Prevalence of emergency traumatic injuries in 100 wild boar hunting dogs

To investigate patterns and severity of hunting-related emergency traumatic injuries in wild boar hunting dogs. One hundred wild boar hunting dogs with emergency traumatic injuries sustained during wild boar hunting as a result of wild boar attack and accidental shooting of ensnarement in a trap. The retrospective study involved 100 dogs brought to CAMC for treatment of emergency traumatic injury sustained during wild boar hunting in Jeon-buk province from August 2007 to April 2008. Medical information obtained from the medical records included signalment; cause of injury; number, location and severity of injuries; and mortality. The 100 patients displayed 136 injuries (single injury in 71 dogs and multiple injuries in 29 dogs). Causes of the emergency traumatic injuries were wild boar attack (n = 92), accidental shooting (n = 7), and entrapment (n = 1). The thoracic area was the most common site of injury. The most common injury severity score (ISS) was code 2. The mortality rate was 9%, and all deaths involved thoracic injury. Emergency traumatic injuries sustained during wild boar hunting are most commonly thoracic injuries caused by prey attack. The nature of the injuries can differ from those typically encountered by small animal veterinarians.