How can I treat an infected dog wound at home? Expert Advice

When to Take Your Dog to the Vet

These types of injuries should be treated by a veterinarian and not at home:

Any injury that fully penetrates the skin (a bite wound or deep laceration, for example)

Any injury that involves a large portion of the body (or an especially sensitive area)

An injury where pus is visible or the skin around your dog’s wound is red and puffy

Even minor wounds should be dealt with promptly, before infection has a chance to set in. If you wait too long, infection can spread and your veterinarian will probably need to prescribe antibiotics to prevent the infection from spreading even further.

If you have any doubts as to the severity of your pet’s injury, play it safe and make an appointment with your veterinarian. And only attempt wound care at home if you are confident that a pet will not react aggressively to the procedure.

Recruit an assistant to help with restraint, and use a muzzle if necessary.

What is a wound?

A wound is an injury causing damage to the skin and/or the underlying tissues. It can be an open wound, such as a cut, or a closed wound, such as a contusion or bruise.

If you’ve decided that the wound is minor, you can use some simple solutions at home to clean it safely and effectively.

A saline solution seems to be the winner amongst most veterinarian advice, as not only is it easy and affordable, but it can be made so that it is of a similar osmosity to body tissue. To prepare, mix 1 cup of boiling water with ½ teaspoon of salt and stir until fully dissolved. Important! Let it cool before washing the wound. It’s especially helpful to wash the wound repeatedly. You can use a syringe to do this. Not only does this disinfect the wound, but repeated washing clears away possible debris from the environment. Make sure you make a new solution with each use, as bacteria can collect in the water.

A common skin disinfectant, chlorhexidine is known to kill the types of bacteria and yeast that commonly lead to infections in dog wounds. You can use a 2% or 4% solution, though a lower concentration is the safer route. Â

Using hydrogen peroxide on dogs is somewhat controversial because if it is too concentrated, it can damage tissues. However, any solution with a high concentration, even a saline one, will cause unnecessary pain. This is why it’s important to create a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution for cleaning a wound. For each part of 3% hydrogen peroxide, use 3 parts water. So for example, you could mix one tablespoon of 3% strength hydrogen peroxide with 3 tablespoons of water, to keep it simple.

Did you know that you can sprinkle turmeric on your dog’s food for internal benefits like treating sore joints and arthritis, aiding digestion, and even detoxifying the liver? In the discussion of wound healing, though, a turmeric paste for topical application can serve as an anti-inflammatory agent, reducing pain and swelling, and also act as a disinfectant. You can create a paste by mixing ¼ cup turmeric and ½ cup of water in a saucepan and stirring on low heat for several minutes until combined. Then allow it to cool and thicken before applying, and store it in the fridge. If you add a bit of raw honey, you can ramp up this mixture’s anti-microbial benefits.

Turmeric paste can serve as an anti-inflammatory home remedy for your dogs wounds. Photo Courtesy of

Any minor wound that your dog sustains can be cleaned and encouraged to heal and mend with the application of a strongly brewed herbal tea. This tea solution is useful because it can be applied to the wound as a wash, a spray, a rinse, or even a compress.

To brew an herbal tea rinse to cleanse or treat your puppy’s wound you just need some dried or fresh herbal tea. It’s best to find an herb or tea that has natural healing properties such as Chamomile or St. John’s Wort. You just need to use 2 teaspoons of the dried, or fresh herb per cup of boiling water. Add the herb or the tea to the boiling water and allow it to steep for the recommended length of time. Be sure to refrigerate the mixture first. If its too hot it can burn your dog and actually make the wound worse. After its at the appropriate temperature simply apply it as needed.

Vinegar, in particular apple cider vinegar, has long been used for first aid. Vinegar has been used to treat minor dog wounds because not only does it have the ability to disinfect the area, and wash away unwanted fur and debris, it also has a soothing effect on the dogs coat. On top of adding some shine to your dog’s coat, vinegar can also help relieve itchy skin around the wound. Apple cider vinegar is even more efficient because it will keep fleas and ticks away from your dogs open wound which they will obviously appreciate.

To create a vinegar rinse for your doggy simply add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to one quart of water. Allow the mixture time to mix or give it a shake or stir depending on the container. Once the mixture is ready to go, simply apply it to the area around your dog’s wound. There’s no need to dry the solution away, simply allow it to air dry to get the best results from the solution.

Abscess and Bite Wounds: Treating At Home

Dogs are naturally curious, physical, and exuberant, and while we love this about them, these characteristics can also lead to unintentional injuries. These can run the gamut from very minor to severe and life-threatening. How do you know the difference? When is it time to consult a veterinarian and when can you manage a wound at home? Here are some steps for assessing wounds and treating them.