Update on the Derry Labrador attacked by hunting dogs

The stray dog was attacked by four or five hunting dogs in the early hours of Tuesday morning and was missing for over 24 hours before being found in a garden near the meadows. The dog, who is yet to be named, was then taken to Drumahoe Vets where the full extent of his injuries were revealed.

The events unfolded on the social media page of Pet FBI Rescue and the dog is now under the care of the organisation while he recovers.

Lisa Patton, who is one of the managers of Pet FBI said, “The vet said there is no broken bones, which is good, but he does have deep and extensive wounds all around his neck and legs. Some of them are deep and go through the muscle where infection has already started to spread. On the x-ray, the muscles came up ‘gassy’ as they said, which means it’s full of infection. He did need to be sedated to have his wounds cleaned but he wasn’t strong enough yesterday for that to happen. He’s getting IV fluids and antibiotics and morphine and ketamine, very strong painkillers. I’m hoping this morning he will be able to do better.

“They said he is absolutely petrified of people, which is understandable, so they are trying to keep him calm and comfortable at the minute.

“It’s the best of a bad situation that so far, he doesn’t have to lose any legs. They’re worried about the back right leg now, the one with the bad infection, but they think they might have caught it early enough that the infection wont move to the bone.

“We posted some very graphic pictures of his wounds on social media last night and we went back and forth for over an hour over whether or not we should post them but we wanted to show how dangerous these dogs are and that they should be banned.”

Pet FBI, like most other rescues, depend on donations from the public to keep their doors open and look after the dogs in their care. The vet bills for this dog will be costly, but Lisa says it’s the best place for him to be at the minute.

“Before we can work out his psychological trauma, we need to get his physical trauma back to normal first and that’s where our priorities lie at the minute.”

To make a donation to Pet FBI, visit www.paypal.me/petfbirescue