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Accidents and Mishaps in the Toy Breeds
by Carla Timmins
Imagine yourself 10 inches high and that your world is populated by gigantic beings with obscure and dangerous habits. The chances of your meeting with an accident in such a strange place would be very high indeed.
This is the world your toy breed inhabits. Because of their small size they have little defence against injury; except your foresight.
This article will deal with the more common accidents your toy may face.
ROAD AND AUTO ACCIDENTS cause the most fatalities in all breeds. Small dogs are extremely quick to avail themselves of any opportunity to escape confinement. Make sure all doors are barricaded with small, removable gates. These are easily and cheaply made with a wooden frame and chicken wire. Be sure to check your outside enclosures, for their integrity , often. Finally, when out exercising your animal, be sure to keep it on a non- retractable leash at all times. Tragically, most toy dog that meet with car accidents are killed outright. Eternal vigilance is your best bet in avoiding this grief.
CHOKING is common in small dogs. Unfortunately, I have witnessed many incidents of this in the toy. If you know how to deal with this it need not be fatal. All owners need to acquire a pair of long nosed artery forceps. They are available through your vet or medical supply house. Please practice picking up small objects with them as there is an art to using them. They are extremely useful in dislodging foreign bodies from the esophagus. In a case of complete obstruction of the breathing passages; you WILL NOT have time to make it to a vet. Given the fact that the toy dog has a small esophagus, may be a quick and greedy feeder and owners often feed portions too large.... well, you get the picture. Dogs that are fed in competition with others also tend to posset their food i.e. take 3 or 4 bites, hold it in the back of the throat and only then will they try to swallow the lot. Sometimes with disastrous consequences!
The symptoms of choking may be hard to spot. The dog may/may not paw at it's mouth, tremble and have a blank look in it's eyes and then collapse to the floor.
First try to clear as much of the blockage as possible. If the foreign matter is a ball or bone you have a good chance of expelling it using the 'doggie heimlich' manoeuvre.
Lay the animal, face downwards, over the edge of a mattress. Then press or slap sharply between the shoulder blades. This may need to be done a few times. The mattress helps to protect against injury to the delicate rib cage. If you have no success use your artery forceps to attempt to remove the offending material.
DO NOT try to push an object down the throat. This can result in further impaction or esophageal damage. Always try to remove the blockage through the mouth.
After the airways are cleared, feed semi-liquid food for 1 or 2 days. The throat may well be swollen after such an attack and you do not want to go back to square one. If your dog is coughing after such a scare, your vet can prescribe steroids to relieve pain and swelling.
FRACTURES. The general scenario goes something like this. Cute little child holds cute little dog. Dog squirms, the child lets go, dog ends up on floor with a broken leg. Please make sure children in your care handle a dog in a sitting position on the floor. Once a leg is broken vet care is imperative. Painful for the dog, expensive for you and distressful for the child. A fracture can be differentiated from soft tissue damage by deformity and extreme pain.
CONCUSSION in pups is not uncommon. In particular, certain breeds are prone to an open fontanel (soft spot in the skull due to incomplete bone closure). This may be temporary and outgrown or permanent. Be aware of your dog's skull formation. Young pups can be awkward and are quite capable of walking into doors or skidding to a halt in direct contact with a table leg.
Symptoms of a concussion are unmistakable. The dog may vomit, loose consciousness or sit with it's head hanging down. If the dog is conscious give 2 ml. glucose in water at a 50:50 ratio before transporting to your vet. Light concussion is nothing to be too alarmed about. However, unless you are very experienced, you can not make a judgment call between a light concussion and a severe knock which has caused swelling of the brain tissue. Generally a dog that proceeds to fitting, swelling of the forehead and odd vocalisation is a poor survival prospect. Your vet will need all of skills to pull him through.
DOG ATTACKS can be tricky as major symptoms may take some time to present. When a small dog is attacked by a larger one the mode of injury is usually due to bite (deep puncture) wounds and spinal column damage. Large dogs tend to shake smaller ones by holding onto the scruff of the neck. Your toy may seem nothing more than slightly affronted when in actuality he may have sustained serious internal assault. Always get this checked and documented by your vet (a written report is a good idea). This may be your only recourse should your dog require expensive treatment. Others in your neighborhood may have reason to be grateful for written confirmation on a viscous dog.
SEVERE BLOOD LOSS must always be considered an emergency. A 3-10 pound toy will not have the blood reserve of a larger dog and go into shock quickly.
Cuts to the feet, mouth and head will often bleed profusely. A pressure bandage i.e. anything clean and made of cotton should be held with very firm pressure against the cut. If this fails to control bleeding on an appendage or blood is actually spurting, you must search for a pressure point. A pressure point is easily found through trial and error by following the vein UPWARDS from the injury and pressing with the forefinger. This will often stop by bleeding long enough to get to a vet.
POISONS most frequently affecting the toy are insecticidal ones. Follow all directions carefully and make sure you know the correct weight of your dog. This will guard against overdoses. The main symptoms of insecticide poisoning include wheezing, salivating and twitching. Since flea dips are absorbed by the skin, thoroughly rinse the coat before transporting to your vet.
Lysol should not be used to clean the dog's kennels. This is also absorbed through the skin and can cause illness or death.
Accidents are always traumatic for dogs and owners alike but they need not be fatal if one keeps a cool head and uses some of the emergency measures outlined.
Carla Timmins © 1996
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