letting your furkid play at the park and get scrapes.

[Sally]

So Duncan is a dog park regular. We go many times a week. We always go at the same time and hang with mainly the same crowd. Duncan has a buddy named Dizzy who's a mix of rat terrier/papillon. Smallish maybe about 10 pounds but feisty. Duncan and Dizzy will go at it like boxers. Dizzy has a tendency to land his paws on duncan's snout and near his eyes. With the recent corneal ulceration Duncan had i'm now so anxious every time they play. Well tonight i noticed right below Duncan's eye it looked pink under the fur so i lifted the fur and theirs a little puncture. It must be from Dizzy's claw. 

 

So here's the thing. Do I just accept that this is like a kid skinning his knee playing on the swings and just dab some bacitracin on it and move on? I can't imagine not letting him play at the park. He loves it. I'm thinking i'll talk to dizzy's owner next time we're there just to mention that we should try and re-direct them a bit if they are too in each other's faces....

 

 

[Michael Gurley]

I'd say as long as the general feeling of the park is friendly, and your pup isn't scared or anything, then go ahead and dab some ointment on it and move on. If you see it happening over and over, though, there might be cause for concern.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If you are always at the park with Dizzy, I would express your concerns and why. It really isn't a big deal to ask another responsible owner to help redirect them from too much rough play.

[Jennifer and Jack]

That sounds like a great idea, Redirection is like supervised play. I have to do that a lot with Jack because he is so little that bigger puppies who are so sweet and loving and just want to play can knock Jack out cold with one paw swipe, well maybe not out cold but certainly on his butt.

So I usually stay near, let him play, but if it is getting where Jack is getting whacked around, I either remove him from the situation for a while and or redirect the dogs in different direction.

 

It is so hard to know what to do

 

[Christine & Camus]

I deal with incidents of overly excited play by going to Camus and having him sit and calm down. Not a reprimand or correction just a short quiet interval, telling him to be calm an gentle, even if it was his friend that was more excited.  So far it has worked well. Usually the other dog's owner will follow my lead and calm thier dog, as well.  Then it is back to playing. Of course, this only works when the other owner is responsible. 

[Lorraine Bromley]

If you are that worried about the corneal abrasion I would go out and buy the DOGGLES the sunglasses/protective eyewear for dogs. It will protect the cornea from injury and the sun. Many dogs with cataracts wear these as well. Not only will your dog be protected from the little devil but be really COOL looking.

[Michael Gurley]

Could the other dog tear the goggles off his face by playing?

[Lesley, Wellington & Bingley]

 

 

Seriousely..... Doggles? He would be the laughing stock of the dog park!!! 'Oh wait... my doggles fell off - mom says it's not safe till I find them..!!!'  Lol!

 

Sorry - I've never seen such a thing =)

 

I would just take it easy until his eye has healed - then I would step in if play got too rough and say 'he had an eye problem, I have to stop things getting out of hand'...

[Dori & Rua]

I think there are lots of good points...let Dizzy's mom know about your concerns with Duncan' eye and ask her to redirect her dog.  I think Duncan would look cool in Doggles!  :-)

[Michael Gurley]

Well, this happened to Sunny yesterday after I posted here :P

 

I reacted differently from what I said because, well, it was MY baby and not yours. I paused the playdate immediately (it was one-on-one) and checked her over, making sure it was her skin and not her eye itself that was bleeding. Then I washed it off, put ointment on it, and let them get back to playing! Of course, I told the other owner since he was my friend and was hanging out at my house.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

If Dizzy's nail is sharp enough to scratch Duncan maybe he just needs his nails trimmed? 

 

Other than re-directing that's the only thing I would suggest - Luna has a best friend and they go at it like a couple of crazy prize fighters, I wouldn't think of depriving them of their play sessions.