Grave Mistake: Dog punctured my Tortoise's shell - pls learn from my mistake

[Kkwoodson]

I want to preface this post by stating that I've already beat myself up and cried for a night straight about this mistake and am publicly posting this to help others not make this mistake - so please be gentle and kind, as I have already done enough emotional damage to myself on this one.

I love my tortoise. I've had him for about 6 months, and yes, I like having him out and interacting with my family and other animals. I have always had a ton of animals, as I am the daughter of two veterinarians, and I have always had a way of introducing species to one another and having them coexist—chickens, cats, Horses, dogs, Pigs, and Turkeys, all of it.

Tortoises are not this type of animal, and I learned a valuable lesson yesterday, allowing my tortoise to roam while I was distracted by my 3-year-old daughter for a short while. Our incredibly sensitive and nurturing dog got a hold of him and punctured a wound on both the top of his shell and his underbelly.

I reprimanded the dog (please don't debate me on this) as I believe they know right from wrong, and I began working on Dino (my year-old sulcata) - I hope you never run into this but if you do, these are the steps I took and hopefully the expert in this community can provide more details:

1. Assess the damage and look for any signs of bleeding or internal damage.
2. flushed out the wounds with saline
3. added triple antibiotic to the wounds (because at the time, this is all I had, I live in a rural area one grocery store within an hour radius)
4. because he is so small, I opted for a clear round adhesive bandaid, as it ensures no access to the wound while he's in his cage.
5. My Mom (also my vet) will come up and provide him with antibiotic shots, 2-3 rounds + low-dose pain meds if needed.
6. Puppy pads: I will add puppy pads to his home and allow the wound to air out later this week and ensure no substrates or foreign objects can get lodged into the open wounds

Other things I've learned: Betadine is good to use one time. Then switch to triple antibiotic or Vetricyn. Cover the wounds with some gauze and surgical tape to keep dirt and flies out of it for a while.

DO NOT MIX ANIMALS, NO MATTER HOW TRUSTED YOUR DOG/CAT IS.

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

Thank you for sharing your mistake to help others learn. I’m glad you tortoise got away as well as it did. So many times dog bites can be much worse

 

[Sarah2020]

Terrible situation but you know that. Your tortoise will be in shock so monitor and provide water and fresh food, heat and UVB. You need to avoid fly's laying eggs in the wound and getting maggots. I suggest filling it with an antibacterial cream for a few days and plaster over the top with regular cleaning.

 

[Kkwoodson]

Thank you for sharing your mistake to help others learn. I’m glad you tortoise got away as well as it did. So many times dog bites can be much worse

Me too, I love that little guy so much. Still kicking myself in the *** for allowing it to happen. Hopefully he'll have a quick recovery. He honestly is acting pretty normal, eating, etc. so I am relieved it wasn't worse.

 

[Kkwoodson]

Terrible situation but you know that. Your tortoise will be in shock so monitor and provide water and fresh food, heat and UVB. You need to avoid fly's laying eggs in the wound and getting maggots. I suggest filling it with an antibacterial cream for a few days and plaster over the top with regular cleaning.

Thank you! He's currently inside with no access to flys, so that is better. I don't know that I'll even get him outside until I know for sure those wounds are healed. So mad at myself.

 

[Ink]

Thank you for sharing your story. I hope he will be alright. Please keep us posted on the progress. Everyone makes mistakes, and at least you have learned from this one. I'm sure you will take great care of his injuries.

 

[Kkwoodson]

Thank you for sharing your story. I hope he will be alright. Please keep us posted on the progress. Everyone makes mistakes, and at least you have learned from this one. I'm sure you will take great care of his injuries.

Thanks, I am lucky to have vets on call for my animals and be able to get the meds he needs for a solid recovery. I am glad the consequences weren't worse and plan to build a bullet proof pin for the future.

 

[JoJosMom]

Thank you for sharing your story. It is very vital to our tort community and can't be mentioned enough. It happens all the time! Very important information you have provided. Hope he recovers soon and without any problems.

 

[EppsDynasty]

@Kkwoodson
Check out the thread "White Flesh" ... this was caused from a K9 bite (possibly coyote). I must say it takes a big person to openly admit fault. I would hope this will be a cautionary tale for those that think dogs with torts is OK, but those people are very stubborn and not open to new thoughts. Dog, 3 year old, tortoise and no telling what else, you've got a busy life Thank You for taking the time to share this. Lets hope that there is a smart soul that reads this and a change is made, Kudos to you.

