My dog was attacked, has a wound & breathing issues. What to do?

Hello, sorry to hear about Princess. In cases with dog bites all cases are different. The general goal is to treat the most pertinent issue, in this case air in the chest cavity as this can cause severe respiratory distress and even death. The next risk with dog bites is infection, so having aggressive antibiotic therapy is essential. Finally, lung contusions will get worse before they get any better. Therefore, I would expect the x-rays of her lungs to look worse before they show improvement. My only concern which goes in hand with having air in the chest, is that of a lung lobe laceration. This may cause continued air leakage into the chest and thus could lead to respiratory distress. I would continue to monitor her x-rays intermittently and watch her for any signs of respiratory distress such as open mouth breathing, blue gums, or increased abdominal effort while breathing. If you note any of these , then Princess should be evaluated immediately. Otherwise, Princess should be on antibiotics and pain medications for the next couple of weeks. Hope this helps and I wish Princess a speedy recovery.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. Poor boy! He needs to see a vet now to get treated. He's in a lot of pain and he needs antibiotics as well as pain medication. Please contact his owners to get permission to get him into a vet now. Best of luck.

If the bite wounds penetrated her chest and/or abdomen and they were not surgically explored than she could have internal injuries that need to be addressed. If you feel like she is getting worse and dying than you should take her to an emergency clinic in your area right away as they are used to dealing with trauma and critical care patients. Please find an emergency clinic and have her seen right away.

Hello, although he must have been very stressed during the episode, its unlikely that he continues to be stressed now. He could how ever be breathing like you are describing due to pain especially if Max was seriously injured during the encounter. I would recommend having him assessed to ensure he does not have any serious or painful injuries that would require medical management. Hope this helps and best of luck!!!

Have Luna seen by a vet now. There could be internal injures from being bit by the pitbull, and only a vet can diagnose that. In addition, dog bites frequently become infected, and oral antibiotics are needed to prevent an infection. It's very important though to have her seen by a vet right away to make sure she doesn't have internal injuries, so that is what I think you should do. Take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

Poor Reese! I'm afraid these are very concerning signs. I would be concerned that she may have internal injuries as a result of the dog attack, which can be very serious or even life-threatening. I would recommend taking her to an emergency clinic tonight to be seen. The veterinarian there can examine her, listen to her heart and lungs, palpate her abdomen, and may recommend x-rays or other testing if needed to help determine what's wrong.

It looks like he sustained a wound into the chest which may be why there is trouble breathing (pneumothorax). Damage may have been done to the lungs. This is not something you can treat at home. He needs to see a vet. ( https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/pneumothorax/ )