Angry Bird Gets Best of Siberian Husky

Every now and then I will see claims for small dogs attacked by large birds (like this VPI-insured dog), but I was surprised the other day to receive a claim for a large dog attacked by small bird.

VPI policyholder Tawni Bentkowski of Los Angeles, Calif., first noticed in August that a small gray bird with a long beak had taken up residence in a tree in her backyard. The bird was feisty, and whenever Tawni got close to the tree, it would chirp and swoop down at her.

Tawni wasn’t initially worried about any potential conflict between the bird and her dog, Mana, who also calls the backyard home. She figured a Siberian husky could hold its own against the average backyard bird.

A couple days after first noticing the bird, however, Tawni discovered a small wound on Mana’s back. She had no idea where it came from until she let Mana out and saw the small bird swoop down three times and peck at Mana’s back. Tawni was shocked that the bird would be so bold. She immediately brought Mana inside and took him to the veterinarian’s office.

“I had never heard of a bird attacking a dog before,” said Tawni. “He is a pretty calm dog, so he wasn’t lashing out, and I guess the bird got just the right spot on his back where he couldn’t reach.”

Tawni’s veterinarian was not as surprised by the bird’s aggression. She had seen similar bird-attack wounds and matched Tawni’s description of the bird to a local breed known to attack dogs. She prescribed an antibiotic spray for the infected spot and advised that Mana should make a full recovery in a few days.

Tawni was careful about letting Mana back out in the yard again, but the husky avoided the tree of his own accord for a couple weeks until the bird moved on.

I asked our Director of Professional Services, Dr. Silene Young, for a veterinarian’s perspective on Tawni’s claim for the bird attack. As a former owner of a Siberian husky, Dr. Young was surprised Mana wasn’t the one doing the attacking.

“Like many wild animals, birds carry bacteria that can be transmitted to pets and result in serious infection,” said Dr. Young. “When a pet is attacked by a bird or other wild animal, pet owners should get to the veterinarian as soon as possible—even if they don’t think the wounds are very serious.”

I’m curious to see if any of our readers have had experiences similar to Tawni’s. Let us know below if your pet has had an encounter with an aggressive bird.