Early yesterday morning several of my dachshunds got into a big coon. The lurcher of course joined in the fracas. I don't like having five dachshunds on one bad quarry because the big dog can't get a good grip right away as he tries to avoid the little dogs, nor can he shake the coon and kill it quickly when the dachshunds are hanging off it. The lurcher weighs 65 pounds so when he shakes something he does some damage. Well, unfortunately this time when he grabbed the coon, it bit him on the nose and he dropped it then immediately bent down to grab it again. Instead he grabbed my smallest dachshund, Fitz, who weighs six pounds. The lurcher shook her once and dropped her, realizing his mistake. The coon made a break for the fence line, the other dachshunds after it. The lurcher caught up with them and this time finished off the coon.
When the lurcher had dropped Fitz I ran to her as she was squalling. I looked and saw her intestines were hanging out her side. Not a pretty sight. I grabbed her up, carefully as she tried to bite me in her distress. I got a towel around her to keep her insides from coming out any further and put her in a crate in the car. I grabbed the other dogs and put them in their kennels and drove to the veterinarian. This vet opens at 7:30 a.m., a blessing since the wreck happened at 7. The vet looked at the injury and told me what he had to do. I left Fitz there till 4 then picked her up, all bandaged and drugged. The vet said none of the inner organs had been punctured, which is very fortunate as infection is a real threat if the intestines are perforated. Fitz also had a broken rib.
I took Fitz home, crated her and sat with her for awhile. She groaned on and off during the night but seemed alright. Early this morning I took her out to pee. She sat in the sun a few minutes, then walked to the area where the initial coon fight had been. She sniffed all over the area, then tracked the scent line to the fence where the coon had expired. I had moved its carcase way out to a front field for the vultures, who were glad to have it. Fitz seemed to very much want to find the coon so I carried her to the carcase. She sniffed it then peed copiously on it, walked a few steps away, and defecated on some coon fur. I guess Fitz wanted to find that coon and give it a final insult. The lurcher had accompanied us but Fitz showed no fear of him. In the fracas she might have thought the coon was the assailant. I'm just glad the wreck wasn't any worse.
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| Teddy Moritz's Fitz with her fancy yellow bandage |
5 comments:
Great Story with what sounds like a happy ending. Adversity sure builds, and proves, character. I would not want to be the next coon Fritz runs across.
Fitz you are a trooper and you did a great job writing this post. Accidents can and DO happen when packs of dogs are hunting/are on prey. It just happens and isn't something you understand until you either have it happen - or read a post such as this. Thank you for sharing.
Scary, Teddy! Glad it turned out OK; hope Fitz is mending well!
Thanks Stan and all. Fitz is acting well as far as I can tell. Bandage comes off Tuesday so we'll see what kind of tailor the vet was. Andy, the last coon Fitz tangled with gave her a scar on her muzzle and knocked out an incisor. Fitz likes the rough quarry.
Teddy, your dogs are amazing! A happy ending makes it all better. Fitz, what a dog you are!!!
AND, hunting isn't for sissies. It can be dangerous business and the chances for injury and death are pretty much built into the activity.
Glad everything is good now.
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