My baby tort got bitten by my dog

[cronin]

Hello my turtle got bitten by my dog while basking outside, can someone help me?
he's a baby hermann tort around 5 months,
my dog basically barge through the fences i set up around my tort, anyways.

my questions and worries are:
-Will his wound heal by itself, or do I need to visit a vet?
- he's walking around and sleeping rn, but I don't want to disturb him
- I put a little bit of betadine on the wound, should i add other form of antibiotics?
- how do i make him drink water without submerging him.

thank you for your time and reply🥲

 

[wellington]

Do not use any more Betadine. Clean the area and put some antibiotic cream on it. Then just keep an eye on it for a week or so. Looks minor so I wouldn't worry to much about it.
Now the dog, you have to get the fence reinforced so the dog can not get thru it. Dogs and tortoises should never be together as this is what will happen. Now that he's already done it, he will be even more persistent next time.

 

[cronin]

Do not use any more Betadine. Clean the area and put some antibiotic cream on it. Then just keep an eye on it for a week or so. Looks minor so I wouldn't worry to much about it.
Now the dog, you have to get the fence reinforced so the dog can not get thru it. Dogs and tortoises should never be together as this is what will happen. Now that he's already done it, he will be even more persistent next time.

Thank you for your reply!

your guidance is greatly appreciated, I will build a higher and stronger basking area for him in the future, definitely away from the dogs.

 

[Maggie3fan]

My sister and I have been involved in turtle and tortoise rescue for a lotta years and I will tell you the next time that dog goes after that baby he will, and I promise, he will kill that baby. He will die a f'ing horrible death. The baby is simply too young to be outside anyway. He needs absolute protection...from that dog. Get the baby up off the ground

 

[cronin]

My sister and I have been involved in turtle and tortoise rescue for a lotta years and I will tell you the next time that dog goes after that baby he will, and I promise, he will kill that baby. He will die a f'ing horrible death. The baby is simply too young to be outside anyway. He needs absolute protection...from that dog. Get the baby up off the ground

Believe me, my heart sank when I found him like that. The fences are made of plywood and wires, but somehow my dog barged through it. I will definitely be building a better basking area for my baby tort, far from the dogs, birds, etc. Thank you for your advice!

 

[TammyJ]

Can you post some closer shots of the injuries, top and bottom shells? You can use triple antibiotic or neosporin ointment on the wounds. Apply the ointment after his bath/warm soak. Also, whether you have a small or large dog, you definitely cannot leave the tortoise outside or anywhere that the dog could get to him. I guess you know that now! There have been countless such incidents with dogs vs. tortoises. Some dogs will wait for a long time, looking ever so sweet and loving towards the tortoise...then one day when you are not around...BAM, CRUNCH.

 

[Sarah2020]

You need to keep the wound clean and fly proof to avoid maggots. If you think you have it clean then put antiseptic cream on generously and plaster tape over the top to protect, clean and change daily. Your tortoise will be in shock so ensure it is secure and food and water is available. Dog well away.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Please don't discipline the dog.
He/she is just being a dog.
They find tortoises to be a great chew toy. It's a very common (but mostly preventable) event

 

[mark1]

that puncture is in a bad place ....... usually dogs chew from the edges on in , like they're gnawing a bone ....... the puncture was most likely a canine , depending on how deep it went , that could be serious....... i have had a few dog chewed turtles , i had a wood turtle a dog got , she had one puncture through the top of her shell , it was fatal ..... i had a box turtle have a third of his shell chewed off from the edges on in , he was/is fine.......

 

[MaNaAk]

View attachment 365976
Hello my turtle got bitten by my dog while basking outside, can someone help me?
he's a baby hermann tort around 5 months,
my dog basically barge through the fences i set up around my tort, anyways.

my questions and worries are:
-Will his wound heal by itself, or do I need to visit a vet?
- he's walking around and sleeping rn, but I don't want to disturb him
- I put a little bit of betadine on the wound, should i add other form of antibiotics?
- how do i make him drink water without submerging him.

thank you for your time and reply🥲

When Jacky grazed herself the vet advised bathing in salt water. Personally I would take him to a vet anyway.

