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.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Crozet Gazette. Columns Gazette Vet. Gazette Vet: Last Column. Gazette Vet: Home Fixes. Gazette Vet: Walking in the Woods. Gazette Vet: Heat Stressed Out. Please enter your comment! Please enter your name here. You have entered an incorrect email address! Sometimes, the cone collar can help. If it doesn't, then cover the stitches with gauze or bandages. Keep supervising your dog to make sure she's not scratching them.
Dirt and bacteria on the dog's nails can also infect the wound. Scratching and rubbing can also cause swelling. If the wound swells too much, it might cause the stitches to break. Make sure the wound and stitches are clean. Make sure the dog doesn't get muddy or get the incision dirty. This can cause infection or other complications. This means keeping him from going outside on his own or letting him roam around muddy or wooded areas. Don't use solutions like hydrogen peroxide or alcohol because it can harm the healing process.
You should change the dressing according to your vet's orders. Make sure the dog's bed is clean. Place a clean sheet or towel on the bed each night and replace it when it becomes even lightly soiled. Keep the wound and stitches dry. Do not bathe your dog during the recovery period. The incision and stitches shouldn't get wet. Moisture can encourage bacteria to multiply and cause an infection.
In addition, moisture softens the skin, which makes it a less effective barrier against infection. To keep the stitches and bandages dry when the dog goes outside, place a plastic bag or plastic cling wrap around the area when she goes outside.
Just remove it as soon as the dog comes back inside. Monitor the stitches. If there are no bandages, then look at the stitches a couple of times a day. This helps you notice changes or infections. This is very important for the healing of your dog. You may see some bruising around the incision, and the incision might be slightly redder than the skin around it.
Minor seepage, like a drop of clear or blood-stained fluid, may occur. However, if you notice abnormal swelling, steady seepage, thick discharge, or yellow-green discharge, contact your vet. Look for any swelling, heated skin, odor, discharge, irritation, or new damage.
Cover the incision. If you can't keep the dog from licking or touching the stitches, you can cover the stitches. If the stitches are on the dog's torso, try putting a t-shirt on him. Make sure it's cotton, so it will breathe. Just make sure the t-shirt fits the dog and isn't too large or too tight.
You can tie the shirt to keep it from moving up the dog's torso. You can also use the EMT gel it is handy to have around it is like the medical glue that they use to close wounds. I keep it in my antenna case. I am a proud to be a Sheep dog. Previous Topic Index Next Topic. Print Topic Switch to Threaded Mode.
Search Predator Masters. Active Topics. Active Posts. Unanswered Posts. You are not logged in. Tips, pics advice. Page 1 of 3. Topic Options. I agree, lots of good info. I'll do it. Previous Topic. Next Topic. Print Topic. Switch to Threaded Mode.
View profile. Send a PM. Add to your Watched Users. It fills in any empty space below the skin edges and gives the skin something to close over. Next the wound contracts; the body pulls the skin edges closer together, narrowing the gap the skin cells will need to bridge. The last step in the healing process is epithelialization — the migration of the skin cells across the granulation tissue that creates new skin we call a scar.
Contrary to what your great-great-great-great grandmother may have told you, scar tissue is not stronger than normal tissue. So the goal with wound repair is to reduce the amount of new skin the body is forced to create.
We want to keep that gap as small as possible, making it as easy as possible for the contraction phase to occur. The body still has to do all the heavy lifting. As a general rule, sutures make it so there is less granulation and contraction that the body needs to do.
Basically, by suturing, we are turning a big or biggish wound into a smaller, narrower one. However, there are times when suturing a wound is as bad an idea as the plaid polyester pant suit. Remember our friends the macrophages?
With heavily contaminated wounds or wounds with lots of dead or traumatized tissue i. That means, lots of pus. So, closing these wounds is often not the best plan since what do we call a closed pocket of pus?
Remember, suturing a wound involves pulling the two edges closer together. Tension depends on several things besides just the acreage of the wound. Like real estate, ease of wound closure is all about location, location, location.
Areas with lots of motion — across or near joints, for instance, put high tension on the wound edges. Think about how long it takes a paper cut across your knuckle to heal compared to one on the pad of your thumb. Areas without much extra skin, such as the lower leg compared to the neck or shoulder, also make suturing a challenge — sort of like fighting your partner for bed covers.
Too much tension has the same effect on the suture line and tissue edges as overstuffing a soft-sided suitcase has on the zipper and surrounding seams.
0コメント