WLWT got a first-hand account with one family in Deer Park who says an aggressive deer led to an unexpected vet visit.
WLWT got a first-hand account with one family in Deer Park who says an aggressive deer led to an unexpected vet visit.
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WLWT got a first-hand account with one family in Deer Park who says an aggressive deer led to an unexpected vet visit.
You’ve probably seen them in your neighborhood; deer are anything but uncommon in our area. In fact, some parts of Hamilton County are seeing an overpopulation.
With that comes dangers this time a year if you’re outside.
WLWT got a first-hand account with one family in Deer Park who says an aggressive deer led to an unexpected vet visit.
Vickie Keith said deer wandering through her neighborhood aren’t uncommon. This particular morning was a different experience.
Vickie’s dog, Obi, was out in the backyard going out for his morning sniff, when he had a run in with an aggressive buck.
Obi walked into the driveway, tail wagging when he was attacked by a buck. We are happy to say that Obi is now okay and doing well, but he’ll have some recovery ahead of him.
The dog suffered an 8-inch puncture wound to the shoulder from the bucks antler. Keith said the emergency trip to MedVet was costly and took about six hours.
Keith shared, “So we got to take him home with you know, just a lot of restrictions. You know, no up and down, no running. He has a JP tube coming out of his side. That’s draining the fluid from his pocket where the antler went in so that he doesn’t have any infection grow. He is on antibiotics and pain medicine at this time.”
Ohio DNR officials say this is the time of year when deer mate. It’s called the rut, and buck to buck aggression is common.
Aggressive behavior to people and other animals, like Obi, is not as frequent.
ODNR said while rare, if you ever experience this type of aggression toward your pet, you don’t have too many safe options for resolving the situation.
“One thing that you shouldn’t do is put yourself between the deer and the dog. A lot of people, that would be your first instinct right? To protect your pets,” Brett Beatty, wildlife management supervisor with ODNR said. “They are large animals though, right? A buck on the hoof could be 150 to 200 pounds. And they’re strong animals, right? So don’t put yourself into harms way. I know pets are important to everybody. I have pets, I would want to protect it. You can try making loud noises, doing things like that.”
Beatty said it’s just best to let wild animals be, to never feed them and to give them their space.
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