MaNaAk

 

[wellington]

I would also keep him on paper towels or just a glass aquarium with no substrate to keep any dirt or substrate out of it.
Check it daily keeping it clean. Any change to it or your tortoise then I would take him to a vet. Be sure to find an experienced reptile vet with tortoise experience or they could do more damage than good

 

[MaNaAk]

I would also keep him on paper towels or just a glass aquarium with no substrate to keep any dirt or substrate out of it.
Check it daily keeping it clean. Any change to it or your tortoise then I would take him to a vet. Be sure to find an experienced reptile vet with tortoise experience or they could do more damage than good

Also remember that if the wound is infected then you may not know that is infected until a later. Sadly I know something about this because Daisy contracted TB after being bitten by a fox.

Natrah

 

[zolasmum]

You asked how you could get him to drink without submerging him in water - if you can get him to eat cucumber or lettuce, they are basically all water anyway - also, since tortoises can absorb water from their tail end, you might be able to set up a sloping platform, with the lower end in the water,arranging him on that so his tail is wet, but his top , where the injury is, is right out of the water, so it stays dry.
Angie

 

[Maggie3fan]

Please don't discipline the dog.
He/she is just being a dog.
They find tortoises to be a great chew toy. It's a very common (but mostly preventable) event

I believe, in this and many situations like it, the dog DOES need to be disciplined...how else is he gonna know that touching the tortoise is a no no? I don't mean beating on the dog. but in a loud voice while you are holding his collar looking at the tort, loudly, NO NO NO!!! shaking the dog while yelling...then drop it...said with much love and respect...

 

[mark1]

unless you catch the dog actually chewing on the tortoise , it'd be a stretch to actually get him to relate the consequence to chewing on the turtle ...... you possibly could get them to relate the tortoise to a bad experience and get them to fear them, even then they may see tortoises as only bad experiences when your around ......what your doing is trying to train out an instinct, can be done , but imo it's detrimental to the dogs mental well being ....... i agree with Zeropilot, the lesson should be yours ......

 

[Maggie3fan]

unless you catch the dog actually chewing on the tortoise , it'd be a stretch to actually get him to relate the consequence to chewing on the turtle ...... you possibly could get them to relate the tortoise to a bad experience and get them to fear them, even then they may see tortoises as only bad experiences when your around ......what your doing is trying to train out an instinct, can be done , but imo it's detrimental to the dogs mental well being ....... i agree with Zeropilot, the lesson should be yours ......

Well then...how do you teach the dog to leave the tort alone? Granted my dog training ability comes from being a dog trainer 40 years ago or so. I believe dogs are more intelligent than we give them credit for...Make seeing that tort a bad experience...I fostered a pit bull for over a year, and I have a photo of him out on the lawn, right next to the tortoise and his face and eyes were pleading to get away from the tort...he was whining at me and his whole body was quivering...I asked him if he was ok...and he scooted away from that tortoise so fast! And worrying about his well being??? Come on...I respect you Mark, but I live in a liberal state that is SO liberal it created a whole generation that is on the state dole, they don't work and all the talk is about their mental state...Forgive me but it's bullsh*t. That's a dog...they are more resilient than you think, I discipline my children to make them better adults and I disciplined dogs to make them more controllable and easier to get along with...and I guess in today's world I don't care about their mental well being...

 

[mark1]

having been given (rescued) a number of large dogs that truly were dangerous, they were all dangerous because of their "training"/mental well being......... i'm not averse to negative consequences , i actually think folks who believe they have no place in training dogs are wrong ......... negative consequences are a fact of life and a natural way of learning for every living thing on the planet......

 

[TammyJ]

I think more intelligent animals (and of course I mean animals that actually seem to think like we humans do) like dogs and apes, have the mental capacity to connect events, remember them and know what and what not to do next time. But the best way to avoid disaster is to make it impossible. Fence it off securely.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I believe, in this and many situations like it, the dog DOES need to be disciplined...how else is he gonna know that touching the tortoise is a no no? I don't mean beating on the dog. but in a loud voice while you are holding his collar looking at the tort, loudly, NO NO NO!!! shaking the dog while yelling...then drop it...said with much love and respect...

I don't disagree with that logic