Hector Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 Yesterday afternoon Bailey (BC/Greyhound-X) was outside in his chain-link-fenced dog yard. I went out to bring him in. I called him and as usual he ran toward me at full speed. His standard technique is to run at full speed straight at the gate, and then at the last second he puts all four paws down for braking and slides to a stop. But this time he misjudged a bit and slid into the gate (also chain link covered). In the process he damaged the top of a toe on his right fore-paw. He didn?t yelp or limp or anything like that, but when I got him into the house I saw that the top of his paw was bloody. His collision with the fence had peeled the skin on top of a toe back -- the wound was about ?-inch X ?-inch, and the flesh was showing with no skin/fur on it. I took him to the emergency vet (it was after-hours for our regular vet) and got the wound sewn back together. They sent us home with an E-collar. He slept okay through the night with me close by on a cot. Since he is a very active dog, we have him on a tranquilizer pill that is keeping him calm. Now as he is sleeping he doesn?t have the E-collar on. After this incident I have decided that I need to pad the bottom of the gate on which he injured himself. I don?t believe he will have learned anything from this incident and so it could happen again in the same way. I am trying to think of what kind of padding substance I can use? It must be something that will not be damaged by water (and rot) because we get 35-inches of rain a year here. Any suggestions about what material would make a good gate padding and how I would attach it? It would only have to pad the bottom six inches of the gate, and that gate is four feet wide. The padding needs to be able to take the force of the dog?s paws sliding into it fairly hard, hopefully with no damage to the paws or the padding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 Hector so sorry to hear about Bailey's injury! If his paw slid under the gate, I would just get some of that stuff they use for insulating water pipes. it is round with a slit down it and it is made to go over a pipe. I am guessing your gate is like mine with a "pipe" encompassing it so it should just slide over it. You can attach it with zip ties. Hope it works out. Hope Bailey is mended soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 That's a good idea, Dixie Girl. My engineering husband would highly approve of the zip ties, his #1 tool for home repairs (if it can't be taped together with duct tape). In fact, that's how my Christmas wreaths are attached to the lights by my front door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 I'm glad to hear someone else's spouse is in love with the zip ties! Zip ties, duct tape, and GE silicone glue. His fix-it pantheon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 The pipe insulation is a good idea. If you want to pad some of the chain link at the bottom maybe you could zip tie some of the super heavy pond liner rubber to the bottom few inches of the gate. I have a bunch of that left over from a client, and it is so useful for so many things. Good luck and hope Bailey heals up really quickly, that must have been scary. Emergency vet trips are just soooo fun.... Kristin, Hoku and Gussy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Posted December 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 Thanks, those ideas are exactly what I was looking for. I will install the padding before Bailey is again turned loose in his dog yard. That will be a while, as his foot must completely heal before that can happen. Following photos are of Bailey sharing his "recovery bed" with Skiziks (The Border Kitty). Hector ____________ The best things in life are furry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 Awww, poor guy! I hope he's feeling better soon. What a cute pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 I called him and as usual he ran toward me at full speed. His standard technique is to run at full speed straight at the gate, and then at the last second he puts all four paws down for braking and slides to a stop.This is what Jack does if we call him from the back door that has a small deck/stoop attached to it. He runs as fast as he can, vaults the steps, and brakes his speed on the door mat. We are waiting for a morning when the door mat is slick and he crashes through the railings! ShoresDog, I forgot one other important tool in my husband's "tool bag"......the rubber band. He fixed the power button on my mother's computer with a rubber band. He loves it when we have a lot of mail and our mail lady bundles the mail with a rubber band because she has really strong government-quality rubber bands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 Love the pic! Hope your guys heals up soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 Good Lord Hector! What are you feeding Skiziks? He looks huge! Poor Bailey! Hope he heals soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 So very sorry to hear about Bailey! It is nice to see pictures of him again. I hope he heals quickly. I second (or was it third or fourth?) the idea about the pipe insulation. We use it to pad a lot of things (bicycle down tubes on bike racks, fences, baby trees . . . ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 That is a super cute picture of Bailey and Skiziks! It looks like Bailey's foot is well-secured. Dogs seem to heal very quickly compared to humans -- I hope he's better soon. [Oh yeah, Jack & Co., rubber bands are a big thing in my husband's toolkit too. But he's taken them to a new level. He buys those thick hair elastics from the drugstore, because they are stronger and last longer than plain old rubber bands! And they come in all different colors, so you can color code with them. Engineering types love that. Gotta love 'em.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Debatable Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 My dogs would make short work of pipe insulation, zip ties etc. (Is that stuff safe if ingested?) Since I am the laziest person on earth, rather than padding the fence I'd try stepping inside the gate to the dog yard, blocking the gate and telling my dog to slooooow dowwwwwn. This approach doesn't always work perfectly with my gung-ho pit bulls, not to mention Lulu (the heat-seeking missile) but it might work with Bailey. Best wishes to your boy for a quick recovery, and a pat to Skiziks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 What a metamorphosis from sick kitten to gorgeous king of the castle! Is Skiziks a year old now, Hector? ShoresDog, I think you just gave me an idea for a stocking stuffer! What more could he ask for: strength and color-coding?!?! Thanks for the great idea! (I don't try to understand the engineering mind but I do try to keep it happy.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Posted December 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Jack & Co. -- Thanks for asking -- today is Skiziks nine-month birthday. Yes indeed, he really has blossomed out from the day he arrived here (dehyrated and not eating or drinking). He's a good little buddy -- very people friendly. When I sit down in a Lazy-Boy recliner to watch a football game, Skiziks will jump onto my lap and curl up for a nap. That's like a heating pad that doesn't use electricity. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hector Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Hector -- since Bailey is a greyhound cross, be sure to see the Mutts comic strip of Nov. 5th about a rescued greyhound. It was a very poignant one! Here's a link to the strip: http://muttscomics.com/art/dailyarchive.as...ate=5&year=2006 And the follow-up story about all the letters the strip provoked: http://muttscomics.com/news/index.asp?idne...69&newsCat=news I can't imagine what a border collie x greyhound must get you in the way of speed plus intent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Posted December 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 ShoresDog -- Thank you so much for the links. That cartoon is very touching. It reminded me of a show that I saw on Animal Planet TV. It was about a rescue greyhound finding a forever home. And to get the dog to that new home, a volunteer pilot transported the dog in his airplane. That was a sweet story. From what that TV story showed, greyhounds make really good companion animals. Since Bailey came home from the ER vet on Saturday evening, we have had to keep him from licking/chewing his foot bandage. So we got an E-collar from the vet. It turned out that Bailey was very frightened when the E-collar was on. He just hates it. So I have been allowing him to go without the E-collar and I have had to watch him closely to make sure he isn't bothering the bandage. This morning, without the E-collar, he started licking at the bandage. I picked up the E-collar, walked over to him and held up the collar. I told him that if he didn't stop licking the bandage then I would have to put the E-collar on him. And ya know, he is a smart dog -- he understood what I was saying because in the past two hours he has not even looked at the bandage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Go Bailey! Hoku hates those things, too. We did the same thing when he had his floppy rear dew claws removed (along with the foxtail up his nose :eek: ) He got the 'don't mess with the bandage or the collar goes on' REAL quick. They really are amazing dogs! Hope Bailey heals quick, give him a scritch for us! Kristin, Hoku and Gussy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Hector, I so want that Skiziks - he is just adorable, and very like a cat I used to have - who was also very loving. You obviously don't look after Skiziks , so just mail him to me! Oh wait, I guess you can't - your heating bill would go up! Seriously, he is an absolute credit to you, and it's so good that he and Bailey are such good friends. Give them both a fuss from Oz for me, and I hope poor Bailey heals really quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Anne Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Aaaaah, my poooor Bailey boy! I will second that he is a smart dog fer shur! and sooo handsome too. Hope he heals quickly! Give him some pats & luv from me. Skiziks and Bailey, WOW... what a beautiful pair they make, I like the Border Cat description. As far as protection for the gate, I like the ideas already given as well. Sounds like it should work. I'll run it by my hubby also, he is pretty good with securing/protecting/replacing etc etc, stuff, when it comes to our dogs. He secured our backyard fence, part 6 ft chain link part 8' privacy by digging a 2' deep trench all the way around and securing another 3' section of chain link (with 2 feet buried). Whew, what a job, but it has worked like a charm (so far)and it's been over 10 yrs. Anyway let us know what you end up doing. Take care Get Well Bailey!!! ((( big hug))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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