My dog has a leg wound. What should I do after I've cleaned it?

First, consider seeking veterinary care since wounds can often be deeper than they appear and can get easily infected. 1. Clip the hair away from the wound using buzzing-type clippers, not scissors or a razor. This is so you can monitor the wound and keep the hair out of the way to help with healing and keeping it clean. 2. Disinfect the wound once with peroxide or a first aid chlorhexidine wound soap. Do not continue to use peroxide, or alcohol, as this will delay healing. 3. Apply an antibacterial ointment, such as Neosporin, twice daily. If needed to clean the wound, use a warm wet wash cloth to gently wipe away and dried fluid. 4. Prevent all licking or scratching of the wound by using an e-collar. Licking will delay healing and spread bacteria into the wound 5. See a vet if Leo experiences prolonged lethargy, decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, or a rectal temperature over 102.5, or if there is creamy discharge or discharge with a foul odor, or there is swelling around the wound.

This wound requires an immediate check up and possibly a stitch up as it seems infected and it is unlikely that will heal without immediate intervention. Proper disinfection and antibiotic treatment is required. 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

I did receive the photos you sent in this morning that were forwarded to me via our website moderator. The abrasions themselves can likely be managed at home with a sterile cleaning using Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water and then flushing the area daily thereafter with sterile saline from your local pharmacy. However, if you are also seeing swelling, this could pose a problem. Swelling underneath the skin following trauma is typically either of 2 things: an Abscess (infection underneath the skin) or a Seroma (blood filled sac) . An abscess will need to be treated by your vet, by having the area drained and then he will need to be placed on a short course of antibiotics. If this is a Seroma however, it will likely heal on its own as the body slowly reabsorbs the blood. As long as the Seroma does not get any bigger, which would indicate that there is continued bleeding underneath the skin that needs to be ligated via surgery. There really isn't a good way of knowing if this is Seroma or abscess by looking on the outside; however, with abscesses they are typically painful and will eventually lead to fever and illness (lack of appetite, vomiting) in most cases. Seroma's can be mildly painful, but won't cause a fever. So since you are limited on funds you can roll the dice and see if this thing causes systemic illness or not, or you can try to apply for financial assistance to get Wilber looked at immediately to make sure there isn't an abscess present. Here are some links for financial assistance. I https://carecredit.com/vetmed Here a couple of still up and running grant options: carecredit.com redrover.org/relief/urgent-care-grants/ (typical grant amount is $200) all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html - $50 maximum aid WHEN they have funds. a couple of 'special situation' ones: fveap.org - Vaccine Associated Sarcoma only thepetfund.com/ - Non-basic, non-urgent care (cancer treatment, heart disease, etc.) ONLY. ! hope that this was helpful and hope that your pet Wilber is able to make a full and speedy recovery from his traumatic injury. Take care!

It's difficult to tell what's going on from the picture. I'm concerned there is a serious infection or a cancerous growth there and would recommend taking the pup to a veterinarian to be evaluated. If you are unable to do that, then the best you can do is to clean the area with lukewarm water and a mild soap, and keep it nice and dry. If the dog is chewing at it at all, an e collar can be used to prevent him from getting back there. However, I do not think this is going to resolve without veterinary intervention.

Hello, sorry to hear about Millie. That looks like a large wound which may not be able to be closed with primary closure (stitching it up). I would clean it thoroughly with iodine and bandage the leg for 1-3 weeks. You're going to need to change the bandages every day initially, then every 2-3 days. until its healed. If it doesn't become infected it may close on its own, but there is also a good chance that it may not. Your bandaging material should include a non-adhesive gauze pad, cotton wrap, roll gauze, and CoFlex or Coban wrap. All of which you can pick up at your pharmacy. Make sure the leg is completely dry before applying the bandage. Your bandage should incorporate from the toes to below the knee. Key points, clean the wound prior to bandaging the first time only, make sure the leg is dry prior to bandage, keep the bandage clean and dry, change the bandage every 2-3 days, make sure the bandage is not too tight. You may use some neosporin around the wound edges only. Best of luck, hope this helps.

It sounds like her cut may have become infected and is causing more problems. Try to keep the wound as clean as possible for now and plan on taking her to the vet as soon as you can. She may need to have the wound stitched closed and will probably need some antibiotics and pain medication. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Typically puncture wounds are not closed surgically. Splints are only put on legs and they would only splint a leg if it was broken. Yes, you can clip/shave that hair from around the wound. I would need to know the name of the product you are using - I cannot enlarge or read the ingredients. The best product to use on this type of wound is Vetericyn. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-wound-and-skin-care-for-dogs You will also need to keep her from licking that spot until it is healed so it is best to get her a cone to wear. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-e-collar Start the antibiotics as soon as you can get them.