Our dog bit DS. What next?

[newnamefortoday]

NC for this one. Our JRT bit 4yo DS on the foot at the weekend. Not terrible, but a huge bruise, puncture wound, visit to minor injuries and antibiotics. We’re not sure exactly what happened, dog was in the garden, DS climbed on the gate as he has done dozens of times before but this time the dog bit his foot as he put it through. Just heard a snarl then a scream. Dog knew exactly who it was as the gate is between garden and house, not the road. It would have been much worse had the gate not been between them. We also have a small baby. We are obviously considering dog’s future and keeping him separated for now. He snarled at my mum this week and caught my ankle snapping at me last week. He’s always been a bit of a grumpy terrier but has never bitten before so we’re considering all possibilities. He’s quite old. Lots to think about but with a small baby we can’t take any chances. What would you do next, apart from taking dog to vet to check for pain etc? Would you expect any follow up from SS or HV through the hospital?

Dog not doty 🤦‍♀️

@justasking111 yes, his eyes went odd, he spaces out and his gait has changed. How did the vet diagnose the brain tumour? Was it a scan? Feeling a bit sick now. Think I may need to force another vet visit tomorrow.

There's no option but to have him pts. I would be worried about what might happen to him if you rehome. People get dogs for horrible reasons. Best to end this now when everyone is on a relatively good note.

Realistically who will rehome him? He will spend the rest of his time in a shelter.

Your DH has to accept that the kindest thing to do for the dog is to pts.

Agree with all those saying put to sleep.

Tell the vet what you have just told me. Mum buried her head in thew sand too long he was her only companion so his symptoms were much more advanced and obvious. I'm sorry 😔

Vets dont recommend pts lightly. Have seen too many cases in the news where dcs have died or been seriously injured through dog attacks and almost always in their own homes. Don't become another statistic. You've had warnings from the dog. Don't ignore that or "give him anothet chance". It's an animal and this isn't a moral dilemna as far as the dog is concerned. I realise its hard being a family pet but your dc must take priority.

please do not put him to sleep..there are charities out there that will help you medication will help the elipssy. i have rehomed a 9 year old aggressive jack russle. yes he has snapped at me. we have no children. we have worked with a behaviourist and the aggression has greatly reduced. gets grumpy when he is tired but we know the signs. St the back of it all he is one of the most gentle dogs and the trust he has in us now is unreal

Ahh! This is such a difficult one, because our pets are family.

Honestly, I think my first port of call would be vets (meanwhile making sure child and dog are always separate)
Jack Russels are notoriously bitey, usually because they’re bored and have so much energy-try more walks and play while you wait for the vet appt. The vets should be able to give you some advice on how to calm his aggression after ruling out anything medical that could be causing it.

The people who are saying rehome, who exactly is going to want an aggressive dog that bites? Unless you’re suggesting OP downplays his behaviour? Which is a terrible idea.

Hi @newnamefortoday. I read about the seizure and just wanted to comment. My dog was 4 when she had a seizure and the vet diagnosed her with epilepsy, at the same time, she started jumping towards other dogs when we were walking, showing slight aggression. A year later, I woke up to find her unable to fully open her eyes, she had ataxia and was walking into furniture. An MRI revealed a massive brain tumour. Just like a PP's experience. She had the MRI at Liverpool veterinary University and it cost around £2000. This was 4 years ago.

Sometimes the kindest and safest thing for all is being PTS.

I don't know a single vet who would recommend this lightly.

It is not a comfortable choice - but in the long run it is probably the kindest all round.

I would be very suspicious of a brain tumour given his age and symptoms - you can spend thousands to get a definite diagnosis but either way PTS is the kindest option.

Some of these responses are really scary.
There was a case where the family kept the dogs separate from the kids. I can't remember whether the family were coming in or going out but they left the baby in the carseat in the front room. The mom went up to the loo and the rest of the family were in the garden when one of the siblings noticed the jr had disappeared from the garden so the little boy went in the house to find it. It had gone in the house and dragged that poor baby out the carseat. So they lost a baby and had traumatised child.
Sorry your pet is sick and hope your DH comes to the inevitable decision sooner rather than later.