 

[Lyn W]

I want to preface this post by stating that I've already beat myself up and cried for a night straight about this mistake and am publicly posting this to help others not make this mistake - so please be gentle and kind, as I have already done enough emotional damage to myself on this one.

I love my tortoise. I've had him for about 6 months, and yes, I like having him out and interacting with my family and other animals. I have always had a ton of animals, as I am the daughter of two veterinarians, and I have always had a way of introducing species to one another and having them coexist—chickens, cats, Horses, dogs, Pigs, and Turkeys, all of it.

Tortoises are not this type of animal, and I learned a valuable lesson yesterday, allowing my tortoise to roam while I was distracted by my 3-year-old daughter for a short while. Our incredibly sensitive and nurturing dog got a hold of him and punctured a wound on both the top of his shell and his underbelly.

I reprimanded the dog (please don't debate me on this) as I believe they know right from wrong, and I began working on Dino (my year-old sulcata) - I hope you never run into this but if you do, these are the steps I took and hopefully the expert in this community can provide more details:

1. Assess the damage and look for any signs of bleeding or internal damage.
2. flushed out the wounds with saline
3. added triple antibiotic to the wounds (because at the time, this is all I had, I live in a rural area one grocery store within an hour radius)
4. because he is so small, I opted for a clear round adhesive bandaid, as it ensures no access to the wound while he's in his cage.
5. My Mom (also my vet) will come up and provide him with antibiotic shots, 2-3 rounds + low-dose pain meds if needed.
6. Puppy pads: I will add puppy pads to his home and allow the wound to air out later this week and ensure no substrates or foreign objects can get lodged into the open wounds

Other things I've learned: Betadine is good to use one time. Then switch to triple antibiotic or Vetricyn. Cover the wounds with some gauze and surgical tape to keep dirt and flies out of it for a while.

DO NOT MIX ANIMALS, NO MATTER HOW TRUSTED YOUR DOG/CAT IS.

So sorry that happened but thanks for posting this to help others avoid the same mistake. I hope your sully recovers Ok.
Is your Mum a tort specialist? If not maybe @Yvonne or @Tom @zovick can advise about the antibiotic shots.

 

[wellington]

Dogs do know right from wrong when taught. He should not have been punished. You were the one that was wrong, the dog did what does do!
That said, do not for a minute think that because you punished him, that he now knows better and won't do it again. Also, do not let your tortoise roam the floors of your home, that is another big bad on your part
I believe you learned a big lesson, unfortunately the hard way.
I'm hoping my post hits home with others reading this and learn before it's too late.
Good luck in the recovery process.

 

[Len B]

Dogs do know right from wrong when taught. He should not have been punished. You were the one that was wrong, the dog did what does do!
That said, do not for a minute think that because you punished him, that he now knows better and won't do it again. Also, do not let your tortoise roam the floors of your home, that is another big bad on your part
I believe you learned a big lesson, unfortunately the hard way.
I'm hoping my post hits home with others reading this and learn before it's too late.
Good luck in the recovery process.

I don't agree with no dogs with turtles and tortoises. But it takes time for you to get the pups to understand that the tortoises or turtles are members of the pack. This is something I've been doing for many years. Right now I have 5 dogs that won't harm the tortoise's and turtles in their areas. Can't say it's easy and doesn't take time but if done right you will be successful. Just recently I had 2 pups born at the end of November a couple years ago so they weren't introduced to the box turtles that were in the backyard until the next spring when they came out from hibernation. As they met or noticed each one of the box turtles they noticed it was different from the ones that they had already met and accepted as part of the pack. I would introduce it to them and in time each box turtle was part of the pack and left alone. But then again I'm ask to watch other people's torts while they are going to be out of town and I do but never let my pups have access to them because they aren't part of the pack and it's only temporary. If you don't have the time to spend with your dog and tortoise to teach the pup keep them separated.

 

[wellington]

I don't agree with no dogs with turtles and tortoises. But it takes time for you to get the pups to understand that the tortoises or turtles are members of the pack. This is something I've been doing for many years. Right now I have 5 dogs that won't harm the tortoise's and turtles in their areas. Can't say it's easy and doesn't take time but if done right you will be successful. Just recently I had 2 pups born at the end of November a couple years ago so they weren't introduced to the box turtles that were in the backyard until the next spring when they came out from hibernation. As they met or noticed each one of the box turtles they noticed it was different from the ones that they had already met and accepted as part of the pack. I would introduce it to them and in time each box turtle was part of the pack and left alone. But then again I'm ask to watch other people's torts while they are going to be out of town and I do but never let my pups have access to them because they aren't part of the pack and it's only temporary. If you don't have the time to spend with your dog and tortoise to teach the pup keep them separated.

