Dog agression been handed a vet bill - help

[Jackiem100]

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Hi there, I'm new on here and have been searching for some help, so hope some of you can give advise. Have a 3 year old Labrador who can show a bit of aggression, this is only when he has his ball and panics when he thinks some other dog will get it. We realised this was his problem and have started taking the ball less and less, and if we do have the a ball if the park is busy it stays in our pockets, not thrown at all. Now he's fine when its his doggy friends but a new 'kid on the block' he just doesn't like sharing his ball. last week my husband was out with him, no ball, gentle walk round the park and meet up with a fellow labrador owner (we know them well) who did have ball but did not throw it knowing what our boy is like. Another dog came along, straight in between the 2 labs and my dog mouthed off, my husband said it was not bad just a warning - husband shouted 'THATS ENOUGH' and it stopped and the other dog ran off. Walk continues, they get to the other end of park and hear a whistle and this guy comes along, quite upset, and says 'your dog bit my dog, he should be on a lead, I know people like you' etc etc.

Both my husband and the other lab owner said they never saw anything like that happen, the altercation was over in seconds and there was no yelping or anything. Now the other dog did have a bleeding ear, not nice to see. Bloke says I'm going to emergency vets now, so my husband, obviously concerned says 'so sorry mate let me know how you get on and gives him his mobile number. Later on husband sends this guy a text saying 'hope dogs ok, let me know how vets went and if I can do anything'.

This was Wednesday evening and reply came Thursday evening saying ' thanks for message, had emergency treatment had to be sedated and ear stitched, give me your email and i'll send invoice'

Husband replies 'my wife is going to speak with our insurance company, my email is....... '

Sunday morning get text message with 2 invoices attached saying 'how do you want to pay, into my banks or cash'

Husband replied saying 'wife away for weekend will get her to look at, may need better copies but your vet details are on there anyway'

Now these invoices total £500, we are so shocked as we never expected this much, we expected him to use his insurance and we pay excess for him.

Please someone help me, I don't have £500 we never fully admitted liability, husband and another dog walker never saw it happen, it was not a full blown fight just verbal like dogs do. What on earth do we do, I know our boy doesn't like sharing and we are getting some behavioural training for him, not because of this incident we were doing it anyway. Just don't know where to go with this, I am so so worried, please help me. my husband does not work due to ill health and our dog is his reason to get up everyday, I am so scared of what this will do to him. Hope someone can help us. Is this guy trying it on to see what money he can get (hope not but can't help thinking it)

 

[dogmatize]

You need to talk to the vet who treated the dog in order to find out what you would be paying for. There is sadly every possibility that this chap may be a chancer. You do say that the other dog did sustain an injury so I guess you should expect to have to pay something seeing as your husband offered to.

I think it was unwise to give the chap your e-mail and mobile number. I have a horrible feeling you'll never be rid of him

Have a look at the website dog law.co.uk

 

[JoanneF]

Do you have pet insurance? It possibly will have third party cover. If so, speak to your insurance company. If not, and you doubt the other owner, maybe try a legal advice line if you have one through another insurance. Failing that,try citizen's advice. If you do need to pay, hopfully it will be the vet and you might be able to agree an instalment plan.

 

[Raven oaktree]

You need to speak directly to the vet who treated the dog and find out what he was treated for

 

[gypsysmum2]

The vet will not be able to help due to client confidentiality.

I would check the invoice to make sure it just covered the stitch up with no added extras.

Next I would check your home insurance to see if that covers dog related incidents. I expect they have clauses to evade them but worth a shot.

If you have pet insurance you might be covered but your dog would then be labelled as having aggressive tendencies. This might affect your future ability to insure or the cost of a policy.

Paying the vet by instalments might be a possibility. If the vet only wants to deal with their client then you are perfectly entitled to offer the other owner instalments.

If you check up on dog law I winder if the other dog approaching your dog rather than the other way round might be a defence? You could certainly try that defence with the other chap. Tell him you will pay half because his dog approached your dog who was minding his own business.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Thinking beyond the incident. I see that you are getting behavioural help with your dog. I just wanted to say that some of the old fashioned dog trainers out there actually make aggression worse.

If you are not using a trainer from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers or, preferably, a behaviourist from either COAPE or APBC then I would seriously consider changing. Dog behaviour is a complex science and there are a lot of so called experts out there who have never truly studied the subject.

Aggression is an instinctive reaction, not a conscious decision.

In other words it cannot be "trained" out of a dog, just suppressed until it resurfaces. Only by addressing the root cause will any progress be made in solving the problem.

 

[theanchorage]

So sorry for you, what a horrible position to be in, if you can avoid your insurance company I would because they will very possibly jack up your premium or exclude any further incident or decline to insure you, they love to wriggle out of paying. I would certainly ask for a copy of the vets bill, sedation and stitch up I would have thought under £200 although it was out of hours so that is more expensive, but the vets wouldn't generally speak to you direct. My guess is the guy is trying it on, you could refuse and see where he goes with it, would the other dog owner give a statement to say what he saw and understood to have happened, it is quite difficult to get money from you unless he takes his claim to the small claims court and you may well win your case as his dog was off the lead and approached your dog. I am assuming that dogs are allowed off the lead in this park and your dog has not bitten before and he was under close control, your husband seems to have had sufficient control. Ask the Citizens Advice Bureau what they advise