# Help Please!! Huge Gaping Wound!



## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

sorry i know this is not a pigeon but i wasn't sure where to post this.

this is my puppy Rivers,








today my little sister discovered a huge wound on/into her left shoulder. i mean huge! i have know idea when or how this happened. my dad looked at it and he said he smelt the infection in it. and my sister said she saw maggots but when i went to take pictures i didn't see any.i don't know what to do about it. and sugesstions.








the wound it about two inches long. and when i pull the skin back a little i can see that it goes in about two or three deep.








thanks for any help. i am really worried.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Flush the wound with sterile saline, but after that get it to a vet who will be able to check the wound and suture it!

Most small animal vets might know very little about pigeons but they know a lot about dogs and cats!

Cynthia


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## bcr1 (Jun 9, 2009)

You should take it to a vet as soon as you can. Try to kaap it clean until then with water and triple antibiotic. Do not use peroxide on it, my vet told me that on puncture wounds it can drive infection into bloodstream.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

my sister already flushed it with peroxide once i won't let her do it again.
i have triple anitbiotic ointment. i can't get her to stop licking it. she would just lick the ointment right off. and i am afraid to touch it because she crys so much about it. i made a appointment for her vet in the morning. i have to work so my dad is going to take her. he is worried that it wont heal because he thinks it has been open too long. and that it wouldn't heal with stitches.


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## bcr1 (Jun 9, 2009)

If the poor baby is in pain you can give it aspirin. If it is still small probably use a half of one though.


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## Columba livia! (May 4, 2009)

Wow I"m So Sorry Hill! I Hope It All Works Out! PRAYERS ARE SENT!


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## Columba livia! (May 4, 2009)

It sure looks gnarly! how do you think he got it?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Ouch...Please don't flush with straight peroxide because it burns tissue.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

vet ASAP, make sure he/she is up to date on his rabies vaccination. if there a maggots it has been there awhile.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

she is up to date on everything. like i said i didn't see any maggots but it was after my little sister had cleaned it so who knows. she has a tendency to exhagerate so its possible it didn't have any maggots. her appointment is tommorrow morning. i know i said puppy. but i she is actually five and definitely not small. i just call my dogs puppys cuz thats how they act.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

Columba livia! said:


> It sure looks gnarly! how do you think he got it?


i honestly don't know. she was stuck under our solar today so its possible she could have hurt herself then. i was not here when that happened though. that was this morning when i was working. i have no idea what is under there but im sure things that are not good for my puppies to be around. we try to keep them out but they get past all our barracades.


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## bcr1 (Jun 9, 2009)

It is hard to say how dogs hurt themselves unless you see them do it. I know mine are always running into things and getting cuts and stuff because they play hard. They usually don't act like anything happens though As long as you can keep it clean the vet will take good care of it I'm sure. I have had to make several emergency visits for mine and they are fine and very resiliant. Just pet her and give her a biscuit for me.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

You can put an old T shirt on her for the night so she doesn't keep licking it. It can be sutured, your vet will trim away any dead tissue, flush it out, and suture the good tissue together. And he'll put her on antibiotics.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Charis said:


> Ouch...Please don't flush with straight peroxide because it burns tissue.


Yeah I was about to say, Peroxide may not sting as much as alcohol, but it does eat the tissue, making it take twice as long to heal. Never clean deep wounds or those that are pulled tight (as in, would need stitches of some kind) with peroxide.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Msfreebird said:


> You can put an old T shirt on her for the night so she doesn't keep licking it. It can be sutured, your vet will trim away any dead tissue, flush it out, and suture the good tissue together. And he'll put her on antibiotics.


