dog attack

Question
My pig got attacked yesterday afternoon by a dog. It tore her across top of her snout and down the left side of her face. The vet came to my house and stitched it back in place but I'm still very worried because it ripped her face all the way down to her gum. He said she has a 60% chance of surviving. I don't want her to suffer unnecessarily. I know she has to be in a lot of pain and is very stressed. I have her inside and she is resting. He gave her a shot of pain medicine and an antibiotic. How do I know when the most humane thing is to put her down? Also, if that is not what I need to do then how long can she survive without food and water because I know if my mouth was in that shape I wouldn't want to be bothered with either.

Answer
Dogs bites can be very painful, and there's a danger of infection. But, pigs are pretty good at healing up, although there may be scars. Chances are she'll be willing to at least drink something tomorrow.

The problem here has two parts. First, her mouth and face hurt. Second, pigs sometimes don't want to drink water after getting strong medicines.

So, offer her tempting, nutritious liquids at room temperature, or just very very slightly warm. Hot or cold liquids will be uncomfortable for her.

Goat or cow milk is good. So are drinks like Ensure or Boost, made for people. Most pigs seem to really like the strawberry flavors. She might also like some chicken broth. As she gets better, she'll probably enjoy slurping up soft foods like baby food, noodles or cream of wheat cereal.

Avoid anything that could irritate her wounds. Acidic or sweet drinks, like orange or apple juice, could sting. Oatmeal has chunks that could get stuck inside holes or pockets inside her mouth.

The worrisome thing here is potential infection from dog saliva. Watch for signs of swelling or pus. She made need additional antibiotics, or the wound may need to be cleaned out again.

I am not a veterinarian, so I can not dispense any medical advice. But I would contact the vet if she goes 48 hours refusing to drink anything. And I think if you try enough different things, especially strawberry Boost or Ensure at room temperature, she'll drink. And as long as she's consuming nutritious drinks she won't really need to eat her pellets.

As she continues to recover, start her back on pellets, but soak them in milk or water so they're easy to slurp up.