Home care nurse needs serious advise re ? abused dog

[nurse4sale]

Dear Nurses,

I need good sound advise for this could cost me my very good job. I am a home health care nurse. I went into a patients home to care for a child. The house was a mess, but the child looked well taken care of physically. I knew they had a dog (large brown Lab), approx. one to two years old. I went into their downstairs den area and seen the dog in a medium size metal cage with no cushion under the dogs feet, so basically she was lying on a wire cage. She did not bark at me, didn't stand up and wag her tail, she was curled up in the far corner of this cage scared and I could tell right away that this dog was scared and neglected. My question is this. Do I just forget what I've seen, or do I do something about it? How can I help this poor defenseless animal without losing my job, or creating a big commotion? What would you do in my situation?

[JustMeRN]

Dear Nurses,

I need good sound advise for this could cost me my very good job. I am a home health care nurse. I went into a patients home to care for a child. The house was a mess, but the child looked well taken care of physically. I knew they had a dog (large brown Lab), approx. one to two years old. I went into their downstairs den area and seen the dog in a medium size metal cage with no cushion under the dogs feet, so basically she was lying on a wire cage. She did not bark at me, didn't stand up and wag her tail, she was curled up in the far corner of this cage scared and I could tell right away that this dog was scared and neglected. My question is this. Do I just forget what I've seen, or do I do something about it? How can I help this poor defenseless animal without losing my job, or creating a big commotion? What would you do in my situation?

There is a home care forum you might get more replies in. My take is its not your business unless you see someone abusing the animal. One of the biggest things is home care is you can't control how people live, and you are a guest in their home. Based on what you describe you have no grounds for animal cruelty charges. You might think the animal is abused, but you can't know for sure. It might be a timid animal, a rescue with a bad past. It may not like people. Maybe it chews up cushions and leaving one in the crate is dangerous for the dog. You just don't know. And unless you witness actual abuse, it's none of your business. You are there for the kid. The kid is clean, cared for and in a safe environment, then you have no beef with the family. Be very careful about making assumptions or judgements based on someone's dirty or messy house. It's not your place. The only time it becomes your place is when the state of the house poses a safety hazard, then you need to intervene.

[Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN]

I'd also remove some of the detail to your post, you never know who might be scrolling through these boards and I doubt it would be that hard to recognize a description of your own house/dog if you came across it.

[caliotter3]

I would be very careful if you want to keep this job or you want to continue with this agency. I am sorry to say, as many times as I have experienced the negative reactions from agency management when patient neglect or abuse is reported, I would seriously consider whether or not, I would want to get involved over a pet. When you have enough time at this case and have had a chance to build up some rapport with the family, you might be able to intervene in a helpful way, if allowed. Or, you can anonymously report to the local authorities.

[Libby1987]

That doesn't sound like legal abuse. It's not how I keep my dogs, ever, but just in a crate inside the house? You'd risk losing your job over something animal control would take no action over.

Now if the dog were emmacited, dehydrated and with oozing sores, then I wouldn't hesitate to report it, job or not.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Watchful waiting. Continue to observe the situation.. Then if you are not satisfied with the animal's living conditions....

It's just an anonymous call the the humane society.

[amoLucia]

Any chance the family put the dog in the cage JUST BECAUSE you were due to visit? Like they didn't want it running around when you came and they were just trying to be considerate of you.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Any chance the family put the dog in the cage JUST BECAUSE you were due to visit? Like they didn't want it running around when you came and they were just trying to be considerate of you.

Exactly. Perhaps they got the cage just for your visit and haven't gotten a blanket/pad. One incident of a dog in a wire kennel that's quiet and not crazily trying to get out does not = abuse

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Moved to allnurses › Home Health Nursing forum.

Agree with Been there,done that you need to observe over several visits to make full assessment of situation.

If you see signs of animal neglect/abuse after 2-3 more visits, then report.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I don't see a problem. There is no law that dog owners must keep their dogs in a cage with a cushion. I just left my best friend's house. Her dog doesn't have a cushion when it's in its crate. The cushion they have for it is too big for the crate.

Because the dog didn't bark, stand or wag its tail you think it's been abused? I think this thread has already jumped the shark.

[maeli]

I agree with all of the above. It's usually a requirement of being a recipient of home health care (having to contain your animals out of safety for the nurse). I'm a huge animal lover, but even my dog did not get a cushion in her crate because she just chewed them all to pieces and I feared she would end up eating foam and getting a giant bowel obstruction. I would be hard-pressed to claim neglect on what you've indicated above, but definitely keep an eye out on subsequent visits. I'd report if I saw obvious signs of abuse or dramatic weight loss indicating neglect, but you'd want to have evidence to back up your claim.

I'm happy to see that people are looking out for the welfare of animals, but I'd be devastated/furious if my home health nurse claimed animal neglect because she saw my dog in a crate without a cushion and assumed the worst (because my dog gets treated like royalty the other 23.5 hours of the day).

Also, I feel it's necessary to point out...many dogs are "crate-trained" this means they are out running around with the family, then put into the crate for maybe an hour or so, then taken straight outside to do their business. This helps to house train them. I have yet to see a dog that enjoys being in its crate (hence looking scared and not jumping up when seeing you). But they are usually only in there for a short amount of time. I know this is probably more information than necessary, but if you haven't grown up up with dogs, I can understand how this could look like neglect, but it isn't. Just be VERY sure before making any claims.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

My old chihuahua preferred his crate. He'd actually go in and close the door behind him. He'd go nuts if you locked him out of his cage! He was an odd dog though. My current dog sometimes prefers her cage sometimes prefers my lap but if visitors must be kenneled as she is intolerant of many strangers especially men. Normally very friendly she nearly bit off my brother in law's hand when he insisted on petting her...she also eats crate mats

If "a sad dog that didn't greet me in a wire cage" is your only inkling of abuse you are making possibly erroneous assumptions on a single visit. The dog may have even been placed in the cage because of stranger anxiety hence the demeanor when you saw the animal. Not all dogs are social animals excited to see any human