Husband mauled by a wild animal

[Farmergina]

I need advice asap, my husband was walking the dog earlier when he said he heard a whimpering coming from a hole in the ground as if a small animal was hurt so he shined his torch down the hole and couldn't see anything, he then put his arm down the hole and was viciously attacked. His dog was trying to get at the animal whilst he was being attacked which then made the animal run up my husbands arm and onto his face and head where it further mauled him until he fell and the animal escaped chased by the dog.

My husband doesn't know what the animal was as it was dark and he dropped his torch in the commotion but said it was small, furry with sharp teeth and claws and cat sized.

The nearest hospital's on the mainland 15 miles away and the sea's rough today so we can't take the boatso we'll have to go to the doctor who comes in by boat every morning at 10am so i've cleaned his wounds with soap and water and am about to dress them and want to know whether it would be better to use vinegar or lemon juice or bicarb to disinfect his wounds as that's all we have until we do our months shopping on monday.

Which is the best to use?

[Mamyalynne]

Clean the wound. If the injury was caused by an animal or sharp object, be sure to quickly wash off debris or saliva from the affected area. Any clean water you have on you is suitable. If no drinking water is on your person, a nearby stream may also be suitable. However, it is important to do this quickly. If no other water source is present, a last ditch method of cleaning a wound is to urinate on it. This increases risk of infection later on, but can remove dirt and saliva which is worse than your urine (It is mostly water by the way). If it is not possible to clean the wound, the next most important thing to do is stop the bleeding.
Stop the bleeding. The best way to stop bleeding is to apply pressure on the wound with a porous substance. A t-shirt, sock, pants, hat, or rag will do. Be sure to tightly wrap the wound but do NOT create a tourniquet unless absolutely necessary. After the wound is dressed, apply pressure with your palm on the affected area.
Clean up the wound. You may not have alcohol or pain reliever, but you can clean the wound with soap and water, and maybe only water. Turn on the faucet (if you have one), and turn on the warm, but not hot, water. Pour some soap in your hand, and put your hand into the warm water. Rub your wound softly, and wipe off your wound with a paper towel.

[Mamyalynne]

Maj - you found the beast, what an odd looking cat, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek.

[phleb]

just clean the wounds with plenty of warm water and a clean cloth, so you dont get any fluff on them. The do not cover them, unless bleeding. Let the air get to them, this helps healing process. Hopefuly if kept clean and dont keep touching they should be infection free, See the doctor in the morning for a jab or/and ointment. Hope this helps, and hope he gets better soon.

[Farmergina]

Thanks mamylynne, i tried to give him water a few hours ago which he drank before he went to sleep, he's now complaining that he's burning up but is refusing to drink any liquids as he drifts in and out of consciousness what shall i do? Is it serious enough to call the coastguard?

[Mamyalynne]

Yes I would.

[Farmergina]

I have to go and call the coastguard, he's vomiting constantly now and is sweating profusely.

Good bye.

[Krausse]

Stay off the moors ! and never walk into a pub called 'The Slaughtered Lamb !

[Mamyalynne]

good luck

[pugthedog]

fingers crossed he's ok

[lady-janine]

ps i hope his tetanus is up-to-date/

never heard of a farmer having to take a dog for a walk and never heard of a farmer sticking his arm down a hole.

what do i know i've only ever lived on farms.

[lady-janine]

not only animals but we get a lot of owls arround here. with the windows open hear them at night.

[Prudie]

Seriously, a farmer's wife would know all this (as would her husband know not to stick his arm down an animal hole, especially if he had a yapping dog with him!)

[pastafreak]

I suspect that we'll next hear that the phone lines are down due to a raging storm in the North Atlantic,the coast guard cannot be reached,her husband has fallen into a coma.....
She'll have to bury him out in the garden....

[lady-janine]

pasta - i suggest under the new patio

[DTCwordfan]

The attacking animal was probably a haggis.., they can leave nasty bites, particularly around Halloween.

[pastafreak]

@ lady-janine-Why didn't I think of that??


;-)

[DTCwordfan]

you would have to change your AB name to patio-freak, pasta....