My dog was shot and his head is swollen. Is this an emergency?

Any head trauma resulting in noticeable swelling should be addressed as soon as possible by your veterinarian. If your vet is unavailable, go to the nearest veterinary ER. Restrict Tuffy's activity until she sees the doctor. Do not medicate her without the advice of a vet. Keep her warm and as stress free as possible until she gets to the clinic or hospital.

I’m so sorry to hear about the little Dachshund. I have serious concern for him because he could have fractured face or skull bones. He absolutely needs to go to a vet to have his neurological status checked out. I have seen dogs die or recommended euthanasia because of a poor prognosis. If you really really can’t go to the vet, ice will be your best tool. It works quite well for both pain and swelling. 5 minutes in each affected area every 4 hours. As far as over the counter medications, none of them are super safe, but probably the “least bad” choice would be aspirin. Be sure to use a product labeled for dogs and use the dosing on the bottle. See the link below for more information about the safe use of aspirin. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/aspirin/ For example, you can try something like this. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-buffered-dog-aspirin-75-tablets-for-large-dogs-2404762?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=1o1&scid=scplp2404762&sc_intid=2404762&cm_mmc=PLA-GG-_-PTC_P_BND_PLA-GG_FY17_SCShopping-TM-_-Non+VIP+-+TM-_-92700026086767577&kwid=p26086767577&device=m&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIytS42-yy2QIVSZR-Ch2Ecw26EAQYASABEgJGxPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Obviously, the other part of this story is that unless you would like to have puppies -which I do not recommend- I strongly recommend spaying you female or neutering both males. Best of luck to you all.

Oh no, poor Sasha! I'm sorry she was bitten and is now very swollen on top of the head and under the neck. I would be concerned that she has suffered from internal injuries from the bite, and she should see a vet immediately for medical treatment. Please 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.

BB could have a hematoma or accumulation of blood and fluid secondary to the trauma on his neck. I would be worried that he is painful when standing - while it is possible that this is from bruising and soft tissue trauma a broken bone would be another possibility. I would not recommend anything else specific if you are absolutely unable to see a vet right now - just keep him as quiet/calm as possible and continue to offer food and water. You may need to help him stand up - sometimes slinging a towel underneath to assist might help. I do not recommend any over the counter pain medications in dogs. If he stops eating, is having trouble breathing, seems very weak or lethargic, or is unable to walk I would recommend driving to the nearest veterinarian.

A sudden swollen face is usuaally caused by some allergy, either an insect bite or an environmental allergy, or could also be a rattle snake bite. Check for oozing little wounds, there would be a little blood oozing but not coagulating. If you find those on the head, your dog likely was bitten by a snake and needs to be seen by a vet right away. If your dog has breathing problems, vomits or is lethargic, he should also be seen by a veterinarian right away. If he is happy, eats and drinks, you can observe the swelling and it should go down within 24 hours. Of course you can also take him to the vet if he is not in distress. The vet will give him an exam and likely an antihistamine and/or steroid injection.

Ice the swelling area for 5 minutes three times per day for the next 2 days. You can apply a topical antibiotic ointment to the wound. If the dog is off balance, had a head tilt, won't eat, etc. then he needs to see a vet. The swelling could be a blood clot or an abscess that the vet needs to drain.

I am so sorry to hear about your dog. It sounds like you have done all you are going to be able to do for her at home. I would recommend a visit to the emergency vet if there is one in your area, if not see your vet first thing in the morning as she is likely going to need oral antibiotics as well as pain medication, and should have the eye examined to be sure there was no damage to the eye itself. Continue to ice the area to help with pain and swelling until she is seen. You can take a bag of frozen peas or corn and wrap in a thin cloth/towel (don't put the ice pack directly on the skin with no barrier in between) for 5-10 minutes every few hours if she will tolerate this. Do not give any over the counter pain medication because these can be poorly tolerated by dogs and may cause more harm than good.