I want to help someone catch an unsocialized large dog. He is not aggressive. We were thinking of sedating him- all with vet supervision of course. We want to get him into a crate.
I’m not even sure how sedated the sedative (pills) will make him.
I do have a few ideas but would appreciate hearing recommendations and ideas from others.
Thanks.
There are several options for oral sedatives for dogs but I think your best bet is going to be to put out a large crate and feed him in it for a few days. Otherwise even if you get him sleepy he’s likely going to flat out panic in the crate. Then on the day you’re actually going to catch him put the sedatives in the food, shut door and wait a half an hour for them to work. Then transport entire crate, covered with a blanket to keep it dark, with as little noise as possible.
If that’s not an option I would see if someone can lasso him. With a long enough line you can feed the end through the open door and out the back, then pull him in. This is going to be ugly and bucking bronco style though
I think traps work really well for this purpose. If you have a nearby rescue that would lend you a trap, then that is the route that I would take.
Why not just use a dog trap from the Humane Society or animal control?
We need to try to do it sooner than waiting a few days. If we must, maybe we will just have to.
I do not think there is any chance that this do will go into a trap.
I’d prefer not to use a catch pole or lasso until I find that nothing else will work.
I’m not sure which sedative the vet is using as I haven’t seen them or spoken with him directly.
I think I’ll add my original plan back in - that’s construct a (safe wire) box to put over the sedated dog. Then the box will enable us to safely put move the dog directly into the crate. I didn’t quite want to do that, but I can see that working.
The number of sedative pills is quite limited. We should have had backups in case one was not eaten or something - but I think we don’t.
Thanks for the suggestions. I do not see this as something that is going to be easy!
How big?
If the sedatives don’t work (I’m assuming acepromazine and some dogs are nonreactive) then benedryl is a good back up.
Set the crate on it’s backside so the door is facing up. Sedate the dog and wait…wait… catch and wrap his head in a towel because sedated dogs are more likely to bite than sober dogs. Pick him up and drop his booty in the crate. Close the door and leave his head wrapped in the towel (with a breathing hole).
It is surprising how many really feral dogs will enter a humane trap that has been baited. I have seen them used with great success for years. A trap might be the best bet for this dog.
Sheilah
DO NOT USE BENADRYL. Benadryl is more likely to cause excitement than drowsiness in pets.
If you’re using Acepomazine you need to know that just like horses dogs can seem very sedate and then blow right trough it if they are stimulated. So please use extreme caution as he could go from out cold on the ground to up and running/biting in the blink of an eye.
On that Animal Planet pit bull adoption center show, they caught a loose, feralish dog by herding it into a kennel run.
Maybe I could try a trap. The dog is well fed and knows all the things in his current surrounding so I thought he might just be too smart and wary of the new trap.
I guess this is a question for the vet - but couldn’t he use the pill sedative and then give some shot to knock them out more so that I could safely just pick him up and put him in the crate.
He isn’t vicious, but my fear was that being in a sedated condition, he’d be more likely to bite as he would not be “thinking” as much. Chapstickglue confirmed this.
If a trap would work that would be great…
Thanks.
Just last night there was a story on Global BC news about a “Dog finally caught after being on the lam for 299 days.” Petsearchers.com caught Lucy with the help of a concerned fellow who set up feeding stations over a period of a few days…on Google.
Chances of excitability on diphenhydramine are just as likely as nonreactivity to acepromazine. It is a good and safe backup if the owner has no access to benzodiazepine and the like.
What does he do if you sit quietly and toss boneless fried chicken pieces to him?
I caught a feral dog that way…but he’d run if he saw you from 100yards. It took me 9 mo of feeding him at the same time of day, every day by the side of the road. But the fried chicken helped a lot.
If yours will stand there and take fried chicken pieces, it would be pretty easy to get him to eat out of your hand, and use a leash lasso.
[QUOTE=Chapstickglue;7615838]
Chances of excitability on diphenhydramine are just as likely as nonreactivity to acepromazine. It is a good and safe backup if the owner has no access to benzodiazepine and the like.[/QUOTE]
However chances of actual sedation on it is even lower. So why risk exciting a dog who is already afraid and unhandleable. Just throwing drug after drug at him hoping something sticks isn’t a healthy strategy.
The point is to not make the dog afraid and just do this the least stressful way possible.
I know that in Bombay, the spay/neuter people use a homemade blow dart and sedate the dogs that way but I don’t know what drug they put on the dart. That seems like the best idea to me, but I haven’t discussed any of this with the vet. If the plan doesn’t work today, I can find out more about how that’s done and speak directly with the vet myself.
I’d suggest contacting Granite State Dog recovery. While not local to you, they’re very generous with their time and consulting with folks. They’re pros at capturing dogs on the run and likely have some useful tips.
You might check out I even call Stray Rescue of St. Louis. They seem to use a lot of different systems to catch wary strays. Just from reading Facebook, blogs, and other stuff of that nature a lot of rescues in this area do use traps very successfully. I used a trap to catch a stray that would run if you rolled your car window down. It took a couple of days and I was using hot dogs, sausage, etc to lure her in. Eventually she went in. I also saw a post on Facebook from a local.rescuer asking for help carting a trap with a feral dog in it to a vehicle, so I really think I would try the trap. I’m sure it is somewhat traumatic, but I think it is safer for everyone. If you sedate the dog, then you are presumably going to have to go pick up a sedated dog with no protection. If he comes to, it would be understandable if he bit. A trap will enable you to get him into a safe kennel run to settle down before you touch him. JMHO
[QUOTE=Coyoteco;7616159]
The point is to not make the dog afraid and just do this the least stressful way possible.
I know that in Bombay, the spay/neuter people use a homemade blow dart and sedate the dogs that way but I don’t know what drug they put on the dart. That seems like the best idea to me, but I haven’t discussed any of this with the vet. If the plan doesn’t work today, I can find out more about how that’s done and speak directly with the vet myself.[/QUOTE]
There are lots of drugs that can be used for darting a dog, but I can’t think of any that a vet would dispense to a client. They can cause a whole ton of damage if you miss the dog and dart yourself or someone else. You need to have strong enough drugs to drop the dog even with the adrenaline rush… and those need to be carefully monitored.
I think you’re smart to be worried about a feral dog biting you when he’s only sedated.
I’d definitely consult Animal Control - this will not be the first time someone has called with that question. Traps are probably your safest bet, although it does make it harder when the animal is well-fed.
i believe AC or a local shelter would have a cage for catching large dogs. similar to a Have-a-heart cage. the animal sets it off when he goes inside to eat. i would ask them if you can rent/borrow it or if they can help you.
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