My dog has a large open leg wound after cancer surgery. What to do?

I would take Knuckles back to see the surgeon. It may be stitchable in a different way, or the wound could heal by 2nd intention but this would require regular dressing. There is the option of a skin graft but this would depend on the wound and may need to be referred.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the pictures, it does appear that this is a sizable hole. Unfortunately, when dealing with cancer cells, anytime a cancerous mass is removed this is a possible complication. Flushing the area may help this heal faster or this may not heal well at all due to the cancerous nature of the area. I would say that if this is not looking like it is developing healthy tissue within a week of flushing and caring for the open wound, I would recommend having this closed with stitches again. I would have the veterinarian check the wound every 3 days to monitor it's progression. This area is hard to bandage and most likely a bandage would not stay in place in this area. I would leave this exposed to the air so it heals better. When she goes to sleep at night, I would put a shirt around her or a pair of boxer shorts to keep it protected. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Usually these wounds are best managed with a "wet to dry" bandage method. This is a process where a sterile, moist dressing (usually using sterile saline) is applied directly against the wound, and then dry bandage material is placed over it, and the dressing is then secured in place often with a tie over bandage. This type of bandage should be changed daily. Once a good bed of what we call "granulation tissue" has developed (as in the second picture), and the skin edges are close enough to close, then the skin edges can be brought together and closed. Depending on the individual and on the size of the wound, this can take anywhere from a couple of days, to a week or more. I hope that is helpful for you, if you have any specific questions about Jack's case, feel free to request a consultation. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This should be seen and examined by a veterinarian. This could be an infected hotspot, an ulcerated tumor or another skin condition that needs veterinary attention. Since it looks infected I would definitely make an appointment for the next few days. Depending on the diagnosis your vet will prescribe medications or suggest removal of the mass. This is a tricky spot for mass removal, as there is very little skin available to close the wound, so it will likely take a few weeks to months to heal after surgery.

Hi there and thanks for posting. I am sorry to hear the wound doesn't look like it is healing well. Bruno may need the wound bandaged and/or given antibiotics. Sometimes if a wound is red and swollen it means it may be infected. I would recommend asking Bruno's veterinarian to take a look at the wound and see if antibiotics may be an option for Bruno to help it heal.

You can loosely bandage it with a gauze bandage. Make sure the bandage does not cut of blood flow to the lower leg. You could also wrap the leg in a towel and then tape the towel so it stays on. You can also get some Yunnan Baiyao powder and sprinkle it on the ulcer to stop the bleeding. This should be available from a chinese herb shop, organic shops and even your pharmacy.

Hello, I am so sorry for you poor Xena, but there is nothing topical that you will have at home that will have any effect on cancer cells. Until you can have her seen by your veterinarian, I would bandage up the leg to prevent further trauma & self-mutilation. You might want to try using Manuka Honey under the dressing to help dry out the lesion & act as a natural antibiotic. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.