Treating Dog Wounds
-
Stop the Bleeding
-
Observe the blood flow from the wound: Is it in quick squirts or in a slow trickle? Squirts point toward an injury involving an artery, while a trickling is more indicative of a lacerated vein. Arterial bleeding is more dangerous, since each heartbeat causes blood to leave the animal's body. Stanch it with a clean cloth by firmly pressing down on the wound. Keep the pressure until the bleeding ceases. In severe cases, use a tourniquet above the wound and only loosen it every 20 minutes for two minutes to allow blood flow to the affected area to continue.
Clean the Wound
-
Remove obvious debris with a pair of tweezers. If a blood clot has already formed, clean around it to the best of your ability. Do not remove the scab, since this will cause the wound to begin bleeding again. The only exception to this rule is when you notice pus forming in the wound, or it emits a foul smell, hinting at a bacterial infection. If this is the case, soak the dog's affected limb in warm water to soften the scab. Remove it with tweezers, and rinse the wound with clean water. Antibacterial soap may be used during the rinsing. When the water runs clear, dry the wound by gently patting it dry with sterile gauze.
-
Prevent Infection
-
Apply antibacterial ointment over a cleaned wound, and dress it with a sterile bit of gauze. During the first few hours---or at least until a scab has formed---change the gauze every 20 to 40 minutes. This prevents bacteria from breeding in the shed blood and re-infecting the wound.
Protect the Healing Wound
-
Keep your dog from licking off the antibacterial ointment, removing the gauze or licking the wound and hindering scab formation by placing a clean sock over the affected limb. The sock may be secured at the top and bottom with a rubber band. You may also cut out the foot part of the sock so that the animal is less aggravated by wearing it. If all else fails, an Elizabethan collar may be your best bet for the first week.
-
Resources
- Photo Credit Thirteen of Clubs/Wikimedia Commons
