Dog Attack!! Now What?
Copyright Pamela Alley, RVT 2005

     Walking out the door to the barn, you begin to see signs of something seriously wrong. Tufts of hair are caught in the grass outside the door..and the door is open, and you know you shut it!! You open the door all the way, and a dog shoots out the door, running flat out to get as far away as possible. Instantly you realize that facing you is a disaster.

     Cages are open, and fur is everywhere. Some cages are bent; bedding from nest boxes litters the floor. Over near the buck area, a rabbit drags itself away from you, not able to use its hind legs and covered in blood and dog slobber. Stunned, you begin to move through the barn and find that many of your best animals are dead; some are dismembered on the floor, others dead in the cage with limbs pulled through the wire. Of the litters, few kits are in evidence from opened cages; others begin coming out of hiding as the bunnies realize the danger has gone. One doe stomped her litter, protectively thumping while in the box. Many more animals are bleeding; they are mostly missing toes, skin off their feet, tails missing fur and/or hide.

     What do you do now?

     This scene is familiar to many of us who have had this tragedy strike our barns; those of us who have not had this happen give blessings that we never have had to face this disaster. But any fence may be tunneled; gates may be left open; fences can be jumped or torn apart. We should all be prepared to deal with this situation should it occur.

     When establishing your rabbitry in the first place, always give a thought to keeping all animals out of the barn or area. Fencing is the most commonly overlooked solution; inadequate fencing is one of the most frequent mistake. Although funds are usually tight in the first place, planning carefully is one of the best moneymakers around. The fence comes first; then worry about cages, barns, etc. Even if the rabbitry is in a completely enclosed barn, there should be a fence around the area or the property sufficient to discourage dogs and other predators such as coyotes.

     Fencing comes in many forms; for our purposes we will pass over the barbed wire and panel type fences; they are of no use against dogs. Mesh fencing is essential. Hog panels, field fencing, chain link, or similar types of fencing are all mesh varieties and are adequate against most dogs. Few fences are proof against a determined pack of dogs.

     Before building your fence, plan the layout with care to placement of gates and traffic. Weedeat and spray the fenceline course to keep weeds out of the way and ensure proper placement of the mesh as close to the ground as possible.

     When building your fence, set the posts deeply and use cement if possible and practical. The set of the posts is vital to the final strength of the fence. Using rails in addition to the posts is an excellent way to increase strength as well as eye appeal. Using a fence stretcher, place a bottom strand of heavy gauge wire not more than three inches from the ground. This will help prevent animals from pushing under the fence, as it will later be wired securely to the inside of the mesh of the fence.

     Put your rails from post to post to post, covering two intervals; staggering the rails is a good way to add strength to the fence and improve appearance.  Rails should be at least 2x2 inches, preferably 2x4 inches, or tubular steel. When this is done, you are ready to string wire.

When stringing and stretching wire, start from a well braced comer post. All corner posts should be cemented for this reason. Fasten the wire as instructed by the manufacturer and go along the fence, pulling the field varieties taut and stretching chain link as described by the maker. Use as many fasteners as you need and make sure the bottom of the fence is as close to the ground as possible. If on uneven ground, you may opt to dig out a small trench to keep the line straight and make stretching easier. Once the wire is stretched and secured, use more fasteners to make absolutely sure that nothing can bend, tear, or break that fence.

     At this point, hang your gates and secure the base wire to the inside of the fence mesh. Make sure that gates hang just barely high enough to swing properly. Voila! A sound fence!

     A note on solid wood fencing: Although an effective privacy barrier, a determined dog or pack can easily detach the boards from the fence by brute strength. Should you be counting on such a fence to deter dogs, supplement the nails in the fence by adding two screws to the top and bottom of each board. Screws are much more difficult to dislodge from sound wood. If the wood is no longer sound, or is a soft and wormholed cedar type, it would be a good idea to add wire fencing around your rabbitry.

     Now that you have a fence, you need to consider what you will do if the worst happens. You need to know what your legal options are, so consult with your county and state administration, sheriff, police, and animal control that is in charge of your area. Emphasize to them that rabbits are livestock if kept outside the home, since this will permit you in most areas to use whatever means necessary to remove animals that are hazarding your rabbits. If your area has a 'no livestock' restriction, emphasize that they are your pets as well as livestock.

     Your legal options to consider are as follows:

What to do with a dog that enters your property with intent to harass or kill your animals. Can you shoot it? Is it legal to discharge a firearm where you are for this purpose? Will animal control come to your aid and support should a dog attack occur?

     What recourse you have on the owner of the dog or the country/town should damages occur. Who is liable, and for how much? What proof of ownership is needed to prosecute the owner? Is there a leash law in the area? What kind of reports need to be made at the time of an attack?

     How rabbits are classed in your area; if they are not specifically mentioned as livestock, what effect does this have on you? If they are mentioned as livestock, do livestock protection/compensation statutes apply?

     Remember that you are a taxpayer, not a second class citizen for raising a species not easily compartmentalized by bureaucracy and as such, you have the same rights to protection from depredation by predators as anyone else.

     The other information you need is on rendering first aid to the animals that have been attacked. Injuries from dog attacks are usually extensive and result from a 'spree' of injuring, maiming, and killing for fun. The most common direct injuries are lost toes, feet, tails, and ears or hide and muscle being removed from the bone, which remains attached. These are followed by broken spines, broken necks, and fractured legs. Rabbits which have been removed from their cages tend to suffer internal injuries such as ruptured organs, diaphragmatic hernias, broken ribs with punctured lungs, and deep puncture wounds. Some less frequent injuries include removal of large amounts of hide and eye damage.

