Small Dog Large Encounter
I have recently received a letter from an owner of a Lancashire Healer dog that presented to our emergency service over a year ago now. One doesn’t see many of this breed these days but they are a small terrier dog with a temperament far larger than their body size! In the letter his owner reported that little Loki was doing well although when I saw him originally I would have given little for his chances. He had been shaken by a very large Weimeraner and had the most 
extensive skin wounds I have seen in my 26 years of practice. The skin had been stripped from all the abdomen and most of the chest and was hanging in various strands from poor Loki’s body. He was very shocked but not as much as his owners!!
He immediately received intravenous fluids to counteract the shock and x-rays were taken to determine if there were any more serious internal injuries. Fortunately there were not and so the painstaking work of cleaning the wounds and attempting to suture him began. This took well over an 
hour and some areas of the skin needed to be removed as they were obviously dead. Eventually Loki was back together again but was as tight as a drum!
Much nursing and pain relief as well as extensive antibiotic therapy ensued. I was fully expecting the wounds to break down with the sutures pulling through and underlying tissues once more open to the world. But to my surprise and delight only a small section of the wounds did this and the rest went on to heal uneventfully. During this time Loki appeared oblivious to his condition, wanting to go out for walks and he certainly wasn’t off his food.
To be honest I had forgotten all about Loki till I heard from his “mother” one year after the event. In it she says that he has been his normal self, unaware of his near death experience and not in the slightest bit intimidated by any large dogs he comes across. It was lovely to receive the letter and to be reminded of that Saturday afternoon but particularly good to see the healed if somewhat patchwork nature of Loki’s coat and skin!!
