If you don’t have a first aid kit handy, you can use an article of clothing like a cotton t-shirt, diaper, or maxi pad to create a compress and press it against the wound with sufficient pressure to stop the bleeding. After 5 minutes, cautiously lift the compress up. If the bleeding starts again, replace the pad and hold it in place until you arrive at the vet clinic. [1] X Research source Trauma Management in the Dog and Cat. Houlton & Taylor. Publisher Wright. Use a cotton t-shirt rather than a wool sweater or anything fuzzy, as fibers from these materials can get into the wound.
If you can see a wound over your dog’s ribs, place a pad (a sterile gauze swab or a folded cotton t-shirt) over the wound and either hold it there, or secure it in place with a tie or belt, tied around the dog’s chest. You are trying to seal off the hole to prevent air from entering your dog’s chest and causing his lungs to collapse.
Use 16 ounces of previously boiled water and stir in one teaspoon of salt. Allow the solution to cool to body temperature and then soak cotton wool in the salt water, and use it to clean your dog’s injuries. If you do not have access to sterile saline or time to make a salt water solution and your dog’s wound warrants a trip to the vet, don’t worry about this step. Your vet will be sure to thoroughly flush the area.
Keep the blades parallel to the dog’s skin, and look carefully to make sure you are not about to snip any skin. You may want to keep the scissors a fraction of an inch above the dog’s skin to prevent accidental injury. Curved scissors help you to avoid accidental snips because the blade curves away from the skin. You can improvise with a pair of nail scissors if you do not have curved scissors. If you use a small pair of regular scissors, work with the tips rather than the whole blade for finer control.
If you do not have access to a first aid kit with saline, you can make a salt water solution. Use 16 ounces of previously boiled water and stir in one teaspoon of salt. Allow the solution to cool to body temperature and then soak cotton wool in the salt water, and use it to clean the injuries.
If you cannot get someone to assist you, use a tie or cord as a muzzle. To do this, wind the tie around and around his muzzle with his mouth shut, and then tie the ends on themselves. [5] X Research source BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing. Cooper & Moulineux. BSAVA Publications.
Dead Space occurs when the skin is wrenched away from the underlying tissues and is no longer attached. This forms a pocket, into which seepage of serum, or pus, can prevent healing. Dead Space may need surgical attention to tack it down, in order for the wound to heal. [6] X Research source BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing. Cooper & Moulineux. BSAVA Publications.
Check the scabbed area every day to ensure it is dry and there is no pus present. Daily bathing with a cotton wool ball soaked in saline helps to keep the area clean and reduce the risk of infection. If the area starts to swell, or pus is discharging from the wound, consult with your vet.
Your veterinarian freshens the wound edges to provide a healthy healing surface and then places sutures. These stay in place for 10-14 days and can be removed without sedation, since it is a non painful procedure to snip the suture and pull it out. Check the sutures every day to make sure the area is dry, there is no pus discharge and it is not swollen. If the wound gets muddy, keep it clean by gently bathing it with cotton wool soaked in salty water. Make sure your dog can not lick at the wound, which may mean covering the wound with a T-shirt or putting a buster collar on the dog. If the wound becomes red, swollen, or there is a pus discharge, check in with your vet.
This medication will come as a liquid and should be given with or after food in order to reduce the risk of gastric ulceration. The dose is 0. 1mg/kg given orally once a day. A typical dose is 1 milliliter (0. 034 fl oz) of meloxicam (1. 5mg/ml strength) for each 15 kg of body weight. [8] X Research source Meloxicam. Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook. Loc 44684. Only give pain relievers that are prescribed for dogs by your veterinarian. Some pain medications can be deadly for pets.
A broad spectrum antibiotic like a potentiated amoxycillin can work against the bugs commonly found in a dog’s mouth. This antibiotic acts by interfering with the bacterial metabolism and also disrupts their cell membrane. A typical dose is 12. 5mg/kg twice a day orally for 5-7 days. So, for example, a 20 kg dog takes a 250mg tablet twice a day. [9] X Research source Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid. Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook. Loc 4901t
