Well that didn't go so well

Wish I could joke about this, but it's just not that funny. I got to spend yesterday's beautiful, sunny afternoon in the local ER while the Doc cleaned up my hands. I had a friend's dog on a leash when a neighbour's dog attacked. When I hauled Java behind me, the other dog got frustrated at being thwarted, and decided to go through me.

Fortunately, I was able to lock her head down between my knees when she bit down the last time, so she didn't get a chance to chew on me and I was able to resist the urge to pull my hand out of her mouth, so I only got mostly punctures, except for one rip on my palm. She did get right down to the bone above my wrist though, so the joint is really sore... like I fell on it. I've also torn some ligaments in the fingers on the other hand and got some messy scratches on my legs.

I was surprised at how aggressively the medicos dealt with the possibility of infection. I expected maybe a couple of pills, but they put me right on an IV push of antibiotics, and then left the shunt in with the requirement I go back this afternoon for another dose. They also just wrapped the open wounds, in case there was any infection, which would be made worse if it had been stitched inside. So I go back this afternoon for another IV and hopefully to get the palm sewn up.

Being from a medical family, I'm always intrigued being in the ER, and of course, in a small town, you're sure to know at least somebody. One of my friends is an RN, & I've been to lots of dinner parties at her house, so of course I knew my nurse. I got to ask her all about what was going on as she went through the steps, and she introduced me to my doc by first name too, so I could pester him with questions while he debrided the wounds.

The most painful part of the whole afternoon was when he injected the freezing into my palm before cleaning & irrigating it. That shit burns!! I knew I was in trouble when the doc warned me "this is really gonna hurt", then clamped my arm to the table. I have a strong stomach, but when he started putting the (needle-less) syringe into the holes to flush them, I decided I didn't need to inspect his work anymore.

Aside from the discomfort of the sore wrist and bent fingers, I really don't have any pain, so I got off pretty lightly. Not like the poor guy who came into x-ray with me. He had hit a tree while mountain biking and had a very messy 3rd degree shoulder separation. I'll take my wrapped up mitts over his world o' hurt any time.

The real problem is, I'm now stuck waiting for the third event in the "bad luck strikes in threes". See, last Friday, I got a free afternoon off work. Although that hardly sounds like bad luck, it was because, on returning from lunch with my team, we found our building on fire. No major damage as it was held mostly to one of the shops under the theatre where it started, and everyone got out OK. So again, not too bad in the grand scheme of things.

I just hope my good luck in dodging the worst of the bad luck holds for whatever hits next.

Comments

[dragonfly jenny]

Oh, OWWW. Dogs off leash, BAD. Hope you heal quickly.

[Greg]

Ow. Ow. Ow.
Glad things turned out as they did and not worse (it definitely could've been).

[bogie]

I'm glad they are being aggressive in the treatment. The Wonderful Spouse was bitten last year while breaking up a dog fight (the dog wasn't going for WS, he just got his hand in the wasy). We cleaned it up and didn't think much about it since we knew the dog had had her rabies shot. The next day it was swollen so badly he could barely use it.

He went to the doc and they gave him heavy duty antibiotics and told him that dog bites are some of the dirties injuries and almost always cause an infection.

Sorry to here about the fire - glad no one was hurt though!

[Stevie]

Dude... we have GOT to get my stupid YIM issues settled so I can have it on alla time like I used to.

I can't be missing stuff like this. Jeezus.
So glad yer okay.

What happened to the sumbitchin' dog who attacked you and Java? (You know how I am about animals, right? Wellll, that dog needs to be caged or put down... along with it's irresponsible owners.)

And, how's Java?

[Funkalicious]

That's one reason I really, REALLY hate dogs. I mean, yeah, cats can tear you up, too, but they usually have to be provoked first.

Heal up fast, k? *hug*

[Snowball]

Egad! I'm sorry to hear you got so badly chomped up. I hope it heals very quickly. You're a much better sport about this than I would be. I'd probably have passed out like a dumb girl. Heehee.

[Marn, eh]

Wow, just reading about that got my heart racing. Thank you so much for explaining the safe way to handle a dog attack. I had no idea.

Fingers crossed that you heal quickly and well.

[a broad]

Owie, owie, owie... so sorry to hear you got chewed out! Quite impressed with your quick thinking, though :-)

Here's hoping the "third" is that they're all out of twist and you have to choose either chocolate or vanilla at the McDonald's drive-up. It'd be tragic, but I have faith that you'd pull through.

[Rivrdog]

This illustrates a seldom-seen point about human survival: in conflict, it's not always a human being attacking us.

Canadians, more than in any other nation I can think of, are constantly at risk in the forested areas for bear attack. I was told a few years ago in BC that Oleoresin Capsicum (Pepper Spray) is an illegal weapon EXCEPT IF IT IS MARKED FOR AND DEPLOYED AS AN ANTI-BEAR DEFENSE.

Urban dog owners are constantly at risk from other dogs while in public areas. A leashed dog attracts an unleashed dog that wants to attack or just play agressively, and Paul knows the results. This behavior is not unknown in cats.

It behooves the individual to consider defense from these smaller, but agressive animals while in urban areas that contain them. Unfortunately, politics rears it's ugly head in urban areas, and anyone killing an attacking dog will have to run the media gauntlet, as the media love to publicize these events, and especially the reaction of the animal defender types.

The best defense against smaller animals, and it has even worked against bears, is repeated closed-fist smashes to the nose. No dog, not even a pit bull or rottweiler, can maintain a jawlock while it's nose is being pummelled. There are just too many nerve bundles in that highly sensitive organ.

You did the right thing with the defensive scissorlock on the dog's neck. A quick blow to the nose might have reduced your injury.

[dda]

What happened to the attacking dog? Back home, we would have it destroyed.