Wound Care
At times in a dog's life, injuries will happen and we as owners will need to take action and care for these injuries. Some of the most common injuries are lacerations, puncture wounds, abscesses and broken toe nails. This discussion will teach you how to provide primary care for a wound and discuss when you have to see your pet's veterinarian.
Technically speaking a wound is a break in the normal architecture of the surface of the skin. This disruption allows for loss of fluid (bleeding, oozing), introduction of bacteria and other contaminants, and inflammation (redness, heat and swelling). Skin is an amazing and tremendously large organ system. A disruption in this system can be very simple or life threatening depending on the size of the wound and the amount of contamination. An abrasion is a superficial disruption in the surface of the skin. Abrasions are very painful since many nerve endings are exposed to air, but tend to have minimal blood loss. Lacerations are deep cuts in the skin. These can cause significant hemorrhage (bleeding) since deeper blood vessels can be disrupted. Puncture wounds are small but deep injuries to the skin. Punctures cause minimal blood lose but have higher incidence of infection rates. Abscesses are large pockets of infection below the skin which can occur from lacerations and puncture wounds. These can be very dangerous to a pet and in some cases can be life threatening.
Abrasions can be treated simply by cleaning the wound with an antiseptic. Common antiseptics include hydrogen peroxide, witch hazel, and simply water can be effective. Do not use alcohol, it will burn tissues! If a pet begins licking at the wound the pet should be prevented from doing this because licking can further traumatize the area. This type of wound should heal within a week's time. Lacerations and puncture wounds should be initially cleaned and bandaged if bleeding is occurring and then they should be evaluated by a veterinarian. The veterinarian needs to control bleeding, possibly suture deep wounds and treat the pet with antibiotics. The more time passes between the time of the injury and the veterinary evaluation the more difficult it is for the veterinarian to treat. Fresh wounds are easier to treat, have less swelling to contend with and generally heal better. The sooner antibiotics are in the blood stream the more the controlled the bacterial infection and therefore less complications in the healing process.
Abscesses usually occur days after the initial injury since it takes time for infection to build up under the skin. Sometimes this occurs when an owner did not see an injury occur. Many dogs can get a puncture wound running around the yard or in a feild or wooded area. If you see a painful swelling on your dog veterinary advice is imperative. This type of injury needs surgical intervention with drain placement to allow the infection to drain out of the body. Antibiotics are also imperative since an abscess can cause a systemic infection and severe consequences.
Broken toe nail is a very common injury dogs can suffer. Unfortunately it can be extremely painful and also tends to bleed a lot. A dog's toe nail is a complex structure. It is composed of a hard keratin outer covering with nerve and blood supply underlying. When a dog breaks a nail it will bleed until a cautery agent is applied. The styptic powder found in styptic pencils, are readily available cautery agents. A broken toe nail that hasn't actually fallen off, acts as a hang nail, and is extremely painful causing most dogs to limp significantly. This broken part of the nail needs to by cut off and cauterized in order to relieve the intense pain. Many dogs with broken toe nails need to be seen by a veterinarian. These dogs may require some pain management (systemic sedation - vs - local anesthesia) in order to have the nail treated. The worst type of broken toe nail is called an avulsed toe nail. This is when the nail is actually pulled off. This type is also extremely painful and tends to bleed a lot. Veterinarians will cauterize the nail bed. Sometimes this nail will not grow back or if it does grow back the new nail may be deformed.
Primary care that owners can perform for their pet's wounds involves cleaning the wound and controlling hemorrhage (bleeding). If a wound is deep, or the bleeding is difficult to control, owners should seek veterinary advice as soon as possible. The sooner the wound is treated the better and faster the wound will heal. If your dog suffers a broken toenail, get some help to hold the dog and try to apply a styptic agent. If the bleeding does not stop or the dog has continued pain seek veterinary help.
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Dr. Ellen Leonhardt
Animal General
East Norwich
(516) 624-7500
THIS SITE PROVIDES INFORMATION, NOT MEDICAL ADVICE
Information on this web site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your veterinarian or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this web site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. You should always speak with your veterinarian before giving any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement to your dog, or adopting any treatment for a health problem. For any products or services purchased from this web site, you should read carefully all product packaging and instructions.
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