recent dog fight

Question
two wild mutts attacked my dog on the 11th, and they pulled a lot of hair out on the top of his head and under his right ear.  the skin is scabbed over and raw.  i've been using peroxide on it to keep it clean and keeping him inside because when i tried to keep him outside, the same two mutts came back while i was gone and ate all his food and drank his water.  i saw them leaving my yard when i returned and my dog was up on the porch.  can they smell his wound, and how long does it normally take for a dog's skin to heal and the hair to regrow?  When my boyfriend tried to clean it yesterday, more hair came out.  i also got some hair regrowth pills that he is now taking every day.  is there anything else i can do to ensure the proper regrowth of his hair and to stop infection?

Answer
Hi Vanessa,

In general, I would not answer this question because much of what you ask does not lie in my area of expertise regarding treatment of the injuries to your dog.  I'm very sorry to hear that your dog was so badly injured.  I'm going out on a limb somewhat answering your question publicly and risking being evaluated/graded poorly in order to post a response in the few areas where I think I can comment and because I think every reader and dog owner can read and benefit from my response.

First, it's not a good idea to leave companion animals outside unattended and unsupervised, for all the reasons that you've mentioned, and then some.  Animals can be attacked, drugged, poisoned, stolen, stung, and exposed to the elements of extreme heat, cold, lightning and thunder when left outside unsupervised.  I may be preaching to the choir at this point since you mentioned that you've been keeping your dog inside since the attack (good idea!), but I'm sure by now that you realize that leaving your dog outside unattended is risky at least and may be fatal at worst.

Second, given the injuries you describe, I would suggest that you take your dog to the vet immediately and have your dog professionally treated by a vet.  If your dog has not been vaccinated for rabies, be aware too that your dog, and anyone or any animal who comes in contact with your dog, may be at risk for the rabies virus.  Rabies is deadly when animals contract it, including human animals.  You don't know for sure whether the animals that attacked your dog are carrying the rabies virus, or other diseases that may be harmful to your dog.

Third, I'm not sure how you can be sure that your dog was attacked by other dogs if you didn't witness the attack(s), even if you saw the other dogs leaving.  Are you certain that these were the animals that attacked your dog?  Another animal, even a human one, could have attacked your dog.  If you witnessed the attacks and are sure they were made by the dogs that you saw leaving, then your dog should be seen by a vet ASAP to make sure that your dog wasn't exposed to the rabies virus.  Again, your dog should be seen as soon as possible by a veterinarian and I'm repeating this point in order to make sure that you take your dog to see a veterinarian as soon as possible and describe in detail to your vet what occurred, and when it occurred.

Fourth, no product made for humans should be used on a dog without your veterinarian's go-ahead first.  Dogs and humans are different biologically and what's safe for human use may be unsafe for use on dogs, even toxic or deadly.

Last, as for other dogs smelling your dog's wounds, dogs have an excellent sense of smell, so chances are they can if your dog is out of doors - but I doubt that that's what brought "wild mutts" to your dog in the first place or the second time they visited, and I also doubt that that's the reason that they're returning.  It's more likely that the "mutts" are returning to eat your dog's food and drink his water that you leave out, which you say they did.  If you leave food and water out, the dogs will return to where they know they can obtain food and water.  Other animals besides dogs may be drawn to food and water you leave outside as well, and some of these other animals may be wild animals and may carry the rabies virus or other diseases such as leptospirosis.  

If there is indeed a feral pack of dogs roaming in your neighbourhood, then no companion animals in the area may be safe if they're being left out unattended and unsupervised, and this may include dogs, cats, rabbits, children, the elderly, or all people.  It may be advisable to call Animal Control in your area and let them know that there is a feral pack in your neighbourhood if you have indeed seen this feral pack and have an idea as to their location and their 'visiting hours.'

Again, I'm posting this and responding to your question not for ratings, but with the best of intentions so that the importance of the message and the response can be seen by others in order to educate.  I'm expecting to be rated low on this response, and will be pleasantly surprised if I receive a fair rating on  my response since I hope I've given you and others reading some advice that makes sense to you and if so, a low rating will be worth it.  :-)

Best of luck, and I hope that your dog can be treated and heals.  Please continue to keep him and his food and water inside from now on where he will be safer when you are not there to supervise him.  It sounds as if the injuries are rather severe and I hope your dog heals from them.  Please do make a decision to see a vet as soon as you can.

Best regards,
Madeline Friedman, M.A.
Volunteer at AllExperts
www.ny-njDogTrainer.com