Agree, you can't rehome an older, epileptic ( or worse illness) dog that is now agressive and biting!
That would be irresponsible.
I had a JRT, died age 15- she fell ill ( We had to PTS) however, had stared snarling at fmily inc children.
My other dog was PTS age 6, the life long illness in his legs and eyesight meant he became aggressive in a v.short time, he bit me- It was a sign that he was ill and scared tbh, I would never have risked him biting one of our DC.
Your JRT needs to be PTS .

Sorry but some posters on here are being ridiculous.

It's a dog that has bitten a child, the OP and been aggressive to the OP's mother.

The dog is not safe. The reasons why it's unsafe are irrelevant in the context of it having had a general vet check (it's either very ill or has developed serious behavioural issues). It needs to go ASAP and personally I'd say PTS for a dog raised from a puppy as rehoming strikes me as very cruel.

I used to wonder how the hell young children ended up seriously injured/killed by family dogs but now I know.

Owners who ignore signs of danger and ultimately favour their pet over their children's safety.

Re-home? Great plan when the dog lunges at a child in the street.

Your DH needs to face facts OP.

What's he going to say if social services come calling because your child has been bitten again (or your baby attacked)?

That he didn't know the dog was a danger to the children? 🤔

Better still ask him how he might explain to one of your children in the future how they acquired a life changing injury?

I get people love their dogs, but FFS I've now read two threads where the situation is just bonkers (the other where a woman is scared shitless/terrorised by a PBT puppy in her own home but her "lovely" DP won't get rid of the dog).

This sounds horribly like a brain tumour. A previously docile dog has gone for three people in the space of a week and has now started having seizures, with a change in gait?

Please, please don’t listen to the ‘rehome him’ crowd; your dog is ill and clearly suffering. What he needs is the love of his family while he goes to sleep, not being sent away to strangers when he’s probably already horribly confused.

I’m sorry he bit your DS and glad that the bite wasn’t too damaging. Please try and see that it wasn’t your DDog’s fault though, especially now that he has also had a seizure.

I'm surprised your vet has gone straight to epilepsy without stopping at brain tumour, it sounds like a classic presentation to me I'm afraid.

Sounds like your child surprised him at a time when he wasn't feeling great and didn't want to be disturbed.

I say this as the owner of a JRT. I love my dog will all my might and I would be absolutely devastated if it were my dog and my child. But he's an old dog with epilepsy, a bite history and a generally grumpy-sounding demeanour. IF a rescue will take him he won't find another home. He would live in kennels in solitary confinement with all the stress of all the other dogs barking and the clinical setting. Please don't do that to him.

Epilepsy means drugs daily and expense for the new owner and he won't be stabilised for months at best.

This is not a dog who is a suitable candidate for rehoming.

Euthanasia isn't a welfare issue. Rehoming him, would be, for him as well as the potential risk to the new owner and any other dogs, cats or people around.

Show DP my post if you think it will help. The kindest option for his dog is to stuff him full of his favourite treats, take him on his favourite walk, and have him put to sleep at home, being held and told what a good boy he is by somebody who loves him.

Another one saying to me it sounds like a tumour. Needs a scan, although might it show on an X-ray?
I was going to suggest guarding until you said seizure and absences.

Sounds odd that a vet would do that. There’s so many things that can cause seizures. And they would usually tell you your options not just recommend putting to sleep. Really weird.

My initial response was 'what did the child do to the dog and why are they not being supervised better to prevent this happening' but if it happened the way you describe the dog is one very dangerous dog.

The first thing I would consider after the above is 'have we done anything to create severe jealousy in the dog', has the dog had his lifestyle completely changed to accommodate the children or anything similar? If so, you may be able to work with that to help the dog feel more secure and alleviate this behaviour (I would only consider this if the biting behaviour was new).

At the end of the day though, if I had a dog that I thought could do my children real harm and it wasn't a relatively quick fix then I would seriously consider PTS.

Perhaps speak to a behaviourialist to seek out advice.

A hill I would die on, pts. Your husband can't say no to this next time he could kill your baby. Cry for the dog now not for the baby later as a previous posted said.

Dog has to go immediately! What on earth is your DH waiting for? It's his children' safety at stake!

As someone perviously said a nice short walk, his favourite treats, vet visit to the house. And put to sleep. No hesitation what so ever. If your husband continues to not contribute to the obvious action, takeover and do it for him and stop messing about. Just get on with it before something dreadful happens.
And, I'm not very impressed with your vet.