Dachshunds Fighting

[Chip's Mom]

Well I talked with his sister today and she said they think the little dog (8 lbs and 10 years old) hit it's jaw on the table leg in the scuffle. The little dog had lost 3 teeth previously and the vet said her jawbones were deteriorated and that may have caused the fracture. He could have tried to wire it up but she would have had to be tubefed for a long time and he wasn't sure it would have healed. The vet recommended the euthanization. So sad. I spent some time with him and his sister today. Debbie may be able to give us some insight into the bone deterioration.

[Michael Romanos]

I always though it was best to keep dogs separated when they have their meals. That way, a fight would be less likely. Food is the most important thing to dogs followed by exercise and affection.

[darci]

Mine eat about 6 feet apart or so and I am always there to keep an eye on them. No bowl surfing is allowed.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Chip's Mom

Debbie may be able to give us some insight into the bone deterioration.

Very sad and tragic. Food is a prime trigger and source of many fights and "to the death" can and does happen - not necessarily because of food triggers however. I've known and heard of more than one corgi killed by other corgis when pack mentaility set in. The reminders that are dogs are dogs/animals is a good one.

As for the bone deterioration, could be due to a lot of things - age, genetic predisposition, the results of a lack of dental care in early years, or could be just a dog that was prone to a lot more plaque and tartar in spite of routine care, could be another underlying issue that caused it - hard to say.

Thoughts are with your friends Bonnie.

Debbie

[disraeli]

Poor little Doxie - that's a shame.

My two occassionally get into scuffles, but it is never about the same thing! Somebody just makes the other mad, I guess. No injuries, though, and they are pretty easy to break up. I think Rhys sometimes feels that his alpha status is threatened.

However, they eat a mere 3 feet apart from each other and they have never had any issues. I started by feeding them in completely separate ares, but now - I don't bother. They are both too interested in their own bowls to even notice each other.

[Chip's Mom]

I think it is better not to keep dogs separated when they eat because (like the situation in Debbie's post) if they aren't taught to share, then a fight can break out very easily if someone happens to drop a tidbit on the floor and if they are constantly separated doing different things then they don't learn they have to get along.

[tandemgal]

removed by T-Gal