Yes. When our Jessie (gordon setter) had a cyst removed from his chest, and tore the stitches open, and had to be restiched, We put T-shirts on him to keep it covered so he wouldn't bother it. It works.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Please do update us on the vet visit and how your dog is doing. Thank you.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

thank you all for your advice.
she is back home from the vet now. we had to just drop her off because they didn't have any openings so they said they would just get to her when they could. the vet did as you said and cut out the infection and then stiched it up. she has a drain tube in the bottom and its constantly dripping blood all over. she is in our basement now in a nice old sleeping bag. must be nice for her since she is a full time outside dog. she is still a little groggy from the meds and she kept running into things and staring at herself in the mirror. the vet said he could put his whole finger into the wound thats how deep it was. ill post pictures shortly. i just got home from work. ugh.

edit: and about the peroxide thing. our vet actually said that my sister did a very good job cleaning the wound and my dad even told him that she had used peroxide. guess he didn't see any problem with using it. the wound isn't going to heal any way with out stitches so using peroxide wouldn't really matter i guess since it doesn't matter that it might take longer to heal. but i really don't know much about it. just thought id add that since every one was saying stuff about peroxide.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Glad she is ok. I wish her a speedy recovery.

Reti


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I'm glad it worked out o.k. Please keep us updated on her progress, and give her some extra hugs. She sure deserves them.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

*pictures*

here are the pictures








if the second won is huge i apologise. i couldn't get it to upload with the code


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

i think i counted seven stitches. poor baby.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

dovelove<3 said:


> thank you all for your advice.
> she is back home from the vet now. we had to just drop her off because they didn't have any openings so they said they would just get to her when they could. the vet did as you said and cut out the infection and then stiched it up. she has a drain tube in the bottom and its constantly dripping blood all over. she is in our basement now in a nice old sleeping bag. must be nice for her since she is a full time outside dog. she is still a little groggy from the meds and she kept running into things and staring at herself in the mirror. the vet said he could put his whole finger into the wound thats how deep it was. ill post pictures shortly. i just got home from work. ugh.
> 
> edit: and about the peroxide thing. our vet actually said that my sister did a very good job cleaning the wound and my dad even told him that she had used peroxide. guess he didn't see any problem with using it. the wound isn't going to heal any way with out stitches so using peroxide wouldn't really matter i guess since it doesn't matter that it might take longer to heal. but i really don't know much about it. just thought id add that since every one was saying stuff about peroxide.


It...peroxide...hurts like heck.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

Charis said:


> It...peroxide...hurts like heck.


true but not as bad as alcohol. and i wouldn't have know what else to use either. my sister just made a quick decision to use that. we have the triple a ointment but i don't think that stuff works at all. i had an infected piercing and i used it everyday for months. it wouldn't go away. i finally just used alcohol even though i knew it was gonna hurt. cleared it up in about a week. i understand that it might hurt. but when is that bad i think its better to clear it out quick then slowly.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Did the vet have any idea of how it got likt that?


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## kbbigman (Jun 4, 2009)

Guy's what's done's done, her little sis did what she could probably a bit panicky and shocked, sometimes when a wound is of that nature the nerve endings are so affected that pain is often not felt to the degree you would expect (I've nursed humans with wounds that you could fit your fist into but can clean really well coz they don't hurt, but have also attempted to clean what is a fairly superficial surface wound and had patients cry out as it's been so tender), I'm sure if it was hurting a dog of that size it would wiggle and squirm away from you and you wouldn't be able to clean it, and as the first pictures of the wound looked so clean it would appear that the dog allowed itself to be cleaned. Anyway can we move on now and wish this little one a speedy recovery and please keep us updated with pic's ???


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

Jay3 said:


> Did the vet have any idea of how it got likt that?


all we know is that it was a puncture wound. no idea from what though.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

i have a question about the whole tshirt thing. do you guys think it would be a bad idea to put the shirt on when she has that drain? we were told that we could take it out on monday but she is having a terrible time with that awful headdress and as soon as i took it off she went straight to trying to lick it.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

How badly is it draining?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

dovelove<3 said:


> i have a question about the whole tshirt thing. do you guys think it would be a bad idea to put the shirt on when she has that drain? we were told that we could take it out on monday but she is having a terrible time with that awful headdress and as soon as i took it off she went straight to trying to lick it.


she could start chewing at the stitches, I would leave the E collar on. too bad they did'nt give one that is soft, they do make them, we use them at my vet, so much more comfortable, but that one is all she has so, wise to leave it on, unless you can watch her every second of the day which you can't. would'nt want to find a bloody mess of a open wound again, they start with licking and it can go into chewing at the stitches.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

its not too bad. just some drips every now and then. i guess i will just leave it on her. she trys scratching at it with her foot too.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

dovelove<3 said:


> its not too bad. just some drips every now and then. i guess i will just leave it on her. she trys scratching at it with her foot too.


