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Historical November 1995 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Unfortunately, the last two weeks have brought five dogs into the hospital because of being hit by a car. Three of them did not survive; one spent several days in intensive care after being stabilized and then transferred to a surgical referral practice; the last was the most fortunate, even though he did suffer a small fracture of the elbow. Types of cases tend to come in groups, as I think I have mentioned in other articles, but it is rare for us to see so many dogs hit by cars.
I originally thought that being an urban practice would mean frequent hit-bycar cases, but that has not proved to be the case. I’m glad. Obviously the best precaution is to keep your dog on a leash at all times, and keep your cat indoors, or on a leash.
But for whatever reasons, pets and cars do meet up and I’ve yet to see the pet that comes out on the good side of such an encounter.
If your pet is injured by being hit remember that whatever you do to try and help–be careful.
A frightened pet in severe pain will bite.
If your dog is unable, or unwilling, to walk, find a rope, or strip of cloth to tie their mouth shut before you attempt to move them.
A towel thrown around a cat will give some protection.
It is always advisable to have an injured pet examined by your veterinarian. Sometimes, the pets with the fewest external wounds are actually the most seriously injured.
When a pet is in shock, they are very quiet, their body temperature drops, the oral mucous membranes are pale, and the breathing may be either too fast, or too slow. Even if their injuries are not fatal, they are in danger of dying from the shock.
They need immediate treatment.
All injured pets do not go into shock right away, initially they may seem okay, but given time, their injuries may have more serious effects. Therefore, even if a pet appears okay, they should see their veterinarian who will help decide the best course of treatment. Luckily, we now have four emergency facilities in the St. Louis area: Kirkwood, Bridgeton, St. Charles, and Collinsville. Three of the four are only 20 minutes from our area, especially at off peak traffic times. Given the appropriate treatment, and careful observation most pets can survive being hit by a car.
But why take that chance. Unless a dog is expertly trained to come immediately when called, no matter what, I would not walk them off lead in any, except the most rural settings. Cats love to be outdoors, but I would only allow them out with supervision.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November 1995.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1995_11.pdf, printed page(s) 6; PDF page(s) 6.
