Coyote update

[Rottimom]

I previously posted about coyotes in my yard and the field beyond. Well about a week ago Herc came inside with saliva on his side and we later discovered a huge gash on his rear end. Went to the vet right away. She didnt want to stitch (even though its a huge nasty chunk/gash), she just prescribed antibiotics. She also couldnt say for sure if it was indeed a bite or if he slashed his butt on something else (what.... I have no clue ) She actually didnt really seem to believe that we even have coyotes in the city (although that was never in question.... I have heard AND seen them.)

As previously mentioned, most would agree that a coyote would have to be pretty stupid or desperate to go after a 100 lb rotti. We wondered if Herc perhaps stumbled upon a rabbit they had caught and one came up behind him.....??? Or perhaps he did injure himself on something sharp. I guess we'll never know. I actually found 2 more injuries on him yesterday, a long scrape on his underside and a lumpy scratch/scar at the base of his tail.

So the gash is healing I guess (Its sooooo gross ) Herc is eating pretty well and drinking. He seems kinda down :sad: but is as affectionate as always- just extra sucky. I am a bit concerned about his upper lip.... it is normally black in colour and is now bright blood red in colour. Could this be from all the licking he is doing? (Licking his wound) I am just on the lookout for anything peculiar and his lip is really disturbing me.
Thanks

[jawert1]

Personally, I would take him to another vet that you trust or comes highly recommended. That any vet would not know the animal populations in their area causes concern for me, I live outside DC and all 4 vets at our hospital know what lives wildly and close by (which includes some strange things) That you're also finding other injuries is unnerving, and that you're noticing his lip is off...time for a second opinion and another round of tests.

[Rottimom]

Good point Jawert I thought the same thing. My vets office has several women who practise and this lady I have never seen before, although she has apparently been there the longest. I have always trusted them and I did understand her "coyote theory doubts" as I had the same doubts (why would they approach a rotti 3X their size, why didnt I hear any sort of scuffle, how could that have happened when he was out there for a total of about 3 minutes) And quite honestly, I would much prefer to think that it WASN'T a coyote. I'm scared enough out there after dark! But the fact is that they ARE out there, we have seen them 3 times this winter and hear their howls and yips several times a week.

His main injury on his rear looks like a tooth possibly punctured then tore a 2 inch long gash. It really does look awful and he is licking it a lot but it does appear to be healing. His top lip though, it puzzles me. When Herc was neutered they also removed his dew claws and believe me, he licked until he could lick no more (we actually had to get it re-stitched twice) but he never got this red upper lip like he has now.

[jawert1]

any way they could take a scrape of his lip? that just sounds way too weird for me to let go (lol my vet loves me, i keep them in business with my two) and i think it's way out of your scope too :/ boy i hope he snagged on a fence or something non-coyote, i'm keeping you guys in my thoughts till this is all done and he's 100% healthy and himself again

[rjames]

Personally I doubt it was a coyote. I lived on the edge of Barrie - in farm country - where coyotes were regularly seen within 50 feet of the house! They are extremely bold and I wouldn't doubt if you've seen them in city limits.

Let me say this: never let your dog interact with a coyote.

Coyotes hunt in packs - while one is visible, the others (as many as 10) are usually hiding and waiting for another animal to come close to the 'decoy.' They don't really care too much about the size of what they are hunting, they are just interested in food. The decoy will usually try to get the animal to follow him towards the pack where the attack occurs. If your rottie fell for this - believe me most territorial dogs do - he wouldn't have made it home.

[divinecalamity]

I am not too sure about how others have been taught about dogs licking their wounds, I have been told that it slows the healing process, and I would imagine that licking could cause more bacteria to enter the wound as well. I hope everything works out well with your dog . I have seen coyote's attack a small dog, when I worked at a vet clinic a few came in but never a large dog..but i guess if they are really really hungry they might, or maybe it was a sharp branch or other object like previously suggested. Hope you dog heals well and you don't see any coyote's too close

[Dog Dancer]

Poor Herc. I hope he heals up soon, I'd worry about the constant licking too, but I've never been a fan of the e-collars either. I agree I'd get a second opinion about the wound and the lip especially. It also wouldn't surprise me if it was an attack by coyotes. We have them around my house and it's entirely city blocks all around us. Saw them just last week boldly walking down the road - drove my girls crazy!! I can see how they could lure Herc to the edge of the brush and gang up on him. If he's pretty mellow they would know it. I'm not afraid of our coyotes at all, kinda figure they're eating a few rats and all, but my dogs don't get a chance to run lose anywhere near where they could make contact. Good luck with Herc.

[Bushfire2000]

I lost one of my babies to a coyote several years ago.
It was heart breaking.
Poor Elvis was only 9 months old. One warm February day he was playing outside with my whole family and another, larger dog.
The coyotes started howlling but that wasn't unusual so we ignored it. After playing for a while we ,the humans, went inside and had supper. After supper I went out and called him he didn't come so I went looking. For several hours, I stayed out well after dark and even called the neighbors. We found poor Elvis in the spring halfway accross the pasture where he never would have gone ordinarily.
You are very lucky Herc has only minor injuries.

