For Nina: Surviving Brutal Dog Attack

 

 

Our family is devastated to share that our beautiful 14lb Miniature Eskimo/Spaniel, Nina, was attacked by a vicious dog during a walk Wednesday evening, June 9th, with my son. The dog wasn't leashed or accompanied, and when my son attempted to walk by, it attacked Nina. My son had our other, even smaller dog, in his arms, but Nina was snatched and my son was helpless; he screamed for help until he lost his voice.  It seemed like ages before anyone came to the scene, but by then, Nina had been bitten, dragged and shook repeatedly in a savage, unrelenting attack. The dog dragged Nina 100 feet down the sidewalk back to its house at 25 George street in Orillia. At that point, a man, presumably the owner, came out the front door and hauled the dog off Nina, stopping the attack. 

She is currently in a Barrie vet hospital and will be there until Sunday as she needs constant supervision, IV pain meds with antibiotics, sedation and fluids to keep her comfortable as we play an unnerving, heartbreaking waiting game.  She has sustained very serious injuries with over 20 puncture wounds in total. 14 along her left hind region, 4 along her back, a few on her tummy and one above her eye. Her left leg has 3 large holes in it and several other smaller bite wounds; the flesh and skin is missing so the wounds cannot be closed. She also has deep compression injuries where blood flow has been blocked, which means necrotic tissue will follow. Her inner left thigh is black with bruising and damage, as well as bruising and swelling on her bottom and along her spine and ribs. She has also sustained bite wounds on her right leg, though they are not as concerning as the large wounds that have destroyed her entire left leg and thigh. I will not post the photos as they are graphic and disturbing.

The veterinarian informed us that she may lose her leg; it is also possible that she may not make it through this trauma if she becomes septic. 

After 5 days in Barrie vet hospital, we have decided to send her to the 404 referral hospital in Newmarket where she will be seen by a Board Certified Surgeon; she is scheduled to have extensive debridement surgery and skin graphing on Monday morning.  We will not know exactly what the medical approach will be until she is examined Sunday afternoon. We will be needing a hotel stay so that we can be close to her as this hospital is well out of town. 

So far our vet bills are at $4000, moving to another thousand by Sunday, then we will have the second phase expenses with the surgeries and recovery in Newmarket which will be much more, plus rehabilitation, fuel, hotel, and possibly legal expenses. I am so overwhelmed by the pain in my heart, my grief, my rage and my fear of losing her. Your help would be so very much appreciated. ❤️‍We are heartbroken. My son is very shaken and traumatised by this horrific event and we are having a very difficult time. I hope to take legal action against this negligent dog owner, but we are yet to identify who they are.  I am horrified that nothing has been done yet and that the threat of this dog is still very real and a danger to our community. We are still asking people to come forward with any information. 

Nina didn’t deserve this; she is a sensitive, gentle, empathetic healing dog with the sweetest nature you can imagine.  She is affectionate and submissive, helping children, other dogs or wary/nervous people feel safe and comfortable in her presence.  She’s the kind of dog who can change your feelings about dogs if you’re not a dog person! She changed me!  Nina is very healthy, athletic and she loves to be outdoors.  Both Nina and Oliver are my adventure companions; they join me for walks and hikes, road trips and woodsy treks and we've been doing this for the past seven years; we explore together, run, play and find beautiful things in nature.  Nina brings love and joy to all who meet her. she is our beautiful, graceful, amazing little girl. Our heart's are heavy. Please pray for my sweet, darling, gentle Nina ❤️

***June 29 Update: Nina had her left leg amputated on Monday June 14 after discovering severe cellulitis, necrosis (dead tissue), extreme haemorrhage, and neurological damage (paralysis).  Her leg was too damaged to save and was causing her terrible suffering. It was a tough realisation and decision to make, but it was the only one that would keep her alive and help ease her suffering. There were multiple puncture wounds along her spine, abdomen and inside her right leg that were able to be repaired with no infection. She is recovering well, but slowly, as she still has pain and trauma, she also has hypokalaemia/ secondary anorexia, so keeping her fed and nourished is a daily challenge until she regains an interest in food.  I feed her everything by syringe, from peanut butter and banana smoothies, to steak, spinach and sweet potato purées. It’s a lot of work, but she needs food and she needs to take her meds with food to help avoid upset stomach. We all want our sweet pup to have a full recovery and get strong again.

Our vet bills and incurred expenses due to this tragic incident have reached $18,000. It’s hard to believe, I know, but I never thought about the money during her medical emergency, I only thought about saving her, taking her pain away and getting her better so we could get her home. She was in hospital for a total of 8 days; it was torment being away from her. The owner and witnesses still have not come forward. There has been no accountability, apology or remorse.

The funds donated so far ($12,000) has been applied to our bills, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity. You have all made a world of difference to this horrendous ordeal, not just financially, but you have helped us feel not so alone; the sense of community, to be seen and heard, to have our story and heartbreak validated and to feel the empathy and compassion from everyone brings me to tears.  This fundraiser won’t cover all our expenses, but we’re hoping it’ll reach the $15k goal to help with some of the expenses still owing for Nina’s medical and recovery care. Thank you for taking the time to read our story and here's hoping she’ll have a full recovery so that this little angel will be out running again. ♥️ 

Warm Regards,

Jennifer, (Chloe’s mom)