Female Mixed-Breed Dog (Belle) Age 7 Keeps Getting Hurt!!
Published on: July 14, 2022 • By: BellesDogOwner · In Forum: Dogs
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Author
Topic
BellesDogOwner
Participant
July 14, 2022 at 12:37am
Hello!
I have a dog, Belle, and she keeps getting oval-shaped wounds. She has gotten two or three on her side, and now has one on her leg, as of this afternoon. She always gets them while she's outside. We have removed any things that may cause her to be wounded, and they always heal well, but I'm not sure how to stop her from getting hurt again.
The band-aid keeps falling off, so I'm also wondering how to keep her from licking the wound and how to keep it safe from pathogens. Any suggestions for good band-aids for dogs?
She has an underbite, so I've wondered if it might have something to do with her tooth nicking her skin. I'm not sure. We also have two other dogs, but they are very unlikely to have caused a wound like this, as one is very calm and the other is about half her size.
Here is a picture of her wound *BLOOD WARNING*
Hello! My first thought was whether seeds e.g. grass seeds, fox-tails, cutters etc were entering the skin and then finding their way out again, but when I zoom in on the picture - which doesn't have an obvious scale - I wonder if the wound isn't too big for that. Whatever the cause, the problem here is that the opposing edges of the wound are gaping and trying to curl off in different directions, so this may be unlikely to heal by first intention if left alone. Further, because of the licking, infection may be quite a high risk. Therefore, a veterinary assessment would be a good idea in this case. Antibiotics may be necessary; suturing may (less likely) be necessary; the cause may need to be identified and protective / preventative measures may need to be taken. Furthermore, the licking may need to be stopped as this can prove as damaging as the initial insult if not more so; it sounds as though there is a conversation to be had about how to prevent it (and also how to provide sufficient pain relief that the act of preventing licking is a positive one and not mild torture!) Best of luck and we look forward to hearing how you get on.
However, there are many different ways to approach a wound and your vet will consider all of the factors, not just a few in isolation, so they will be the best fountain of advice.