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What terribly sad stories. As a former Veterinary Technician I have had to witness such tragedies, from seeing the initial injuries to seeing the healing process that these pets have to go through to fully recover.
The most horrific incident that I had to experience involved a large hound mix that not only fell out of the back of a pick-up truck but was tethered by a rope and drug for roughly a quarter of a mile. The images of this poor fellow will never leave me.
This badly injured boy was skinned on both sides of his body. I don't think that anyone could ever imagine seeing exposed muscle and bone on a precious pet...that was still breathing. Miraculously this poor guy had no head injuries or broken bones. In shock and in horrific pain we sedated our boy to do the initial treatment of his wounds. This involved a medical procedure called debriding which involves the removal of dead and damaged skin and tissue in order to promote healing and growth of new skin and cells. The technique is simple however not for the faint of heart. Debriding consists of the literal scrubbing of the tissue until it bleeds thus promoting healing, cutting off loose skin that will die and trying feverishly to avoid the bones and muscle tissue as much as possible.
Moving forward I will tell you that this dog remained in our clinic for 6 weeks while receiving hydrotherapy 2-4 times per day. Treating him was heart wrenching. Seeing his agony would make one want to drag the owner around behind the truck, just for giggles.
Our boy made a full physical recovery minus the scars and emotional trauma that he will likely never get over.
Some people may gawk and ask why I would be so detailed in this post. All I can say is that I would hope that if someone who supported our furry friends riding in the back of a vehicle, might change their minds and retell this story. Even a tethered dog cannot escape harm.
Lets not put our furry friends at risk. Why do it? What is there to gain?
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