My dog was hit by a car but seems fine. What signs should I check?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Max! It's a good sign that he ate and drank. It's hard to say if he will be fine with out examining him. Sometimes internal injuries do not show up right away, things like internal bleeding in the chest or belly, bruising on the lungs (contusions), abnormal air around the lungs (pneumothorax), diaphragmatic hernias, trauma to the urinary bladder. The obvious outward signs like a broken bone, wounds, back or head trauma you would have seen right away. I would rest him and keep him calm. Watch for increased and labored breathing, no urine production, lethargy and pale gums. He will likely be sore tomorrow. If anything changes he should be taken to an emergency hospital. It isn't wrong to have him checked out now and get pain medications in case he is sore tomorrow. I hope this helps and I wish Max the very best!

Shock would be something you would see immediately after or very shortly after the accident. It often follows a massive blood loss. If he is pink, moist gums, eating , drinking and no breathing difficulties, then shock or major internal injuries are not likely. Continue to test him, monitor for any deterioration in his condition and keep the wounds clean and dry. You can address the tooth at a later time. If it is chipped deep into the pulp, it may need extracted at some point, but that is not critical. It sounds like he is improving on his own. Keep up the good work !

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Coco is otherwise normal and there is no indication she is experiencing any pain, no real need to rush off to the veterinarian. However, if you notice she is tender or painful to the touch on the side of the collision, is experiencing breathing abnormalities, becomes lethargic or has a sudden decrease in appetite, I would recommend bringing her in to see her veterinarian for an exam and perhaps x-rays. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Murphy! You are doing all you can by having him at the Vet right now. When it comes to trauma some things don't show up for 12-24 hours, most specifically internal bleeding and bladder trauma. When I worked emergency I cared about 4 things: the lungs (was there a diaphragmatic hernia, pneumothorax, lung bruising, rib fracture, flail chest), the cardiovascular system (blood pressure, shock, internal bleeding), the neurologic system (head trauma, mentally appropriate, pupils, spinal trauma, can the dog walk on all legs) and the urinary system (can the dog pee, is the bladder ruptured). The last thing I cared about was wounds or broken bones. If Murphy is stable after 24-48 hours with the above 4 body systems he will recover just fine. After they know he is stable they can address wounds and broken bones as they are not life threatening, just expensive potentially to fix. You are going to have to be patient and wait to see how things go overnight. I wish you and Murphy the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Being hit by a car is very concerning as most of the time there is more damage than what can be seen from the outside. If he is not walking well and his breathing is abnormal, I highly recommend you consider having him reevaluated by a veterinarian since he has not improved. They may take chest x rays to check on why he is breathing loudly such as a pulmonary contusion for example. Treatment would be dependent on findings though at least pain control medications can be started. I hope he does well. Good luck and have a good night!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about L. From your description, it sounds like she is fine. I'd just keep an eye on her for the next day to be safe, but I suspect there will be no issues. I hope this helps!

I would strongly recommend to monitor her for the next 12 hours to see if any sign shows up. Considering the description of what happen it is likely that she will be completely fine. Any sign of pain/discomfort or anything abnormal please get in contact with us and possibly have her checked by your local vet. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.