My dog has a deep wound from a fight. Does he need a cone or vet care?

Place an e-collar (cone) on Tucker to prevent rubbing or scratching. Clean the area with dilute Betadine or chlorhexidine and dry thoroughly. You can apply a dab of triple antibiotic ointment on the spot once or twice daily. It should heal up quickly. If it spreads or doesn't heal, have your veterinarian examine Tucker.

It would heal better and faster with stitches. If you cannot afford to have that done then just keep it clean with this wound spray linked below. DO NOT use hydrogen peroxide on it - that will actually delay healing. If after a week it is not looking better or if it gets red, swollen, has pus coming from it then you will need to get him to the vet. If he is licking it, it will not heal so you will need to get him a cone collar to wear. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-wound-and-skin-care-for-dogs ) ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-e-collar )

The purpose of the collar is that the dog cannot lick the wound and introduce bacteria and keeping it from healing. Puncture wounds need to be open, not dressed as covering them could theoretically cause anaerobic bacteria such as those causing tetanus to multiply and cause fatal infection. Please put the collar back on. Charlie will get used to it eventually. Do not clean the wounds, leave them alone, You can pat the discharge off as they are draining naturally. If by tomorrow they have not improved or if there is pus draining, you should take Charlie back to the vet for a recheck.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to see that T is having this problem. A few things are possible here. I am assuming that the original wound never healed, only got better. If that's the case then I would suspect either a foreign body has entered the leg or an insect/spider/other has bitten him that started the entire problem. Puncture wounds can look very different over time so it may have been only one small puncture wound from the inciting event. I would advise taking T back to your veterinarian so they can recheck the wound and possibly rethink what is going on. (Assuming they saw it initially) after it first happened. They may want to culture the wound and run a sensitivity of the bugs that grow out of the culture to determine what antibiotics would be best. They may also advise some x-rays to determine if a foreign body has entered the leg although this can be of questionable value depending what the foreign body could be. Exploring the wound might be another option. All of these can be discussed with your veterinarian and I have made some assumptions here and could be wrong. I wish you the best of luck with T and I hope you get to the bottom of this very soon.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You should take Murphy to your local vets for an appointment as this wound should be clipped, cleaned, flushed and potentially stitched up under sedation. It would take a very long time to heal if the wound was treated with antibiotics only. The symptoms of infection usually develops in the first 24hrs and include fever, discharge, swelling and pain around the wound.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Takoda! I would try to shave all the fur away from the area and check closely for other wounds. Then clean the skin with water and a mild soap. Avoid hydrogen peroxide as it can damage the skin. Then apply a triple antibiotic ointment twice daily. If there is a large full thickness gash or puncture it is best to have Takoda seen by a Vet to see if surgery is warranted or oral antibiotics. I hope this helps and I wish Takoda the best!

Poor Panda! Unfortunately the safest and most effective thing in this case is going to be the E-collar. Ask your vet for tips on sizing and securing it to Panda. In some cases, a little anti-anxiety medication or sedation for a day or two can really help him keep that cone on. If it is truly a small graze, it is likely to heal in the next couple days as long as he keeps away from it. I also recommend keeping him inside if at all possible for the next couple days.