My dog may have a broken jaw. Help/Advice needed please!

orionminus

Long story short:

Three days ago my brother was walking my chi-weenie and someone's pit bull grabbed bit him on the throat and started tossing him around by his neck.

He managed to get out of his collar and ran home.

Took him to the vet the next day and they did a basic exam of him. He had a few superficial wounds, nothing too deep. Just some scratches. He did have a temp of 103.2 which the nurse said was a bit high.

Then vet gave him a shot in the ass to fight off any infection and then gave me some Amoxi to give him to keep the infection off.

Well that was two days ago and he hasn't eaten any food or drank any water since he was mauled. I thought it might have been the fever but it's past that point now.

Plus his scratches keep bleeding. They're on his shoulder so there's a chance that he keeps tearing them open when he moves.

I also think he may have a dislocated and broken jaw, I'm taking him back to the vet at 8 AM PST so he can check out his mouth, teeth and do x-rays.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of stuff? Money isn't the issue, I'd suck as many dicks as it takes to save my dog.

I'm just wondering if maybe the mauling itself just scared the fuck out of my little guy to the point where he's scared to be picked up, eat, drink, bark or if it's more than likely the fever/pain thats stopping him from eating.

Either way, I'm taking him in 6.5 hours, I'm just worried as fuck.

Thanks for reading guys, any help or advice would be awesome.

Hahnsoo1

Pets that have fevers don't eat or drink. It's one of the signs that something is wrong. It is far more likely to be a fever than a dislocated jaw or broken jaw, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility. If your dog is amenable to licking food/nutrition from your fingers, you might try finger-feeding a meat-based baby food. But it sounds more like something that a vet may have to take care of, and he may require hospitalization for dehydration and nutrition.

orionminus

He's a little guy, only 13 pounds and when I saw he isn't eating after two days I started worrying.

I picked up some Pedialyte and have been giving him some with a dropper in the side of his mouth along with water.

He'll be okay until I get him to the vet in a few hours, just being a worrying Dad.

Thanks for the info and advice, made me feel better.

ceres

There are veterinary/animal hospitals with emergency rooms. In case you get really worried or your dog becomes listless, or whatever else happens, it's good to know where the nearest one is.

Kistra

Pinch the skin on top of his head to make a little tent and then let go. Does the skin stay there for a few seconds or does it go back flat right away? If it stays tented up, then your dog is dehydrated (you can do the same thing to the back of your hand if you want something to compare it to). Not drinking is a much bigger worry than not eating and if your dog is dehydrated you want to get him to a vet ASAP rather than wait for morning.

Otherwise it sounds like you are pretty sure that you are worrying more than you really need to. Just take him back to the vet and get an answer.

orionminus

Took him to the vet this morning and the vet took a look at his jaw and saw that it was broke on the left side.

Then he gave him a shot for the pain, another for any infection, a big tube of high calorie past to let him lick off my finger until his jaw is better enough to eat and drink.

All for free. He said it'll take about 4 weeks to heal up but he'll have a hard time eating for the next week or two.

He said to give him the paste 3 times a day, goats milk and to bring him back in four days for another follow up.

He's an amazing Doctor.

Thanks for your help guys.

jkylefulton

Glad to hear your little guy is going to be ok, and that you have an awesome vet. You should maybe contact the police regarding the pit bull owner's inability to keep his dog under control.

Skoal Cat

Do you know whose dog it is? Would you recognize it?

noir_blood

Good to hear your dog is okay. Hopefully your following up with the other dog's pet owner, as he should be held responsible.

jkylefulton

Well, it's not only an issue of responsibility - its a matter of making sure it doesn't happen in the future (for the owner of the pitbull, and for orion).

mts

actually a better test of dehydration is sticky/tacky pale gums

orionminus

Hey guys just wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted in here with advice and feedback.

My little guy doing a million times better. He's barking, licking, eating wet food and just back to being happy.

I think maybe his mouth/throat was just swollen and sore instead of his jaw being broken.

He's finished up all his antibiotics and I'm giving him Metacam for any inflammation and pain every day.

I'm taking him back to the vet tomorrow for a final followup, it's just a matter of time before he gets over the attack but I'm 100% sure he's going to be just fine.

Thanks again for everything guys.

mr_mich

We want to hear about the vengeance for the pitbull's owner.

orionminus

Now that's the sad part of the story:

I called the police, they came out and took report, went to their house and talked to them but they have six people that said my dog attacked theirs.

And to the police all that matters is 6 > 1 so they told me that they'd tell animal control about what happened and that it was out of their hands.

Not to sound melodramatic but maybe next time it won't be a 13 pound lap dog that gets attacked and nearly killed, maybe it'll be a little girl out on her bike.

I'm in Arizona and this state is a joke when it comes to certain laws.

Oh well.

harry.timbershaft

FWIW, whenever I'm walking my pup, I carry some sort of self-defense OMG THE PAIN spray product (there are a million to choose from - check your local laws before you buy/carry). I don't put any faith in my fellow human's ability to be smart when it comes to controlling their pets. Self-defense spray products do a great job of breaking up serious dog fights, just be aware that if deployed, everyone will be in pain from the spray and pissed off (including you and your dog), but it's only temporary. This is much better than both you and your dog being injured during the course of the fight and trying to break it up.

Hope your pup has a speedy recovery.

Skoal Cat

You can udnerstand though how the cops can't just take the dog away in a he said she said situation. However, now the dog has a history with a paper trail. This is a good thing.