My dog has a cut on his eyelid that's not healing. What should I do?

Cleanse the wound with warm water or saline solution. You can either flush the wound (being careful to avoid the eye) or wipe the cut with a moistened gauze pad. Pat dry. Apply a thin film of a triple antibiotic ointment (such as Neosporin) twice daily. Monitor the wound for swelling, redness, or discharge. If you notice these signs, then you will need to have the wound looked at by your veterinarian. Most importantly, make sure your dog's rabies vaccination is up-to-date. If you are unsure or close to the due date, contact your veterinarian. Place an e-collar (cone) on him or her to prevent pawing, rubbing or scratching.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bear. He will need to see his veterinarian as he will likely need an antibiotic ointment in order for the wound to heal. In the meantime, keep the eye clear of discharge and do not allow him to paw at it or rub it on the carpet. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This wound looks very superficial and will likely heal up on its own. If it does not heal up in the next 5-7 days or it appears to be getting worse, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! What you can do depends to some extent on how extensive or severe this is. You can use a towel to apply pressure on the wound. You can try to keep her as quiet as possible until you can have her evaluated by a veterinarian to avoid the injury getting worse. I highly recommend that you do have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as soon as you are able to. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Superficial wounds around the face are usually treated with topical antibiotics (creams or ointments) or antibiotics tablets. Larger wounds need to be stitched up, but if the would you found is not fresh, most likely your vet would not want to stitch it up. Please, clean the would twice a day with 4% chlorhexidine solution (you can buy it at pharmacies) for a few days and it will hopefully heal up. However, if it starts to bother Aimee or becomes painful you will have to take her to your nearest vets possibly to get a course of antibiotics.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I recommend calling Zildjan’s veterinarian if the wound is not healing well. Be sure you are only cleaning as directed by her veterinarian. Some antiseptics or cleaners can inhibit healing. Do not use hydrogen peroxide to clean wounds daily.

I am sorry to hear about your dog's fighting! Due to the wound being so close to the eye it can be a tricky situation, because you don't want any soap to get into the eye which could cause ulceration/burning of the cornea (surface of the eye). I would also be concerned/worried if the injury was this close to the eye that there could be trauma to the eye itself. It also looks like the wound could be deep and if it extends a bit past where I can see in the photo (I can't tell because of the presence of fur) it could be long enough to warrant a stitch. If your dog is tolerant you can try using a q-tip with a small amount of soap on it to clean the area in order to clean it while avoiding the eye itself. A soap such as Hibiclens (generic = chlorhexidine) from the drug store is ideal but if not, just a mild soap at home. If your dog is wiggly/not cooperative and you may end up getting soap in his eye I would avoid using soap near it and just rinse with warm water. You can apply a small amount of topical antibiotic ointment with a q-tip as well if you think your dog will not rub it into his eye. Monitor for swelling, pain, and discharge and if these occur or the wound look larger then he should see a full service vet because it may require antibiotics or a suture.