costs. I would also suggest he take his Rottie to a behiavourlist and be assessed and have an issue like this dealt with.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

I'm very sorry to hear about your pup . Small dogs often do trigger the prey drive (to chase and harm smaller animals) in larger dogs, especially if they aren't around smaller dogs much. I wouldn't doubt if that's what happened in this case, eventhough Rotties usually are friendly towards all animals.

If the owner agrees to pay for damages and accept responsibility for what his dog did, then no, I wouldn't invlove animal control. If he isn't willing to though, I'd definitely involve animal control. I wouldn't make him pay for the entire bill, but most would. I think it's entirely up to you.

I have a small dog (along with 3 larger ones - a Rottie, a Dobe, and a retriever mix) and have only ever had two dogs come after her while out for a walk. Both weren't used to small dogs, and she triggered their prey drive. I wouldn't expect it to happen often.

[wolf_Q]

First off, I'm very sorry to hear about your puppy. What is his name? I hope that he will recover from his wounds and be ok.

Was your puppy on a leash? In my opinion if the rottweiler was loose like that the owner should be completely responsible to pay all of the vet bills for your pup. If he's not willing you will have to check what your local laws are in situations like this.

I've walked my dog many many times and had loose dogs come up growling/barking at him and it makes me very angry. If my dog was attacked while on a leashed walk I would most certainly be trying to get the owner of the loose dog to pay for the vet bills. It sounds like the rottie's owner is concerned and it was an accident, I hope that he'll be willing to help you pay for your pups vet visits.

After your pup recovers make sure you take him to some puppy classes/play sessions with friends or family dogs (that you know are dog friendly) to introduce him to friendly dogs so he doesn't have a fear of other dogs for the rest of his life.

[Alysser]

From what you said, the guy seemed very concerned about what his dog did toy your puppy and I really don't see a need to call animal control. If he refuses to have anything to do with the problem get them involved, definatley. If it happens a second time with the same dog I think maybe you'll need to call them then.

No, you shouldn't expect attacks like this in the future. It could have been the prey drive or the dog could have been "Dog aggressive". This means they hate other dogs and will attack them if the had the chance to. Maybe that is what the Rottieweiler is. I have a Maltese(who you can see in my avatar.) and she is always the one trying to attack other dogs. But the point is DO NOT expect other attacks to happen.

I'm so sorry to hear about your poor puppy. She must have been terrified! I hope her wounds heal okay.

[areias]

I had a similar situation happen to me about 2 months ago, except it is my neighbors dog. We got animal control involved from the beginning (we had previous problems with his dog getting in our yard, and they met us at the vet clinic). It scared him enough that he now keeps his dog completely contained, and he paid the vet bill (it was about $200 without xrays, but the puppy did have puncture wounds). In all honesty, mistakes do happen. Hopefully he learned, but you may want to at least report the incident with animal control, but decline to press charges or anything.

[Catlady711]

I think you should ask the man if he'd pay all of the vet bill, as it was his negligence with his dog that caused the problem in the first place. If he refuses then I'd contact animal control.

What I'm kinda wondering about is your vets choice to prescribe Tylenol for your dog in conjunction with Asprin. Asprin I understand, but the Tylenol has me baffled.

Either way I hope your doggie is feeling better soon and has no permenant damage from this horrible incident, your children as well.

[Maltipoo]

Thank you for all of your replies and concerns.

To answer all of your questions:
Our puppy's name is Casper. (The vet told us that he is 7lbs. He will be full grown at around 8lbs.) His condition is pretty much the same today. As expected, his shoulder seems very tender. He was on a leash during the walk. I don't know why the doctor prescribed children's Tylenol. He did recommend that we alternate it with the children's Asprin however. Both were prescribed to help minimize his discomfort. According to the vet, both would be easier on his stomach than anything that he could prescribe for animals.

I'll update this post as things develop. Thanks again!

[areias]

You should never give your dog aspirin. I'm very surprised that the doctor told you to do so. It can cause stomach ulcers. He should be on Buprenorphine or something.

[KYS]

I am so glad your puppy is ok. Very frightening.

(Some dogs do not tolerate strange dogs and have a
very high prey drive. In these cases owners must be
extra careful)

I would definitely talk to the Rottie owner so he can make
arrangements to pay all of your vet bills.

In the past and for short term use only my Vet has told me it was ok to
use buffered aspirin.
(I never asked him about Tylenol, but I know Tylenol is
easier on human tummy's.)

Wishing your pup a quick recovery.

[sanford8916]

Sorry about your puppy, if you are choosing not to involve animal control at this time, then I would suggest that you take lots of pictures and keep a journal of what happened with date and times. The rotties owner should pay the whole vet bill and any bills in the future that are from this. If he seems to think that he shouldn't, call AC right away and they will help with the problem. Good luck and I hope your puppy starts to feel better soon!

