When to Always Visit the Vet
Please remember this is only a partial list. When in doubt, call your veterinarian’s office or local emergency clinic. For more information about specific health conditions please check our Holistic Healthcare Library.
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When to Take Your Dog to the Vet
Even if it’s just a minor cut, you should deal with it promptly to prevent the chance of infection from setting in. Waiting too long can increase the risk of infection and may require the need for a round of antibiotics prescribed by your vet.
When attending to your dog’s wound, make sure to observe proper precautions as your pet may act aggressively if painful or scared. It’s a good idea to have an assistant to help restrain your dog. A muzzle may also come in handy.
Some types of injuries require prompt veterinary attention and should not be treated at home. If your dog has any of the following injuries, you should call your vet for advice. You may be instructed to bring your pet in immediately.
1. Penetrating wounds – Common examples include a deep laceration or bite wound in which the skin has been fully punctured.
2. Wounds that involve sensitive or large portions of the body.
3. A wound that is inflamed and pus is visible.
4. A wound that is bleeding profusely or hasn’t stopped bleeding after 10 minutes.
6. When there is an object, such as broken glass, in the wound
7. If a minor cut or graze isn’t healing quickly or appears to be infected.
8. If a dog’s paw or joint appears bruised and swollen.
Pet owners should have supplies for wound care on hand. A pet emergency kit should include the following:
Blood loss can increase your pet’s risk of going into shock or even death. If your pet’s wound is bleeding heavily, find where the blood is coming from and apply a temporary bandage or a clean cloth to exert pressure and limit the bleeding. If there is a piece of glass or object embedded in the wound, don’t try to remove it. You may rinse any dirt out of the wound but be careful not to inflict unnecessary pain.
Next, contact your vet so you will be instructed what to do next and if there is a need for an emergency appointment.
Avoid removing the bandage to see if the bleeding has stopped. This can disturb any clot which can cause the bleeding to start again.
If there is a need to move your pet, do so carefully without touching the wound.
Many cuts need to be sutured closed. For dogs who are calm we can do this in the office with no sedation, just a local block and a few staples or stitches. However many dogs need to be sedated because they are too scared, wild, or painful.
Superficial cuts and scrapes can usually be treated at home. Think of these as the “skinned knees and elbows”—not really a cut, but more an abrasion of skin. Just like cleaning your kid’s knee, treating your dog’s scrape is not very different, except that he is very hairy!! So, steps in taking care of these simple wounds:
Get your pets out there and enjoy our area this summer, but when the inevitable accidents happen, simply ask what you would do if it was your own skin. That will usually guide you to the right action.
Deeper cuts should be dealt with by your vet, ideally that day. There are many deeper cuts that we see that we don’t sew up—if the skin edges are close enough and there is not a lot of motion or skin tension, we may just clean it out and let it heal on its own. The key decision with these is whether it is deep enough to warrant an antibiotic or not. Remember, every wound is contaminated. If cleaned thoroughly within a few hours and if not too deep, it may not need antibiotics. However if not dealt with for over 4 hours, if deep, or if difficult to clean all the debris out of it, it may need some vet care for proper cleaning and antibiotics to keep it from getting infected.
• Only bandage if you need to. Bandages need to be placed with care—if too tight, they can cause swelling and tissue damage. If left on more than 12-24 hours on a new wound, they are just becoming a cozy home for bacteria to fester in.
Small Cut on a Dog Repaired With Glue
You can treat minor pets wounds at home since not every scrape or injury requires pet emergency care. Our pets will occasionally experience a cut, abrasion, or other minor wound. Dogs especially have more of these instances, since they are more rambunctious than their feline counterparts. The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is here to help explain the right way to treat minor pet wounds at home with pet first aid.