Dog burnt by eating through laptop computer cord- What do I do?

Question

Alright- so my dog was sitting where we couldn't see him- and he ended up chewing through the electrical cord to the laptop computer. He's alive. He appears to be doing fine- he jumped away after getting a shock. I finally got him to let me look into his mouth- the upper part is totally fine... but the front part behind his front teeth is black (we're wondering if its because its burnt or because the black of the cord melted and coloured it that). The colour isn't a deep black, more of a greyish colour and his teeth are totally white. My dog is a 21 week old puppy. Anywho, he can eat fine, and he drinks water fine- and appears to be fine. But I wonder- is there anything that we can do to help him? and to make sure he doesn't get an infection and heals fast?

Ok- I think I need to emphasize this- he doesn't appear to be in any pain... he acts like he has acted the entire time we've ever known him. Other than the vet- are there other things we can do? This occurred after the vet closed.

Answer 1

He sounds fine and the black would be b/c of the shock he got. I am studying to be a vet and my opp would be just to monitor him for the next week. If he starts acting differently take him straight to the vet. It just sounds like he got an unexpected shock and maybe it will teach him not to do that again. And I wouldn't worry about helping him, he sounds fine... just watch him and treat him like you did before this happened.

Answer 2

I know you say 'other than the vet' because they're closed...however, if he's not in any pain, I don't think you need to rush him to the vet now. I would suggest you contact your vet in the morning as soon as they open, just to be safe. Make sure your pup doesn't have access to any more electrical wires (or anything else he might decide to chew). It's difficult believe me, I know (I have 4 dogs myself - 1 is only 6 months old and she's a chewer). All but 1 of my dogs was a chewer when they were younger (up until 2 years of age). One ate a huge hole in my linoleum floor when he was gated in the kitchen and we were at work - he was only left along from 1:30 to 3:30 and he ate a whole lot of linoleum, which luckily, passed fine and didn't cause any permanent damage - we did take him to the vet immediately after though. The other dog ate a hole in my brand new overstuffed chair - the arm, right down to the frame. We had to keep them crated when we weren't home to keep them from hurting themselves. I would suggest you get one of those Kong's that you can stuff with treats, both canned and dry dog food, etc. This will keep him busy and alleviate his need to chew on other things that he shouldn't. Also, a small dish towel, wet and frozen, will help his teething and his need to chew. One other thing they love to chew that are actually great for removing tartar from their teeth is marrow bones. You can get them from your local grocer in most instances. If you're worried about any type of bacteria, you can boil them for like 30-45 seconds just to kill any live bacteria, but don't overcook them, as this can cause the bones to splinter, creating many problems, including death, for your dog.

I would suggest you try to find an Emergency Vet that's open 24/7 and give them a call. They really don't mind answering questions over the phone, and they may be able to give you an answer or idea that nobody else has thought of or knows. They can also advise what to steer clear of until the burn is healed enough.

Good luck and I hope you're baby gets better very soon!

Answer 3

I'm glad that he's ok. Can you look at the cord and see if it's melted? I'm worried about if it might be burnt plastic, that could be a problem. Determine whether or not it's a foreign object in his mouth or a burn. It sounds as though he has a burn though. Either way, it's going to take a vet visit. It will probably heal by itself, but they will probably want to give him a course of antibiotics. Poor little guy. This is a lesson to you though, a 21wk old needs to be supervised all the time. Walk around your house on your hands and knees,and see what puppy sees, and try to "puppy proof" the best you can. If he can't be supervised...on word....crate. I hope he's ok.

Answer 4

You can still call your vet when the vet opens again. Since it is in the mouth, if there is anything that will help prevent an infection, you should contact your vets office get a prescription. Without seeing the dog, it sounds like the blackened area is a burn.

Answer 5

Okay, you said he's not in any pain? Well, he might not feel pain, but something could be wrong... Okay, that sort of grey mark could just be one of those spots that dogs inside their mouths to show how smart they are. Now, that could be some kind of plastic coating from that cord. Try and brush it off with a tootbrush, but be careful. If the puppy begins to seem in pain at any time, stop immediatly. Of course, it may be a burn mark as you said... You might want to put water on that every day just in case. But hey, you should still take him to a veterinatrian soon. Now, what I've told you is just common sense, okay. I really hope your poor puppy heals soon. Try and keep him in a crate at times when you're not around. God bless you and your puppy. I'll pray for him.

Answer 6

If you don't see the need to take him to a vet and he's eating, drinking, and behaving normal I don't think there is any home remedy...you asked for help but help from what?

Personally, I'd take my dog in to get checked after this happened even if you don't see the need.

Answer 7

Call the vet... unless there is a vet online here that answers these questions.

Answer 8

Take him to the vet.

Answer 9

OMG you didn't take him to the vet? Are you kidding? He could be in so much pain right now...

Answer 10

Call the vet, tell them what happened and see what they say.