Dog's chin cut keeps reopening. Does he need a vet or stitches?

it is hard to say if this can heal without putting another stitch in. If you cannot keep your dog still, then this will indeed need another stitch or staple to hold the wound edges together and especially not enlarge. It is also very important to keep an e-collar on her so she cannot lick the incision. Keeping her calm would be essential and you may have to crate her in order to achieve that.

In that location, it will be near impossible to keep him from licking. Keep the area as clean as possible and monitor for redness, swelling, discharge, lethargy or decreased appetite. These are symptoms of potential infection and should be addressed by your veterinarian. At this point, it may need to heal by "second intention".

Ideally, if the wound is fresh or recent, it should be cleaned, flushed and sutured by your veterinarian. Place an e-collar (cone) on Annie to prevent licking. She may need antibiotics and pain management which you will need to obtain from your vet.

It's a bit difficult to tell from these pictures, but it does appear deep and wide enough that it will need stitches. It's best to take him to a vet soon, because the wound will heal better the sooner it is cleaned and stitched. For now, you can flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with warm water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because dogs tend to hate water getting near their face. I recommend having someone help you with holding Wish to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds; so after flushing, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound. Your vet will be able to advise further treatment after evaluating it. I hope that helps and Wish gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. From you picture it appears that this may be infected which may require veterinary treatment. Until then, an E-collar may be helpful to keep her from scratching. Many vet clinics, pet stores and feed stores have these for sale. Keep her chin clean and dry, and be sure to wash food and water bowls daily. Stainless steel or ceramic bowls are best as plastic may hold bacteria that can worsen infections on the chin or muzzle. Do not use alcohol or peroxide on the lesion, a mild antiseptic such as chlorhexidine can be used to help clean it.

Hello. I think you need to use your best judgement on this. You can try cleaning the area with a chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine skin scrub ( usually available at all pharmacies ) twice a day, & if it does not seem to be healing or appears to be getting worse over the next few days to a week & it continues to worry you, then do see your veterinarian. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is a quite deep and serious wound and would require a stitch up to heal. An immediate check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory/and pain relief medications. Unfortunately persistent licking will cause infection in the long term. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.