I would leave the collar on. BUT, if she's trying to scratch it with her rear paw - I would ALSO put a t shirt on her. She can hook the stitches with her toe nail and pull them out. The t shirt will protect it. Just make sure the t shirt doesn't stick to the drain. As it starts to heal it pinches and itches. So you need to protect it from her releaving the itch! You want it to drain as long as possible so the inside will heal before the outside. Did the vet tell you that you can warm/moist compress it to keep it draining and to stop it from drying up? That also helps with the pulling/itching that she's feeling.


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## penname (Jul 28, 2008)

Just saw this now. Hope Rivers is feeling much better now! She looks so cute 

I used to think peroxide was good for wounds, now I'm not sure 
Please continue to keep us updated


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

i only saw her try to stratch it a couple times. i want to put a tshirt on her BUT i don't know how to get it on her.
she seems to be getting better slowly. i don't think the vet said anything about a compress. i don't know if rivers will even let me touch it that long anyway. she hasn't been eating since she came home and she hasn't used the bathroom since then either. i know because she is inside and she doesn't go when i take her outside for a little bit. should i be worried?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well, I would be worried. I'd be giving her something better to eat then she normally has, just to tempt her. Maybe mix some of what you eat in with her food. Try to hand feed it to her if you can. She should be eating. As far as the T-shirt, just pull it over her head, and pull both arms through it. Then you can either knot it at the waist to make it fit a little better, or pin it. Make sure its a good size pin that will not come unpinned and stick her. You, of course, will have to remove the collar to pull it over her head. Then just replace it.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

i got her a knuckle bone today at work because i feel so bad for her. she digging into that now. she is having a little trouble because of the collar but she is doing ok. i tried handfeeding her food to her but she just sniffed and didn't want it. she likes the lunch meat i gave her though. i guess she is just picky. what do you all think about the bathroom thing?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

dovelove<3 said:


> i got her a knuckle bone today at work because i feel so bad for her. she digging into that now. she is having a little trouble because of the collar but she is doing ok. i tried handfeeding her food to her but she just sniffed and didn't want it. she likes the lunch meat i gave her though. i guess she is just picky. what do you all think about the bathroom thing?


If she isn't eating then she isn't going to go. Did you bring her to where she would normally relieve herself? That could be important to her. Have you seen her drink. I don't think she's just being picky. She must not feel well. The infection, pain from the wound. Is she taking an antibiotic. Sometimes those can make her feel sick. She ate the lunch meat, as it tempted her more. Just like when I don't feel well. Don't want to eat, but if you bring me Chinese or lobster or something I really like, my appetite wakes up. I'd mix something good into her food, just for a couple of days. You need to make sure she is drinking though. That's very important. Have you seen her drinking?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

mix some canned dog food with her dry, take her collar off just so she can eat, and then put it back on. as far as the t-shirt thing, I would call the vet about it, he may want the wound open to air, so always check first. as far as the potty thing goes, she will, just need to time if right, if she eats a good amount then take her out every hour and see if she will go, she will eventually, you might want to take the collar off for that as well, but put it right back on. she has been an outside dog so she is used to going whenever, so you just have to take her out regularly


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That's true. The collar could be bothering her too much to want to eat. She doesn't understand why she has it on. She could be afraid of it.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

i took her to the vet this morning to have her drain removed. i told him about her not eating or going to the bathroom. he thinks it is just because she isn't feeling good but that she will eat when she is hungry enough. he took her temp. it was 102 degrees he said that was normal due to how bad of an infection she had. she started her antibiotics today. she had been drinking some. i put a tshirt on her and took off the color. she seems to be pretty happy with that. i am only going to put the collar on when i can't watch her. she is alseep next to me on the couch right now. poor baby. she drank more once i took it off. i let her out earlier and she peed for like 3 minutes. not exhaggerating. but still didn't do the other. she didn't go in the bathroom at all yesterday night. (i moved her from the basement to my bathroom because it stormed and the room she was in flooded) i guess thats why she peed so much. i made her two eggs and mixed that in with some dog food. she ate a little of it. not much though. i guess once she feels better she will eat more.
edit: also the reason i said she was picky is because she used to go days without eating whenever we switch dog foods because she wanted the one she had before. i thought maybe that she wanted a different food other then what i was giving her.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