The average person does not train their dog other then sit maybe shake and go out to potty. I had a Bull Terrier that was trained to leave the wild rabbits in my yard alone. The rabbits figured it out, that she and I both wouldn't bother them and would come into the yard or not run out when we were there, sometimes only a couple feet away from us. However, knowing of all the dog injuries that has been on here, I wouldn't ever recommend it too anyone. To many think their dog is well trained and they think that carries over to every situation. If the dog isn't trained for the situations, tortoises are to be left alone etc, it's going to end bad for the defenseless tortoise. Even the best trained dog can go rogue, heard about that with Toms friend.
Tortoises should be in their own safe enclosure away from dogs!

 

[Maggie3fan]

Thanks, I am lucky to have vets on call for my animals and be able to get the meds he needs for a solid recovery. I am glad the consequences weren't worse and plan to build a bullet proof pin for the future.

I want to preface this post by stating that I've already beat myself up and cried for a night straight about this mistake and am publicly posting this to help others not make this mistake - so please be gentle and kind, as I have already done enough emotional damage to myself on this one.

I love my tortoise. I've had him for about 6 months, and yes, I like having him out and interacting with my family and other animals. I have always had a ton of animals, as I am the daughter of two veterinarians, and I have always had a way of introducing species to one another and having them coexist—chickens, cats, Horses, dogs, Pigs, and Turkeys, all of it.

Tortoises are not this type of animal, and I learned a valuable lesson yesterday, allowing my tortoise to roam while I was distracted by my 3-year-old daughter for a short while. Our incredibly sensitive and nurturing dog got a hold of him and punctured a wound on both the top of his shell and his underbelly.

I reprimanded the dog (please don't debate me on this) as I believe they know right from wrong, and I began working on Dino (my year-old sulcata) - I hope you never run into this but if you do, these are the steps I took and hopefully the expert in this community can provide more details:

1. Assess the damage and look for any signs of bleeding or internal damage.
2. flushed out the wounds with saline
3. added triple antibiotic to the wounds (because at the time, this is all I had, I live in a rural area one grocery store within an hour radius)
4. because he is so small, I opted for a clear round adhesive bandaid, as it ensures no access to the wound while he's in his cage.
5. My Mom (also my vet) will come up and provide him with antibiotic shots, 2-3 rounds + low-dose pain meds if needed.
6. Puppy pads: I will add puppy pads to his home and allow the wound to air out later this week and ensure no substrates or foreign objects can get lodged into the open wounds

Other things I've learned: Betadine is good to use one time. Then switch to triple antibiotic or Vetricyn. Cover the wounds with some gauze and surgical tape to keep dirt and flies out of it for a while.

DO NOT MIX ANIMALS, NO MATTER HOW TRUSTED YOUR DOG/CAT IS.

I believe Fortaz is the antibiotic of choice

 

[ecachuh]

No judgement, I'm so sorry this happened to you. You're a wonderful person for sharing this in here. Sounds like you're doing a great job of taking care of the little one. We all make mistakes....grave mistakes. Texting and driving etc. things can turn for the worse in a split second .

Please keep us posted. So glad you have your parents to help as well.

- - I'm so jealous of all your animals! 😊

 

[ecachuh]

Thank you for sharing your story. It is very vital to our tort community and can't be mentioned enough. It happens all the time! Very important information you have provided. Hope he recovers soon and without any problems.

Well said.

 

[Tom]

I don't agree with no dogs with turtles and tortoises. But it takes time for you to get the pups to understand that the tortoises or turtles are members of the pack. This is something I've been doing for many years. Right now I have 5 dogs that won't harm the tortoise's and turtles in their areas. Can't say it's easy and doesn't take time but if done right you will be successful. Just recently I had 2 pups born at the end of November a couple years ago so they weren't introduced to the box turtles that were in the backyard until the next spring when they came out from hibernation. As they met or noticed each one of the box turtles they noticed it was different from the ones that they had already met and accepted as part of the pack. I would introduce it to them and in time each box turtle was part of the pack and left alone. But then again I'm ask to watch other people's torts while they are going to be out of town and I do but never let my pups have access to them because they aren't part of the pack and it's only temporary. If you don't have the time to spend with your dog and tortoise to teach the pup keep them separated.

