Momma dog injured in coyote trap
This past weekend, we hit the road to rescue a family of eight dogs, including five puppies and an injured momma dog.
This poor momma dog had been caught in a coyote trap and her left front leg was severely injured by it.
We drove far out into the woods (we never would have found the location without our guide!) and spent hours rounding up the puppies and adults. The puppies were hiding under the house, and it took more than one person crawling under the house and porch to flush them out.
Lawrence (below), the young adult male dog was very shy, and it took quite a while to catch him. He is sweet as can be, but he was very nervous about all the new people.
The momma of the five puppies is named Brownie (below), and she ran into the surrounding woods before we could catch her. However, we haven’t given up on her, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Unfortunately, in the meantime, she is still at risk of injury in the woods due to the coyote traps that have been set up in the area.
Louise (below), the older momma dog, is a heartbreaking example of the damage caused by such traps.
She has suffered a terrible compression laceration and her attempts to escape the trap created bone fragments that are embedded in the skin beneath her paw. Neurophysiologists explain that the pressure and impact of these steel leghold traps is equivalent to slamming your own hand in a car door and leaving it there for 24 hours.
In addition to tendon and ligament damage, Louise’s lower leg is severely swollen and infected. It is not uncommon for animals that have been caught in steel leghold traps to develop gangrene due to the vascular damage caused by the trap snapping shut on their foot. Without getting proper circulation, the affected tissue becomes infected and begins to die.
While we are hopeful that she made it to us in time for the antibiotics to reverse some of this damage, we won’t know for a few days. In the meantime, she is on pain meds, oral antibiotics, and her wounds are being treated topically as well.
Louise has a long, expensive medical journey ahead of her, but with your help, we can make sure she gets everything she needs to make it through this ordeal. Together, we will give her a new life full of safety, warmth, and love.
Over 100 countries have banned steel leghold traps, including Iraq, China, Sudan, and Somalia, but, sadly, not the U.S. These traps are set up by opening and setting the steel jaws (some of which are serated), disguising the trigger plate in the center, and placing enough brush or sticks around the trap to camouflage it. While trappers are legally obligated to check on their traps every 24 - 48 hours, this is entirely unenforceable.
When they come across non-target animals caught in the trap, even if they free them, the damage is done. It is estimated that over 70 percent of animals caught in traps are what trappers refer to as “trash animals,” including dogs, cats, deer, squirrels, birds, turtles, and livestock.
Wright-Way Rescue does not support any form of harm to animals. While we wish that trapping could be eliminated entirely, until that day there are much more humane methods including cable leg snares that do not inflict excruciating physical and mental anguish.
It is virtually impossible for an animal to free itself from a steel leghold trap. The fact that Louise made it back home after she had been caught, indicates that someone found her and released the trap. Whether that was the person who set the trap, or someone who just found her there, we will never know. All we can say for sure is that her future is going to be much better. Please help make this future a reality by supporting Louise on her medical journey.
All donations made to a specific animal will go toward that pet's medical expenses. Any remaining monies will go back into Wright-Way Rescue's Medical Fund to help other injured pets in need of rescue.