You know that when you switch food on any animal, it's important to mix the two and gradually get them used to the new food by adding more of it and taking away more of the old food. It's never a good idea to let any animal go days without eating as doing so can weaken the immune system and the animal can get very sick.
I hope you will allow her to be an inside/outside dog. Sounds like she has house trained herself and will appreciate being part of the family. Dogs are very social...pack animals and need to be with the pack which in this case is your family. It's very hard on them to be in a yard alone, day after day...month after month...year after year.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

for one she is not alone. we have another dog who is outside too. you can see the other dogs back in the very first picture of this post. and for two its not my house so i don't have a say in her staying inside. otherwise i would. my parents won't let her.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

i found something she likes. i mixed her food with some tuna. man did she gobble that up. she ate so im happy. now she's sleeping again. =]


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

kbbigman said:


> Guy's what's done's done, her little sis did what she could probably a bit panicky and shocked, sometimes when a wound is of that nature the nerve endings are so affected that pain is often not felt to the degree you would expect (I've nursed humans with wounds that you could fit your fist into but can clean really well coz they don't hurt, but have also attempted to clean what is a fairly superficial surface wound and had patients cry out as it's been so tender), I'm sure if it was hurting a dog of that size it would wiggle and squirm away from you and you wouldn't be able to clean it, and as the first pictures of the wound looked so clean it would appear that the dog allowed itself to be cleaned. Anyway can we move on now and wish this little one a speedy recovery and please keep us updated with pic's ???


thanks. i don't know why "someone" keeps deciding to pick out everything that i do wrong and "yell" at me for it.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

dovelove<3 said:


> thanks. i don't know why "someone" keeps deciding to pick out everything that i do wrong and "yell" at me for it.


Maybe you have been chosen to be the benefactor of our collective wisdom. Please...do feel honored that we truly care.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

dovelove<3 said:


> for one she is not alone. we have another dog who is outside too. you can see the other dogs back in the very first picture of this post. and for two its not my house so i don't have a say in her staying inside. otherwise i would. my parents won't let her.


well I think with her age, you may want to nice talk your parents and make her an inside/outside doggie, she dose not seem to be much trouble. I think in the long run she may be more comfortable that way in her aging years.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

ha ha ya that will never happen
my dad is a no pets in the house person. its just a good thing i got my birds before telling him because i would never have been allowed. and he still threatens all the time to get rid of them. rivers isn't coming in the house ever except for situations like this. when my parents got home they freaked on me about having her out of the bathroom. he made me put her back in there even though i had her out all day and had no problems. plus that would mean my other dog would have to come in too. she is just a year younger. and she CAN NOT be in the house ever. she distroys EVERYTHING. after we got her fixed. we had her in the upstairs bathroom and she chewed the trim off the door. she tears up the shingles on her doghouse and chew up anything she can get her hands on. as much as i want rivers to be inside she just can't be.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

dovelove<3 said:


> ha ha ya that will never happen
> my dad is a no pets in the house person. its just a good thing i got my birds before telling him because i would never have been allowed. and he still threatens all the time to get rid of them. rivers isn't coming in the house ever except for situations like this. when my parents got home they freaked on me about having her out of the bathroom. he made me put her back in there even though i had her out all day and had no problems. plus that would mean my other dog would have to come in too. she is just a year younger. and she CAN NOT be in the house ever. she distroys EVERYTHING. after we got her fixed. we had her in the upstairs bathroom and she chewed the trim off the door. she tears up the shingles on her doghouse and chew up anything she can get her hands on. as much as i want rivers to be inside she just can't be.