[Okami]

>< coyotes are a scare, my backyard is right up against a large park where alot of people walk their dalks. Many times I've seen 2-3 coyotes stalking the dog walkers, no matter how large their dogs are. I remember seeing 1 coyote following a person 6ft behind them even though they were walking 3 full grown rotties. Luckily most of the dog and coyote encounters here end up with the dogs scaring off the coyotes.

[Rottimom]

Bushfire I am so sorry to hear that :sad:

Thanks to everyone for your kind words. Herc is healing quite well. I asked the vet about his red lip and they think its is likely just badly chapped (from his licking.)

I just posted in the General section, as we had another incident. Last night while I was outside with Herc, 4-6 coyotes came at him from all angles and circled him. Thankfully my husband and I were right there and Herc came to us when we called him before they could hurt him but they were definitely ganging up on him. It especially broke my heart because my baby seemed to think they were playing with him. What is so scary to me is that this makes no sense!! Everything I've read says that coyotes are opportunists, they are very clever and will go for easy prey. A large rotti is NOT easy prey!! Not only did Herc's size not deter them, but neither did my screaming !

I now have no doubt that Herc's injury is indeed a bite as I saw them very methodically attack him with my own eyes last night.

This will not happen again, as I will be taking him out on his leash, to the front yard until our fence gets put up. To anyone (in Southern Ontario and I dont know where else) please don't leave your animals unattended outside!!!

[divinecalamity]

I lived in Surrey, just outside Vancouver before moving to edmonton and we saw many coyote's on our front lawn...Surrey maybe a suburb but it is very large and populated. There have also been incidents in Vancouver of coyote's going up to toddlers and children in the park due to their hunger, this makes sense if you live in a city, they are just really hungry, but if you live in a country setting it is weird. I wouldn't want a coyote to try to eat/attack my pet or child however, I do feel bad for the coyote's as we are taking their land/teritory and with it all their prey. Even with the fence keep a close eye out as they seem very persistant. I have heard of coyote's running them selves into glass patio doors to try to get the pet on the other side, a sad situation for all animals.

[Rene]

Hope Herc is on his way to "speedy recovery". This may be a stupid question, so bear with me....if it was "coyote"; would Herc have to get any type of needle (I have no idea what, if any, diseases coyotes carry)?


Have a girlfriend that lives in Oshawa (a few blocks from the centre); and she mentioned the coyotes come around all the time; there's a cemetery around the corner and according to her, that's their "living place"

Irene

[yoda900_ca]

i did a major biology paper in university yrs ago reguarding wovles and subsiquently discovered alot about coyotes as well. As a bio major north american carnivores was always primary intrest. First there are now 2types of coyotes on the east coast on N.america the "regular" 30 lb or so type which hunt in mated pairs and usually w/ some adolescent pups. and a new hybrid. These coyotes are much more dangerous. The appear to be a cross between the red wolf and standard coyote. They are about 50-60lbs and are exhibiting true pack behavior like a wolf pack. They lack the wolves fear of man and are very bold.
All wild dogs will try to kill of the competion or invaders in their territory. ie wolves will kill coyotes normally if they catch them, coyotes are know to kill of foxes. These coyotes have decided your property is their territory. Your male being fixed has probale signaled the alpha male in this pack that he can take out this intruder. Talk to your local wildlife dept about catching and removing the alpha coyote. If this is a Hybrid coyote normal deterents don't seem to be working. They are having a major problem with them in cape cod mass. The only other solution is to kill the coyotes:sad: . I always hate to see that but depending on their behavior you might have no choice.
Again see if your local fish and game or wildlife dept can help you out. I aslo think vets are supposed to report wild animal attacks on pets to the fish and game dept(at least in NYS where i grew up u had to) good luck

[Rottimom]

[QUOTE=Rene]Hope Herc is on his way to "speedy recovery". This may be a stupid question, so bear with me....if it was "coyote"; would Herc have to get any type of needle (I have no idea what, if any, diseases coyotes carry)?

Its a good question, one I definitely asked the vet. Coyotes certainly can carry many diseases known also to domestic dogs, from parvo, distemper and mange, to fleas. My vet was not concerned at all as Herc is up to date on all his shots.

Yoda- the man at animal control made it very clear to me that killing the coyotes or even relocating them are NOT options. Hahaha he must have been reading my husbands mind.... but don't worry.... I dont want them hurt or killed. I just want them to leave us alone!! A lot of what you described in your post sounded right, the coyotes the other night were varying sizes and there were 4-6 of them (I couldnt really count they were running so fast) I agree that they have decided my yard is their territory.

[yoda900_ca]

You want to contact the Ministry of natural resources dept if in canada. They can help you with what to do with coyotes. Make sure u tell them they are attacking your dog hence causing damage to your property. you might need to hire a wildlife control agent to remove the coyotes but the MNR should be able to give u a referal.

[doggy lover]

(rjames Personally I doubt it was a coyote. I lived on the edge of Barrie - in farm country - where coyotes were regularly seen within 50 feet of the house! They are extremely bold and I wouldn't doubt if you've seen them in city limits.)


I live in Scarborough and have seen one with in 5 feet of where I was standing with my dog.

[Rene]

Rottimom...wondering how's Herc doing?

Irene