Saturday, June 5, 2010

Floyd in trouble

Floyd was pretty quiet this evening. I'd taken the videos I hired last night back to town and picked up a chinese feed. It was ordinary chinese food, but better than me having to cook. When I left Floyd wasn't impressed, when I arrived home he was happy.

I'd just finished eating the chinese, put the bowl in the sink and grabbed a cup of tea. Suddenly there was that terrible screaming, yelping noise... I know it. From Floyd it means "I'm in distress, help!"

He's very smart. He's been stuck before, but he just makes little 'attracting attention' noises, and not all the time. He's a very patient dog.

This was a noise which told me he was in pain... A yelping screech. I thought something had bitten him. I've heard dogs don't realise they've been bitten if it is a snake, but there are no snakes this time of year, too cold. I thought it might be a spider.

I ran outside (not far to go, but I ran!). He was trapped by his left paw in the join above the hinge of the little picket fence gate. Owch! It was squashing his paw, and when he leant against the gate it moved slightly back and forward squishing his paw. Owwwwccchh.

I held up his front end, supporting his front legs... trying to figure out which way to move the gate to make the gap largest so I could get his foot out. He was still and almost quiet when I was holding him, but as soon as I got the gap large enough to lift his foot out of the space he went running around like a mad thing. He wouldn't keep still for me to check his foot, he was too excited. Eventually he settled down and I checked his foot. Nothing broken I think, I squeezed it and he was fine with that and he's not limping on it.

This is where he got stuck. I've put the dog clip on top for scale. It is a No. 19 clip. (My matchbox is large matches so that was no good for scale!)


You only got the photos of the gate because Floyd wouldn't stand still long enough to be photographed!

4 comments:

Merilyn said...

Poor Floyd, hope there is no damage done to his paw, [but Mum, I was only looking to see where you were going].

Carpe Jugulum said...

If only Floyd had opposable thumbs, now that would be chaos.

Anonymous said...

God don't you hate it when you hear that particular scream?

Last time I heard it from Miss Molly Mutt was as I came up the street from the bus stop and she started barking as I reached next door, as usual. What was not usual was that the greeting bark was interspersed with that scream. Ditto as I approached the back door. Bark, bark, scream.

When I opened the door she was twirling in circles, as usual, but screaming intermittently. Once I got her inside I saw the problem.

Somehow, she'd managed to get herself entangled from one end to the other in the green plastic-covered wire used to tie up plants.

How much of the day she had been in this state I don't know. She's a crabby little bugger and doesn't like to be handled but she let me work - without snapping at me - up, down, back and around until she was free.

I'm glad you got to Floyd so quickly, Kae. He's a lucky boy.

Regards
Sandi

Anonymous said...

That scream - haven't heard it in decades...my brother's dog Zak in 6th grade. It wasn't something stuck or caught - he'd been poisoned. I saw the house 3 years ago for the first time since we left - it's my most vivid memory.

I'm so glad Floyd the Wonderdog is ok!

Have you read the saga of my missing Queen this past week? Poor ol bearcat even has strength to jump on the beds now. Still looks like HELL, hope to put some weight back on her soon...