You are a smart guy Len, but as a profession dog trainer with more than 30 years experience, this is non-sense. There is no training that will overcome a dogs instincts if the person isn't sitting right there telling them to leave it alone. I'm glad that you have gotten away with it for years, but other people read this post and try "introducing their tortoise as a member of the pack", there are going to be chewed up tortoises. I too let my dogs run loose in the tortoise pens when they are with me and my eyes are continually looking right at them, and all that is ever needed is a simple "leave it" because these are trained dogs and I am a trainer, but the average back yard dog owner is going to end up with a mauled tortoise if they believe and follow your example. We see it here constantly. Good God man... It is the very subject of THIS thread.

For those reading this and wondering what to do with your dog:
1. Dogs can NEVER be trusted alone with tortoises. Never. Not even for a minute while you go inside to get something or answer the phone. Scroll back up to post number one of this thread to understand why. The OP is an intelligent and thoughtful tortoise care taker, and never thought this would happen. The point of this thread is to try and help other people from having to learn this lesson the hard way.
2. The tortoise area should be fenced and off limits to the dog(s).
3. Do not "introduce" your dog to your tortoise. They are not going to be friends, and this will eventually get your tortoise chewed up. In every and all cases, the dog should only be taught to "leave it" when it comes to the tortoise. Treat your tortoise like a big bowl of dark chocolate or a rattle snake sitting on the ground in your back yard. Never let the dog get near it. Always teach your dog to steer way clear and leave it alone.

 

[Yvonne G]

My Phrynops hillari taught my dog (a little over a year old) that the turtles sunning themselves on the bank of the pond are not to be messed with.



She used to sneak up on the fence surrounding the pond then leap over trying to catch a turtle before it jumped into the water. After this nose episode she still sneaks up on the fence, but then stands there on the outside barking at the turtles.

I've had to yell at her a few times to "leave it" when she found the box turtles, and I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her to be outside without me.

 

[ecachuh]

You are a smart guy Len, but as a profession dog trainer with more than 30 years experience, this is non-sense. There is no training that will overcome a dogs instincts if the person isn't sitting right there telling them to leave it alone. I'm glad that you have gotten away with it for years, but other people read this post and try "introducing their tortoise as a member of the pack", there are going to be chewed up tortoises. I too let my dogs run loose in the tortoise pens when they are with me and my eyes are continually looking right at them, and all that is ever needed is a simple "leave it" because these are trained dogs and I am a trainer, but the average back yard dog owner is going to end up with a mauled tortoise if they believe and follow your example. We see it here constantly. Good God man... It is the very subject of THIS thread.

For those reading this and wondering what to do with your dog:
1. Dogs can NEVER be trusted alone with tortoises. Never. Not even for a minute while you go inside to get something or answer the phone. Scroll back up to post number one of this thread to understand why. The OP is an intelligent and thoughtful tortoise care taker, and never thought this would happen. The point of this thread is to try and help other people from having to learn this lesson the hard way.
2. The tortoise area should be fenced and off limits to the dog(s).
3. Do not "introduce" your dog to your tortoise. They are not going to be friends, and this will eventually get your tortoise chewed up. In every and all cases, the dog should only be taught to "leave it" when it comes to the tortoise. Treat your tortoise like a big bowl of dark chocolate or a rattle snake sitting on the ground in your back yard. Never let the dog get near it. Always teach your dog to steer way clear and leave it alone.

I never thought of it like that..."teaching them only to 'Leave It' and treat the torts like they are chocolate (a danger) to the dog". That makes sense. In the beginning I've let my dogs see Pinky and sniff as I'm holding her. They don't run around loose with her but I understand differently, now that you've worded it that way.

I know some dogs are herding dogs and that's completely different. Maybe that's what some are thinking in the back of their minds. People rationalize what they are doing. --In my head, I was letting them know that Pinky is a pet....they know her name and they know who she is. Which of course does not make her safe.

Very well worded, thanks!

 

[ecachuh]

My Phrynops hillari taught my dog (a little over a year old) that the turtles sunning themselves on the bank of the pond are not to be messed with.

View attachment 369096

She used to sneak up on the fence surrounding the pond then leap over trying to catch a turtle before it jumped into the water. After this nose episode she still sneaks up on the fence, but then stands there on the outside barking at the turtles.

I've had to yell at her a few times to "leave it" when she found the box turtles, and I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her to be outside without me.

She bit him?? 😯