dog/raccoon fight

[stryder]

My Welsh terrier asked to go out about 2:30 Friday morning and immediately treed a raccoon. Lots of barking. I grabbed a small bamboo stick (tomato stake) and went out to get the dog. I looked up to see the raccoon right over me. As it was heading toward the skinnier branches, I backed off, still calling for the dog.

Raccoon comes down. Terrier grabs it. Now there’s a mass of rolling fur right in front of me. I started wailing with my stick, thinking I needed to do anything I could to get them to separate. Raccoon runs off. I get the dog in the house. She’s dripping blood from the face. We go to her regular vet, which is a 24-hour small-animal hospital about 15 minutes away. 14 stitches later, we head home with anti-inflammatories and abx and instructions for me to keep her quiet for the next two weeks.

We’re lucky. One hole was so close to her eye that the vet wouldn’t suture it. She’s current on rabies and other vaccines.

She’s 6 years old. The past couple days have been hard. Her face is a mess, and I think she’s body sore from the fight, plus getting hit with the stick. She doesn’t really want to cuddle, but I cannot be out of her sight. Before, she was companionable, but was usually content to stay put if I moved from room to room.

For those of you with experience with this, what can I expect as she heals? I know dogs are individuals, but will her independence and confidence return as she heals?

We live in suburbia. Raccoons are frequent visitors to the back yard, which includes a couple small water features.

TIA.

[Sswor]

How scary. I have a terrier as well and just caught him worrying a possum last week. A raccoon is a thousand times more fierce but I have no doubt any terrier would jump right into that. Do you have her on pain management? How’s her activity? Is she walking normal? How’s her appetite? Mine suffered a pretty bad back injury a couple years ago which I did not witness but was apparently pretty bad. He healed just fine in 8 weeks but was a miserable dog for a long time. Off his feed, cowering, crying out. He needed serious pain management incl. prednisone for several days and then weeks later to get him/keep him comfortable. It was very frightening to see him hurting so much.

I’d be worried about her back and/or ribs if she’s in a great deal of pain still. I don’t suppose you got xrays?

[Sandysmom]

My pit mix tangled with a raccoon a couple of years ago. He developed a condition known as coondog paralysis. It is rare but does happen. Its is basically an autoimmune reaction to raccoon saliva. Buster was basically a quadriplegic. There is nothing that can be done other than supportive care. Buster pulled through and is fine now but it took three months before he could walk without support.

[walkinthewalk]

Raccoons are so tough, they have been known to drown bonafide coon hunting dogs, if the battle ends up in the water.

as far as your dog’s mental health, it will depend how much “spit and sass” she has to her, to begin with.

i have two Catahoula mixes, whose worst battles were getting sprayed by a skunk in the back yard.

Had the OP’s scenario occurred with either of my dogs — one would have been mentally scarred for life. The other dog, the battle would have empowered it to the point it would have gone looking for every raccoon on our road.

I hope the OP’s dog heals without issue:)

[stryder]

@Sswor

How scary. I have a terrier as well and just caught him worrying a possum last week. A raccoon is a thousand times more fierce but I have no doubt any terrier would jump right into that. Do you have her on pain management? How’s her activity? Is she walking normal? How’s her appetite? Mine suffered a pretty bad back injury a couple years ago which I did not witness but was apparently pretty bad. He healed just fine in 8 weeks but was a miserable dog for a long time. Off his feed, cowering, crying out. He needed serious pain management incl. prednisone for several days and then weeks later to get him/keep him comfortable. It was very frightening to see him hurting so much.

I’d be worried about her back and/or ribs if she’s in a great deal of pain still. I don’t suppose you got xrays?

Glad your dog healed. That must have been tough.

She’s on anti-inflammatories, but I have pain meds I can layer on if it looks like she needs it. She’s walking slowly but without limping, and today she voluntarily picked up a short trot. I’ve figured movement was better than not, but haven’t pushed her. We’ve poked along our regular walking routes. This morning she stuck her face to the ground, snuffled and would have started digging if I hadn’t pulled her out. Her appetite is fairly normal, water intake good, normal poop. But the extra effort seems to be tied to emotion. If she’s not on the scent of something, she’s very, very quiet. Maybe a half dose of pain med is a good idea.

[stryder]

@Sandysmom

My pit mix tangled with a raccoon a couple of years ago. He developed a condition known as coondog paralysis. It is rare but does happen. Its is basically an autoimmune reaction to raccoon saliva. Buster was basically a quadriplegic. There is nothing that can be done other than supportive care. Buster pulled through and is fine now but it took three months before he could walk without support.

Yikes! How did that manifest itself, and what was the timeline?

[stryder]

@walkinthewalk

Raccoons are so tough, they have been known to drown bonafide coon hunting dogs, if the battle ends up in the water.

as far as your dog’s mental health, it will depend how much “spit and sass” she has to her, to begin with.

i have two Catahoula mixes, whose worst battles were getting sprayed by a skunk in the back yard.

