Hi My GSP was chasing a squirrel this morning. She unseeingly headed a wooden fence at such a force it knocked her back about 2feet! She was very dazed & shakey & needed a lot of comforting. She was able to complete the walk & when I got home I noticed both sides of her head was scratched. What I need to know is whether there are after -affect signs that I should be looking out for.. I hate anyone banging their heads 'cos one just doesn't know the internal problems. thanks

Dogs heads are much tougher than ours. When my last dog got hit by a car, he took the brunt of the force on his head (it knocked a couple of teeth out and turned both of his eyes blood red from the bleeding in them), the moment we jacked the car up & untangled him from the axle he shook himslef down & wagged hiss tail He had many flesh wounds, but his head was fine with nothing to worry about afterwards regarding his head.
I don't actually know what the signs of concusion would be for a dog, but I suppose difficulty being woken from sleep, apparent visual/mobility problems, confusion and basically anything out of the ordinary would be an indication that at the very least a vet-check is in order.
I would be more worried about a neck injury from the force of hitting the fence and would be keeping a very close eye out for any indication of that.

Best of luck for your girl, gosh they worry us don't they!

HI mastifflover. Thanks for your prompt reply!
Gosh you must have been worried sick over your dog-but at least your story has put my mind at ease. Thankyou so much!
GSps are really tough but my girl tends to be a bit of a wimp...the hangdog-look (with the red lower lids hanging) always gets to me!
Update -she has just eaten a big bowl of biscuits & is now with a shake of the body & ears & tail has looked at me as if to say "what are you fussing about!"

nethertheless I shall keep a close eye on her!

The squirrel by the way , got clean away, as they usually do!

AND YES they ARE a worry....but aren't they worth it!!!!
Regards Liz.

one of my dogs was racing around with the others in the garden, she ran head first into the stone bird bath. i heard her head crack, she was fine just confused for a few minutes!

>Update -she has just eaten a big bowl of biscuits & is now with a shake of the body & ears & tail has looked at me as if to say "what are you fussing about!"

Ahhh bless her, I'm glad she's forgotton about it now, she probably frightened herself more than anything.

>The squirrel by the way , got clean away, as they usually do!

LOL, typical, she never even got a nice fresh snack for her troubles!!

Ditto - as long as she is showing no signs of side effects she'll be fine.

I'll never forget my mum's wee terrier out on a walk once, two of the other dogs saw a rabbit and went full charge after it, one ran straight into her head, it was a bit like watching a boxer in slow motion after a punch to the head she was completely dazed and out of it, I picked her up and carried her home, but by then she was back to her old bossy self with no side effects, yes their heads are tougher and their constitutions stronger they seem to bounce back quickly and just get on with things.

One of my dogs cracked her head and right hip at our local water park last year.  I really expected with the noise that she would knock herself out but she just jumped straight up and dived into the water.  Unfortunately her hip score on that side is higher than the left but other than that she was great.

Whistler was locked in the garden whilst OH and I moved some furniture into the garage. He got onto the potting shed roof along the garage roof and jumped off!! He was about 7 months old, his jaw hit the concrete he shook his head got up fine!!

I was in tears, OH went straight to B&Q got three fence panels and blocked that bit off!! they are like kids I swear they bouce!!

Update....
The head banger seems to be in fine form today. Just a few cuts on her nose ..was out again chasing squirrels in the cemetary...Nearly fell down a hole..will they ever learn!

Thanks for all your kindness & input on this subject
Regards Liz.