Will my dogs cut heal on its own? Find Out Here

Why are some wounds left open?

Sometimes, the location or the amount of skin loss prevents surgical closure or bandaging (wounds on the face or high up on the leg). Puncture wounds or other trauma can force bacteria deep into the tissues. A contaminated wound that is more than a few hours old should never be closed without surgical debridement (removal of all contaminated or dead tissue), and in some cases, this may result in more permanent damage than treating the wound medically and leaving it open to heal.

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 the wound is not small or easy to clean…

But sometimes things just don’t go as easily as we want them to. In the scenario above, your dog gets a small cut that easy to see and clean. It should heal quickly and there is a low risk of infection. However, sometimes dogs get wounds that are a little trickier to treat, and come with a higher risk of possible infection.

  • Bite wounds. All bite wounds should be evaluated by a vet– regardless if the dog was bitten by a stranger or another one of your own dogs. This is especially true if the bite came from a wild animal like a raccoon, squirrel, or snake. Bite wounds come from teeth, and teeth are full of bacteria. There is also a rabies risk if it was a wild animal, and there could be more trauma going on below the bite mark that untrained eyes cannot see.
  • Unknown source of the wound. If your dog comes in from the yard or dog park and has a wound that you don’t know how it got there– this should be taken for closer observation at the vet. Sometimes sticks or other sharp objects can become embedded within their skin, causing an increased risk of infection.
  • Large wounds. If you dog was in a fight with another dog and sustained some larger wounds– as well as bite marks– you’ll need to get them to the vet ASAP. If the wounds appear in the chest or abdomen, this is another signal that this might be more serious than it looks and could possibly come with an infection down the road.
  • Knowing the difference between the types wounds your dog might receive is very important for pet parents. There are low level risk cuts that are small and clean– but there are also large, irregular ones that may or may not also include bites– these pose a much higher risk of infection.

    Will my dogs cut heal on its own?

    If your dog sustained a high risk for infection injury, every owner should be aware of some symptoms that the wound has started to become infected. If you think your dog has an abscess wound be prepared to look for these signs:

    Treating Open Wounds on Your Dog – PET | TAO Holistic Pet Products