Havoc stepped in a spring trap (probably buried in the snow) a few miles from home yesterday. A similar thing happened to Forrest (the sheep dog) 2 years ago and he held still well enough to let me open the trap. Not Havoc, an Aussie cow dog. He was afraid and in pain, his left front paw caught. Spent a bleak 10 minutes maneuvering to reach a trap that require both feet stepping on wing taps, while just getting bit for the effort. Havoc is a smart, exuberant, peaceful dog, but hes got chops and he didnt hold back. His turning on me was something of a surprise. I tried holding his muzzle and his collar, then taking off my coat and throwing a sweatshirt over him, but I just kept getting bit on hands, left forearm and legs and having to pull extremities out of his mouth. I sat down once and he came over and let me hug him, but there was no going for the trap. Finally, I got a break--he stopped struggling for a moment, the trap planted itself squarely on the ground at my feet and I was able to step on both release wings together. The paw came free and the dog walked off looking as if no structural damage had been done--just a bit of a limp. I didnt bother to access the damage (to me) until getting home. Dosed all the wounds with betadine solution (Im not posting the beforehand photos). The local clinic was closed on Sunday, but our choice doctor was home watching a football game and met us at the clinic. Pleasant conversations about how to treat cat, dog and human bites and the nature of suture needles. Got to watch the stitching and steri-stripping here and there, much better than a video. Kit will be peeling the oranges for a while now, though my right thumb and pencil-holding fingers work just fine. The left hand is about good for turning Kindle pages. The dog field kit usually just means a leash and a pair of pliers (for porcupines)--now I think I need to add a muzzle.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 19:42:41 +0000
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