     Call a vet immediately to make a farm call and assist with first aid and euthanasia. While you are doing your research on options, find a local vet who will come in an emergency to help you triage, treat, and euthanize. Prompt and proper treatment can save many animals which would otherwise be euthanized.

     No matter what the extent of the injury, it's almost always a bloody mess. Be prepared to euthanize the animals whose internal organs have been damaged beyond healing (ie, the animal has been eviscerated and is still living), and those paralyzed animals whose damage is extreme.

     Those paralyzed with no other apparent injury may be confined in a single carrier so that they may not turn about or move much; they need intensive care, but stand a ghost of a chance. If the animal is not of high importance to your herd, euthanasia is a recommended solution.

     Bear shock in mind; animals need warm (cool in summer), dark and quiet for maximum recovery in minimal time.

     Rabbits don't seem to feel a lot of pain from wounds to ears, feet, and tail; the animals with this sort of injury, unless bleeding freely, should be set aside for later treatment. Bleeding may be stopped with moderate pressure either with or without a caustic substance such as QuickStop. Use of such caustic substances should be restricted only to the very tips of toes, tail and ears. Do not use on muscle tissue or puncture wounds. Bleeding from such areas should be controlled only with direct pressure. Arterial bleeding, indicated by spurts of blood from ruptured vessels, may be dealt with in several ways; direct pressure for a prolonged period of time (thick pressure bandage), tying off the vessel (a job best left to the veterinarian or experienced person), or a combination of both.

     Fractures resulting from dog attacks are most likely to be spinal, cervical (neck), or distal limb fractures, greatly limiting your choices in dealing with them. Spinal fractures usually result in limited to complete paralysis, particularly of the hindquarters; cervical or neck fractures most often result in death. Any surviving animal with such fractures should be immediately immobilized as much as possible in a small cage, kept from moving by packing the surrounding space with hay or towelling until an Xray and closer examination may be made. It is possible to immobilize a fracture of the neck long enough for it to heal; however this should only be undertaken if the animal has a reasonable chance of returning to complete function; a veterinarian should be the person making this assessment, as many factors can vary and thus impact the animal's chances of survival.

     Distal limb fractures from such an attack can be a very ugly sight. These fractures tend to be compounded, exposed to the air and dirt, and may be considered infected by definition. The first aid person's job is to stop any bleeding and immobilize the limb. To efficiently immobilize the fracture site and reduce further damage, the joints above and below the break need to be included in the splint. Splinting rabbits can be easy; it can also be quite frustrating and should be if at all possible a two person job.

     Hold the rabbit in a comfortable position, affected limb uppermost, and deal with bleeding and obvious foreign material. The veterinarian will clean the wound thoroughly later on. Wrap a washcloth or small towel around the leg as many thicknesses as possible and practical, holding the tip of the foot to ensure proper wrapping. Complete the crude splint with a tightly wrapped layer of tape; almost any tape will do; electrical, duct, masking, or even scotch tape. When the leg is properly wrapped, using a tight final wrap serves only to compact the splinting material against the leg, stabilizing it without restricting blood flow. It is highly recommended that you learn this technique from your vet, and practice this splinting method on yourself to find the proper amount of padding needed.  More is always better!

     Once first aid is completed, a trip to the vet or a farm call by the vet is very highly recommended before any other actions are undertaken; this can help your legal position as well, as the veterinarian is a licensed professional who can make the proper decisions as to what wounds will result in permanent damage versus those which will recover completely.

     Let the veterinarian deal with toes and feet, tails and ears that may require amputation for complete recovery; a skilled amateur with a pair of Rescostyle nail trimmers can clean up protruding bones and so forth, but the procedure can be risky and painful for the animal, and is not recommended unless there is absolutely no other choice. Should this become necessary, the name of the game is to leave enough skin to cover the tip of the digit, apply plenty of antibiotic ointment, and bandage until healing is complete. The veterinarian will usually perform this relatively minor surgery at minimal cost plus the anaesthetic, if any. The author feels very strongly that only the veterinarian should perform such surgeries.

     Vet or no vet? A problem in many rabbitries which are subject to dog depredation is funds. Calling a veterinarian out to help in these cases usually results in a fee which can be quite high depending on what he/she needs to do while they are there. It's highly advisable to discuss this possibility with your veterinarian before the fact, and see what you can work out as a team to best benefit your herd. Many veterinarians will gladly teach you sufficient first aid techniques to reduce the amount of work they have to do in such emergencies; others may be reluctant. (see Establishing A Veterinary Relationship) You can also discuss payment schedules and 'what if’ scenarios with your vet beforehand. Some colleges and junior colleges give classes in animal first aid and veterinary assistance; you might look into these courses for more information.

     Pain relief for rabbits can be controversial; the author recommends the assistance of a licensed veterinarian if at all possible. There are an increasing number of options in rabbit medicine on a daily basis and we as owners should be as well aware of these as we can.

     For many years, the response of the rabbit owner and veterinarian to a damaged rabbit has been to euthanize it as soon as possible. This is no longer the only option for us; we now have access to much more information and veterinarians who have an idea of the rabbit and its worth to us as a show or breeding animal. So if this disaster should strike you, be prepared and you may save more than anyone has heretofore thought possible.