Had the OP’s scenario occurred with either of my dogs — one would have been mentally scarred for life. The other dog, the battle would have empowered it to the point it would have gone looking for every raccoon on our road.

I hope the OP’s dog heals without issue:)

I read they scratch out the dog’s eyes, and then drown them. yikes.

She’s got some fire to her, and I hope this doesn’t slow her down. She’s sweet to people, fantastic to kids, and generally loves to play. A bad incident at the dog park when she was a puppy shook her confidence to the point she’s generally dog-aggressive. I hope this doesn’t end in her becoming fearful.

[Callista17]

Also, keep in mind, depending on them, meds can make them lethargic/alter how they feel.

[RackNRoll]

Maybe she’s wondering whose side you were on!

Hopefully she’s learned a lesson and will be a bit more circumspect about tackling a grown raccoon by herself next time. Most dogs aren’t gritty enough to tackle one alone, and stay in the fight. That’s a terrier for you!

[Sswor]

Come to think of it my terrier acts terribly submissive when I catch him shaking those possums. He’s had at least half a dozen scenarios where I have hollered to break him off a “hunt” and he always immediately backs off and cowers… Come to think of it mine’s been sorta quiet lately too. Perhaps they are pouting because they “got in trouble” for tangling with wildlife?

[stryder]

We’ve just come back from our evening walk, and she’s regaining her bounce per ounce. She seemed willing to show her cheeky side to a couple passing dogs. I’d prefer she not engage with raccoons, but hope she’s willing to rat. I doubt she’s that deep a thinker.

[Sandysmom]

I

@stryder

Yikes! How did that manifest itself, and what was the timeline?

Best I can remember, he came home with bite marks on his face and ears. The wounds were minor and I figured he’d tangled with the neighbor’s dogs. He was vaccinated so I didn’t give it much thought. A couple of days later he was very weak and had difficulty walking. I brought him inside and crated him. By the next morning he was paralyzed. We went to the vet and he diagnosed with Coonhound paralysis. There is no real treatment, just supportive care. At first he had no bladder control so I had to express his bladder but that returned in a few days. He could eat and drink if propped up and could wag his tail a little. He had to be turned every 4 hours to avoid fluid collection in his lungs and bed sores. I bought those bed pads for incontinent adults to put under him because he couldn’t go out to relieve himself. He also had an orthopedic dog bed with egg crate foam. I used baby wipes to clean him. He was on abx to prevent utis and bed sores, deramax for pain and ace for anxiety. If I had to do it again I would have asked the vet for gabapentin instead of deramax as I believe he experienced nerve pain. I came very close to euthanizing him but every time I decided to do it, he would show a tiny bit of progress like a tiny paw movement or being able to sit on his chest unsupported for a while. He didn’t show any real progress for about 3 weeks. It was baby steps. But he recovered completely and is a bouncy goofy dog now.

[Pep_n_Ann]

Glad you dog is feeling better!

My childhood dog, a pointer/pit mix liked to kill raccoons. We live way out in the country on 40+ acres with a creek running through it. I watched him one time corner a coon on the creek bank, grab it by the back of the neck and drown it in the water. He was quite the dog!

[Magicboy]

Glad to read there’s improvement. And your dog is feeling better.

[jherold]

Wow. I never realized that racoons were that difficult to kill. I’m more impressed with my old shepherd than ever. He killed everything including a couple of racoons and never had a mark on him.

[davers]

interesting, i hope your dog will be ok

[turner4554]

Just wanted to send some encouragement to your dog! My 9 year old 8 lb terrier was attacked by a pitbull on June 29 and had to basically be put back together surgically. After a week I would say I saw him come back to “himself” mentally (there was some concern about brain damage so it was a huge relief!). At two weeks, he was running again… with me trailing behind trying to keep him quiet. At three weeks he was back to chasing birds, running, jumping and playing with his ball. He’s a bit rough to look at still but I actually think that he’s forgotten about it. Moral of the story… terriers are super tough! Hang in there!

[stryder]

Thanks, everyone. I’m encouraged by the stories you’re telling of their resilience and your commitment to their recovery. She’s still quiet, but showing signs of her regular spunk. I think the cone is slowing her down.

[JanM]

The cone of shame does have an effect on their spunk. I bet your dog thinks you were helping drive the raccoon away, and were on her side. I bet in another week or so, she’ll be back to her old self, and looking for raccoons every time she goes out.

[stryder]

@JanM

The cone of shame does have an effect on their spunk. I bet your dog thinks you were helping drive the raccoon away, and were on her side. I bet in another week or so, she’ll be back to her old self, and looking for raccoons every time she goes out.

I’ve told the neighborhood kids it’s a badge of honor, not cone of shame. I hope she thinks we were in it together. I’m having my kitchen redone, and the contractor pulled out his tape measure this morning. First time it snapped back she sprung into action, so I think the sap is starting to rise.