What might have been the matter with him?

[Ash]

Now I have a different question. Sorry, this is again long!

We seem to have a really bad week here regarding the street dogs! First the puppy got bitten a week ago, on Wednesday the black dog died from undefined illness, and last night a street dog was hit by a car or bike.

At about 3am I heard a loud thump and then the screaming of a dog. I ran out to the neighbouring street and saw a dog half lying half upright on the road. Other street dogs came running and tried to attack him and he gnarled at them but didn't get up. I chased the others away and carefully approached him and in that moment he went into a seizure. I ran back home and called the vet. Then I ran back out to the dog who was now lying very still on the side (I had been gone for about 3 minutes). Breathing fast. He seemed unconscious, didn't respond to my touch.

The vet came after approximately 15-20 minutes and examined him.

He checked every bone in the body, spine, neck, legs, hip, nothing was broken. The examination did not hurt him.

He listened to the heart, it was beating fast.

He shined with a torch in his eyes and said the pupils are not repsonding to light.

He examined the whole body from both sides, there were only a few superficial skin wounds, one on the paw, and one on the side of the mouth, probably from rubbing on the asphalt during the seizure. There were no obvious signs of a hit, no blood, bruising, swelling.

He looked at the gums, they were pink.

He checked for reflexes, they were normal, also the response to painful stimuli.

He then gave him a couple of injections for shock, and we watched. After a while the eyes were blinking a little and he sometimes moved the legs a little. The breathing slowed a little.

Since we could not make out where he had been hit, the vet said he could have inner bleeding or a head injury but there is no way to tell. There are no facilities for animals to diagnose this kind of thing, and certainly not in the middle of the night.

We then tried to lift him to bring him to our front garden, but he suddenly got agitated and screamed. So we decided to leave him where he is and keep an eye on him and in the morning call one animal shelter which has an ambulance. We managed to push him to the side of the road though, but that too was causing him pain. But even just to carefully slide a muzzle over his snout, which could not have hurt, made him very agitated.

The vet gave him another injection to slow his heart rate and a multivitamin (the guy was skinny).

So, my husband and I went out several times during the night so check on him. He was just lying there as if sleeping, breathing ok, sometimes twichting with one leg a little. He responded to touch by lifting his head and checking who is touching him.

And at 7 in the morning (about 4 hours after the accident) suddenly he was gone! The street sweepers had just started their work and said they did not see him, so it's unlikely he died because so early in the morning the municipal coorperation will not come to collect a dead animal. He must have walked away.

We looked of course, but couldn't find him. I went out twice more during the day, walking the streets but couldn't find him.

Either he managed to go somewhere to hide and die, or he was feeling a bit better and is resting somewhere.

What do you think was wrong with him? Does what I describe sound like a serious injury? Or could he have recovered somewhat after 4 hours?

[Traci]

Sounds like HBC to me (hit by car). Or organ disfunction that caused a seizure, although pain is usually not solicited from, during or after a seizure.

He could have dragged himself to shelter, or someone else found him and transported him somewhere.

It sounds like possible fractured pelvis, spine or internal injury such as punctured lung or other organ. Unfortunately, without xrays, one is generally unable to assess internal injuries. If punctured lung or organ, or rupture of spleen or other blood supply, the outcome is not good without detection and treatment.

[davet]

regardles of what the cause or the outcome I gotta say there are few people who would have done what you did...I just wish you and the dog recover. What you describe appears to me as serious injuries but never underestimat the power of dogs, and people , to recover from things like tthis...you did good, I would even say darn good

[Ash]

Thank you Traci and Davet! Well, I felt I just could not simply ignore him.

There are many, many street dogs here who don't look well, mange is very common here, but I can't treat them all.

But this one was different, as it was an emergency and the guy was helpless.

I hope he recovered, I never saw him again. I think he must have been straying from his usual territory and the resident streetdogs chased him and he ran into a car. It's possible.

Sorry btw for not replying earlier, was very busy!