[Cinder & Smoke]

"You should never give your dog aspirin."

It can cause stomach ulcers.

"Never" is a pretty strong word.

Every Vet I've ever taken a DOG to has at one time or another advised to give
Fido a certain dose of plain ole Aspirin ... the amount ( # mg per pound of dog's weight)
has varied - dependin upon the purpose.
They've ALWAYS advised to *watch* for tummy upsets.

CATs, on the other hand, normally are NOT given aspirin.

Likewise, Tylenol get's mixed reports from Vets - some say it's "OK" for dogs,
but they don't recommend it;
and Tylenol is considered a poison to cats.

Here's a Stolen Quote from an On-Line Vet:
"My personal preference for pain and fever in dogs is aspirin but we do warn
our clients to discontinue the medication if the dog stops eating and to
call us or come in for a recheck if that happens.


In cats the situation is different. Acetaminophen is very toxic to cats and
this medication should simply never be used to treat a cat. Aspirin has a
long half life in cats, at least 24 to 48 hours, so it will reach toxic
levels pretty quickly if it is given more frequently than once every 48
hours and the dosage is 10mg/lb so a baby aspirin (81mg) is a much more
appropriate dosage for a cat than an adult aspirin. I have not seen much
information on ibuprofen and cats but it is a good idea to avoid all
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications in cats, at least until one of
them does prove to be safe in someone's clinical trials. Mike Richards, DVM - 3/10/2001"

/s/ Phred

[Love That Collie]

I'm so sorry that your puppy was attacked and injured in this manner.
I hope Casper has a speedy recovery. I'm also sorry that your children had
to witness this I hope they are also able to recover from seeing this quickly.

I disagree with those here that say not to get Animal Control involve and I also disagree with those who seem to think that it's not totally advisable that the owner of the Rottweiller pay for Casper's injuries. Unless Casper was on
the property where the Rottie lived and then I have reservations on that scenario. Anyway, unless Casper was somehow threatening the Rottie I see no reason for this apparent full blown attack to have taken place I don't think you said if Casper was on the property or in the street or sidewalk. If the owner hadn't intervened do you think the Rottie would have killed Casper?
There was a dog attack, AC should be contacted. Do you know IF the Rottie has a history with Animal Control? Or the police in a past attack? Something to think about. What if the Rottie gets loose again? Then what if your children or Casper are taking another walk?

A true story.........I love dogs.....when I was 16 years old a friend and I were walking to a neighborhood park. Along they way there was and Old English Sheepdog that came out into the street from his yard. He was friendly and we petted him and he brought his ball over and we threw it a little way for him and we petted him some more. This was in the street by his house. We continued walking down the street, we had taken 4 or 5 steps and before I know it this dog has grabbed my hand in his mouth up to my wrist and began to violently shake. The owner came out and got him, my hand looked like hamburger on my palm. Owner took me and my friend to my house. I went to the hospital. The next day the state police was at my house talking to my parents about this incident as the hospital reported this attack. The police wanted to know what my parents wanted done to the dog......destroyed or not. My parents wanted it destroyed, however they left this decision up to me. I could not bear to see the dog destroyed (I was only 16 remember) the police told me that as far as they knew there were no other attacks. OK...so I said no, don't destroy him. Three weeks later this fluffy Old English Sheepdog violently attacked a 7 year old boy who lived 2 streets over from me, breaking the boys arm as he ripped his skin and muscle tissue as he dragged the boy across the street into a neighbors yard. I felt and still feel terribly guilty about this boy being injured to this day and this was many years ago.

At least contact Animal Control so that they are aware this dog has attacked Casper and I would make certain all your neighbors know. And yes, the Rottie's owner is responsible for your vet bills.

[lv4dogs]

I am so sorry to hear about Casper. What a scary experience. I hope he has a speedy & full recovery.

I am the owner of a Rottweiler who can be dog agressive at times. She is ALWAYS under my control and supervision. I do everything in my power to keep her & other dogs safe and so far knock on wood do a great job at it. But do know I would be devastated if she attacked someones dog, but I would be even more devested if she honestly got loose by accident (accidents do happen unfortunatly) and animal control took her away from me. That is as long I showed genuine concern & offered to help with vet bills and the like (which is what I would do).

Seeing as he was concerned and came over immediately, as long as he is willing to pay for the vet bills I would not get animal control involved. I would however warn him that if there is a next time animal control will be involved.

Personally I would ask the owner to reimburse me for ALL the vet bills if your dog WAS on a leash. If your dog was NOT on a leash though I would only ask to be reimbursed for part of the bills (no more than half even if your dog did not enter his property or cause problems)