Is my dog's wound healing well? What to look for after a week?

This is a large and deep wound that should have been surgically closed. It is going to take a very long time to close on its own without surgery. You will have to keep it clean and prevent him from licking or rubbing it. Amoxicillin is not a very good antibiotic for preventing infection in a wound such as this. If it begins to have drainage, odor, etc. I would highly recommend getting a different and more appropriate antibiotic. I’m not sure how old the wound is, but it does look like you have kept it relatively clean. It would be a good idea to get the hair away from the wound edges if possible. This will probably require weeks of wound management in order for it to heal. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The wound looks dry and not swollen. A small amount of discharge (not pus) even clear blood, would be normal. If your dog is otherwise normal, eating and drinking ok and normal activity level and not painful, I would just monitor her at this stage and make sure she does not lick the wound and rest her as much as possible. A buster collar would be helpful in case of any licking.

The most important thing to do is stop his licking by using a cone. Then clean the wound with a warm damp cloth and apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. The skin discoloring is from licking. This should heal in a few days to a week once he leaves it alone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dog.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is very hard to say if the wound is infected or not without examining your dog in full. In general, infected wounds are discharging, smelly, hot and painful to touch. Many dogs with infected wounds are generally unwell. A visit at your local vets is recommended to assess the wound and decide on the best treatment for Oreo. I suspect he may be prescribed an antibiotic cream or ointment to speed up healing.

Excellent care and outcome!! Congratulations! I do not think there should be anything else you would be concern about, as I barely see it on the second picture! Just make sure you continue to treat it until it is completely resolved. 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.

In the picture, it looks ok. It will be hard to keep Mika from licking at it given its location, so just keep an eye on it for now. If there are signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus, warm to the touch), then she will need to see a vet. Best of luck.

Poor guy. Bite wounds often are left open in small areas to allow the infection to drain out before it then heals over by 2nd intention healing. I would only suggest covering this with a loose t-shirt for now. As long as there are no signs of infection (yellow or purulent discharge with a foul odor) and no large gaping openings (typically >2 cm), then it should be ok to wait until Monday to get him checked again by your vet. Based on the picture I don't see any majorly open wounds there. You can safely flush this area with sterile saline from your local pharmacy to help keep infection at bay since the wounds are slightly open. But again, dog bite woulds can be left often for the first few days to allow draining to occur before things heal up on their own with granulation tissue that the body will make itself. I do hope that Aussie's wounds heal up well soon! Best of luck moving forward and take care.