oh, that is sad they feel that way, Iam sure she has some comfortable spots outside, just be sure to watch her close as older dogs that do not move around much can get what she has now, and flys will lay their eggs in any wound big or small and eat at he flesh as what has happend here. one day perhaps it will be different in your household.....I hope.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

i highly doubt that. although i can say it will be different in_*my*_ household. no animals of mine are gonna be stuck outside. one of the biggest complaints about them is that they tend to stink. well maybe its because they are outside 24/7. they get baths but i am the only one who does it and i work during the warmer hours of the day so its not often and not ever from september to around may/june since i have to use a hose to wash them since they cant be brought inside. i would think if they weren't outside they wouldn't smell so bad. but thats not an arguement that would stand up to him. thank goodness i will only be here a few more years at the most. i will probably take them with me when i go. assuming where i go allows pets and depending on the health/existence.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I'll never understand why people would bother to get a dog just to keep it tied outside 24/7. They make great "family" pets. You can never really get to know a dog, I mean really know a dog, unless it is a house pet. You are missing sooooo much. Sad.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

well this is the long story i guess i need to tell.
my dad never wanted a dog at all. the first one we got was named windy. she was my aunt's dad's dog but he was just going to send her to the pound because she was gun shy and would hunt for him. so to save her that torture we took her home with us. she had been abused by him we could tell because anytime a man would reach out to pet her she would flinch away and everytime anyone came up to her she would involuntarily pee herself. she was a good dog. stayed in the yard and went to her house when we told her. she died about 6 years ago from a ruptured heart tumor we didn't even know she had. she was only about 5 or 6. my uncle felt really bad about it so he got me a puppy. her name is fudge. she's an ok dog. only really listens to me. and only when she wants to. this is the same dog i said chewed the trim off the door. we took her to cobidience classes. worked with her every day but she doesn't listen unless she wants to or you bribe her. she will sit and lie down but it takes several times to get her to. my dad doesn't like her at all. he wanted to get rid of her a bunch of times but i talked him out of it. she feels like my dog more then anyone elses. and she likes me better too. =] anyway. this same uncle meanwhile has four dogs to rat terriers and lab mix and rivers. the one terrier ran out the front door and got hit and so they got a shnauzer sorry cant spell the name. then they were in the middle of getting a house built for them but they could only have two "roaming" animals according to the rules of the developement. so they gave the other terrier away to one of my uncles students and they were trying to find a home for rivers. thats how we ended up with her too. she was an outside dog there too. so it was no change for her. except for this accident happening nothing bad has happened in the two years we have had her.

so. . . although i might be "missing out" on so much. and i don't doubt that i am. there is nothing i can do about it...

AND she is not *tied *outside ever. fudge is but only at night because she likes to come up right next to my dads room and howl.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Too bad for the dogs. Maybe someday when you have your own place, you can have a dog who is a real pet, instead of something just stuck out in the yard. They are wonderful companions, and great company, but you never really see that side of an animal that is kept outside. They are soooo intelligent and loving, but you don't really form the same kind of relationship with an animal kept outside. Didn't your Dad grow up with pets?


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

dovelove<3 said:


> ha ha ya that will never happen
> my dad is a no pets in the house person.


I *had* one of those 
I divorced him


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Msfreebird said:


> I *had* one of those
> I divorced him


Smart girl!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

VERY smart girl!


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2009)

animal people these days are far and few between ..its sad but its true


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

Jay3 said:


> Didn't your Dad grow up with pets?


yes. it was an outside dog and he had a bull. thats it.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

dovelove<3 said:


> yes. it was an outside dog and he had a bull. thats it.


Thought so.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

well
for some good new she gets her stitches out beginning of next week. she seems to be dong good. eating and using the bathroom regularly now. she isn't limping anymore. runs outside and climbs stair easily. i think she is making a full recovery.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

dovelove<3 said:


> well
> for some good new she gets her stitches out beginning of next week. she seems to be dong good. eating and using the bathroom regularly now. she isn't limping anymore. runs outside and climbs stair easily. i think she is making a full recovery.


It's good that she is feeling better. Even if they are outside dogs, they should be checked often for things like this. They still need attention and care, actually, even more than an inside dog would get. And companionship.


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