dog fight

[dot.hawkes]

My tri colour 11 year old mongrel was asleep in his bed near the tv and my 8 year old staffy cross came in and suddenly went for the sleeping dog and had him round the hed, i am on my own in the house as my sons are away and it seemed to take forever to get them apart, it was very frightening, i was screaming and it has peft me well shuck up, but Bingo, the smaller try colour is bleeding from the ear, it is very dark red, almost black and he is shaky, (he is epileptic), i max outside and have left him there but bingo won't let me near him, he keeps shying away so i don't want to annoy him anymore, what makes the other dog start a fight like that? I have left him outside as I am feeling drained because it was really physically hard to get him off the other dog, i think i have hurt my arm actually when the staffy tried to pull the other dog under the chair and i had to lift the chair away. i feel really sleepy and exhausted. Anyone think max maybe getting old and tetchy, he doesn't do this usually and i do have some phenobarbatolo tablets that i give Bingo for his epliepsy, should i give max one to make sure he is abit calmer?

[Ebbs]

thats staff's for you, thank heavens it weren't a child

[dot.hawkes]

Do you think he is a bully then or is it some instinctive thing, they have lived tyogether fine since 1999, they sleep together and eat together, this is what is worrying me, is max ill or something.

[Redbel]

Hiya Dot, sorry to hear this, it could be because the boys are away max feels that bit more protective against you.

[Redbel]

towards you I meant...... :s

[lankeela]

Don't give any medication that is not prescribed for the actual dog.

While dog fights are not pleasant they are not often fatal, although you screaming will have egged them on. If anything should happen again (although I would not put them back together) try to remain calm and try to manoevre them near to a door and shut the door on them one each side, the door closing will force them apart. Sometimes water shocks them into parting, but at all times be careful not to be bitten. Another thing you can do if one has a good hold of the other is to put a broom handle through the collar and turn it until the dog has to let go. Watch out that if you get them apart they will get back together and get an even better grip.

Keep Bingo warm and quiet, don't worry about his ear it will probably be superficial. He wil probably be a bit stiff tomorrow, see if you can get some arnica from the chemist.
It is good for bruising and pain.

Good luck, I have two dogs that I have to watch when they are together, and it is quite a stressful situation to be in.
Have a stiff drink and get a good nights sleep.

[kita1]

Agree with everything Lankeela said.

Ears often bleed alot, it usually looks worse than it is.

I had two GSD B*tchs that had the occasional full scale fight and it was very scary.

You are probably in a bit of shock, that is why you feel so tired and shaky.

Keep the dogs apart if you can, at least until you feel more like yourself again. Do you have a muzzle for the staffie? A baskerville (plastic basket) one is the best type, they can breath and even drink in them. If you are still on your own when you put them together again I would muzzle the staffie (just so he cannot get locked on again).

It could be that Bingo was maybe going to have a fit or something (remember they use dogs to predict human epilepsy fits) and that may have prompted the attack. Often you never know what started it. It could be that the Staffie is missing your sons or like I said it may be linked to Bingo's epilepsy.

My two lived together, slept together and ate together, they were litter sisters (I know - never again), after a fight they would lie together and lick each others wounds (and I mean BAD wounds). They would live happily together for months on end then out of the blue would have a really bad fight (to the death if we did not seperate them).

It is awful to see two dogs that you love fighting, keep them in seperate rooms tonight and follow Lankeelas advice and have a good stiff drink and a good nights sleep.

Take care.

[dot.hawkes]

thanks for all that advice and it doea make sense, I have fallen asleep in the chair suddenly as I just felt so drained! Bingo is hiding berhind one of the sofas and won't be persuaded to come out and so i have left him there and max is sleeping normally in his bed now, i rang my youngest son and he said to leave them be and they will settle, still shaken me up though, but your thoughts helped very much.

thanks
dotty

[wolf63]

I hope that this is a one-off. Usually when two dogs fight it is all noise and posturing but this sounds pretty scary for all of you.

Hope you feel better in the morning.

[saxy_jag]

You already seem to have been given plenty of good advice. Do remember that a little blood goes a long way - try dropping a teaspoonful full of water onto a work surface and see how far it runs.

If you are still worried and you still can't get near Bingo, I would give the vet a call and ask his/her advice.

My Border Collie cross's 'best friend' is my mum's Jack Russell. Dog and bitch, both 'done'. They usually get on famously but it's fair to say they have their moments and even if one does draw blood, it's never anything serious.

You say it seemed to take ages to separate them. That could well be your body's way of coping, ie by putting everything into slow motion so that you have a moment to think about what you're doing. The first time this happens is always a shock, so the way you're feeling is quite normal.

[andy-hughes]

Hi dot

Sorry to hear this - you have had plenty of advice about the dogs, but what about you?

Your reaction is physical shock. You receive a burst of adrenaline which enables you to deal with the situation, but as it disipates back through your bloodstream, you feel very faint, and dizzy, maybe nauceous.

You need to drink some strong sweet tea, and relax, sit in a chair and take some deep breahts, you will feel better.

There is no real fathoming of dogs' behaviour - it is usually a 'pack' thing, the 'under-dog' decides to try his chances with the pack leader - so be aware it may happen again.

[jules77]

Without worrying you if the staffy cross is showing unusual behaviour, he may have a medical problem that needs to be checked out by a vet.

[RATTER15]

Ebbs, that is not characteristic of Staffies at all, other bull breeds I would agree but not staffies they are usually fairly sedate, however when they they do kick off it can be difficult to stop them, they are very powerful dogs.

Dot, I hope you are feeling better today, you have had some very good advice so I wont add to it, out of interest what is the staffy crossed with?

[jules77]

I would disagree Ratter, all the SBT's I have ever known hate other dogs, and in my area they are very popular, it is part of the breed instinct and something you cannot change. Although, any dog that shows a change in behaviour can have a medical reason for doing so.

[dot.hawkes]

hey guys thanks ever so much for all this, the two eventually settled and slept well overnight and I thought all was well, but just as i was leaving for work, bingo walked passed max and max snapped at him, so i seperated them and left bingo in the kitchen but i canme home early to see him as i was bothered by it all day. So far they are settled again though. max has arthritis in his hind hips and struggles with stairs and i know he is in pain, we give him some capsules the vet recommended from tescos, they are a supplement with two long names. I fell exhausted by it last night and I have had a pressure headache all day. you are all so wise with these things, I am rubbish in a crisis !!! Thanks again

xxxxx