my dog bit the vet, advice sought...?

Question

My dog, adopted just several days prior to first vet visit,
bit our vet, who then went to an urgent care clinic here in
So California for stitches. The dog was agitated by the barks
and screams of the other dogs at vet office. The vet personally
will not hold this against me but he was required by the doc at
clinic to report the bite to the doc, who then reported it to the
county here in Los Angeles. Does that mean the county will
come and take my dog and euthanize him? I hope not.
What are the laws?

Answer 1

awhile ago i was bit by a dog. the dog was put into quarantine. not sure how long it was. they definitely won't euthanize him. but, i would suggest that you start training him as soon as possible. once he's out of quarantine enroll him into puppy preschool where he can learn to socialize with other people and dogs.

Answer 2

Don't know your local laws but I can tell you that with certain occupations there is a higher risk of being bitten and veterinary practice would be one of those. Other examples would be dog trainers, groomers, or dog daycare or boarding (which is where I work) The vet should have insurance to cover this.
I live in Arkansas and it is pretty much the same here, you go in to be treated for a dog bite and the doctor is required by law to report it; then the local animal control calls and asks a few questions about how the incident happened to occur? was the animal provoked? were there extenuating circumstances? (in my case I have been bitten twice while breaking up fights between dogs) etc. I'd expect a phone call if I were you, but I doubt that the dog will be taken from you and/or euthanized. If the dog was not rabies vaccinated prior to the bite there may be a 10-14 day in-home quarantine imposed. Your vet will probably muzzle the animal in the future as well, sort of expect that.

Answer 3

Well, what did the vet say?

How old is the dog? I'm asking because if a dog bit with adult teeth hard enough for the bite to require stitches, you have a BIG problem, and it's not the law, it's your dog. Most jurisdictions only give a warning for a first bite, if the victim doesn't press charges. But I'm surprised that a vet would take such a bit & not discuss the situation with you. You might want to take the dog back to the (breeder? shelter) you got it from and discuss the situation with them. Any dog that bites that hard is trouble, and you might be in for a long nightmare if you decide to keep the dog. I know it's difficult to face this situation, but there are millions of dogs waiting for homes who never have and never will bite anyone. If he's that aggressive, it won't get better, and the longer you wait, the harder it will be to say goodbye.

BUT... If the dog is just a puppy, it might not be so bad, not because it's OK for a puppy to bite, but because sharp puppy teeth can cut through skin like a razor, so even a playful nip can sometimes draw a lot of blood. If that is what happened, then you probably have nothing to worry about, especially if the vet is willing to confirm your story to the authorities.

I hope this all ends well for you and your dog.

Answer 4

I once had an elderly lady for a friend. She had a wonderful little dog. A mix of some sort. She had the dog trained well and it behaved very well. Learn here https://tr.im/gHn00

She kept an uncovered candy dish on her coffee table with candy in it. The dog was forbidden to eat the candy. When she was in the room observing the dog he did not even appear to notice the candy. One day while she was in her dinning room she happened to look in a mirror and could see her dog in the living room. He did not know he was being watched. For several minutes he was sitting in front of the candy bowl staring at the candy. Finally he reached in and took one. He placed it on the table and stared at it, he woofed at it. He stared some more, licked his chops and PUT IT BACK in the bowl and walked away. Did he want the candy, oh yeah. Did he eat it? Nope. They can be trained that well but most, I'll admit, are not trained that well. When I was a young boy, maybe 5 years old. We had a german shepherd. He was very well trained also. My mom could leave food unattended on the table, no problem. She would open the oven door and set a pan roast beef or roast chicken on the door to cool. No problem. He would not touch it, watched or not. But butter? Whole other story. You leave a stick of butter anywhere he could reach and it was gone. He was a large shepherd so there were not many places he could not reach. Really, I think the number of dogs trained to the point they will leave food alone when not being supervised is very small indeed.
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Now if we are talking obedience training, not food grubbing, that is a different story. Way back when I was first learning obedience training one of the final exercises was to put our dogs in a down/stay and not only leave the room but leave the building for 15 minutes. The only person that stayed was our trainer, not the owners. Most of the dogs in my class did not break their stay, which would be an automatic fail. I'm happy to report my dog was one of the ones that passed.

Answer 5

I don't know about the laws in California, but here in Nevada, if the person presses charges, they will quarantine your dog for evaluation and if found to be hostile and dangerous, the dog will be euthanized.

I would contact your local Animal Control office for advice as to the situation in your area. The advice I would have for your dog is to have your vet close the doors and go to the room furthest from the waiting room. Many animals are agitated by other animals around and this is only fixed by taking them out of that environment.

The next time you take your dog to the vet, I would highly suggest you let the vet know of the prior incident and the vet will take appropriate action to keep that from happening again (most likely a muzzle).

Good luck.

Answer 6

Your vet is actually a really good source for this information, but if this is the only recorded bite the county probably isn't going to take your dog away.

Your new dog has been through a great deal, going to a new home (if it was SPCA before that that's really traumatic for them) then being poked and prodded by a stranger with all sorts of critters howling in the background...I'd bite too.

What this is for you is a warning, because you likely don't know this dogs background. A dog that bites from fear is can be very dangerous, it's not always easy to predict what will set off their fear. I suggest seeing a behavioral specialist, your vet can probably recommend one, to see what you can do training wise to prevent another bite. If you end up with multiple recorded bites, your dog may be taken away.

Answer 7

Well the Vet does have certain knowing risks in his profession. Just as the policeman, the fireman, and any other profession which involves risk.
If your dog is taken he will not be euthanized. He would probably be quarantined for a matter of days, I think it is 10 or so to ensure the animal isn't carrying any diseases that may have been transmitted to the bitten individual.
Good Luck.

Answer 8

vets are considered at risk for bites and it is rare for it to be held against the dog, since the "attack" on the vet isn't a true attack that dogs do on the street to everyday people. Next time your vet will muzzle the dog and that's the end of that. I have worked at vet hospitals before and vets get nipped at or even bite alot even by dogs that are used around kids and even disabled. the vets normally have a rabies vaccine and I'm pretty sure it is against the law for them to seek anything against a client unless it's unpaid bills.
So another words and vet getting bite is apart of thier job

Answer 9

You should talk to the animal control in your area. They may come and take the dog for observation. If he has had his shots, you probably are worrying over nothing. I seriously doubt they would put him down. Now you know the dog bites when under duress. It will be up to you to watch the dog in case he is unsure of his surroundings or those around him. They bite out of fear. I totally agree with another person who answered. You should not go out without him muzzled.

Answer 10

Probably nothing will happen. But be aware that it is considered a filed complaint, and if it happens again to someone else (besides the vet) you could be in to trouble there. Poor dog, being under a lot of stress like she was is what most likely caused it.

I went to the vet to ask about aggression problems with my dog, and he actually had to document that I was aware of his aggressive tendancies. It really sucked!!!

Answer 11

vets should be sensitive to the situation you'd think, would you expect to perform procedures on a cat and not get scratched unless you restrained it properly. dogs are a little more 'controlable' but not when some stranger has his hands on thier vulnerable areas. A vet must know this, if they make some judgement, you must ask if the dog is uncontrolable or unnaturally aggressive.