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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Dealing with a bad cut in a dog?

12 replies

DooinMeCleanin · 02/02/2011 01:02

Cat-dog has a cut her leg. I'm not sure how, I was at work. Dh just noticed it and doesn't know how it happened.

It's quite a wide cut - the skin has pulled apart. There is not a lot of blood.

The emergency vet will cost £120 for an appointment, plus £80 taxi fare there. I don't physically have access to £200+. Emergency vet will not wait for insurers to pay out and nor would a taxi firm.

I have pulled the skin together with a plaster and the cut is covered to stop any dirt getting in and made sure there is nothing in the cut. I have no idea if this is the right thing to do? I know it is what you do for people. Is it okay for dogs?

I have access to money in the morning and she will at the vets asap as I think she might need stitches.

She was refusing to walk, but now seems happy to follow me about, but she won't put weight on her leg.

OP posts:

TwoJackRussellsdefrosting · 02/02/2011 06:46

I'm not a vet, but grew up on a farm and that sounds like the kind of thing we would do with our dogs, so long as the edges of the cut are brought close by the plaster and you can get her to the vets in the morning, but am sure someone else might be along soon with professional advice.

Hope she gets better soon!

Original poster

DooinMeCleanin · 02/02/2011 09:41

We are waiting for the vets to ring back with a rough upper price. All money is in a card only account so I need to know how much to draw out.

They seem to think we have done the right thing wrt the plaster. If she needs stitches she might need to be knocked out for it poor dog.

She is much happier this morning, but still won't put any weight on it.

OP posts:

PurpleFrog · 02/02/2011 10:14

I hope she is OK.

Our pup had an incident with another dog at the weekend which resulted in a cut on his ear. By the time he came home with dd he was covered in blood from shaking his head. It looked much, much worse than it really was, thank goodness, and we didn't need to visit the vets.

But it did make me think, what first aid stuff should I have in stock for the dog? I have all the usual human stuff - plasters, cotton wool, crepe bandages, antiseptic wipes etc, but is there anything special I should get for the pup?

Original poster

DooinMeCleanin · 02/02/2011 10:46

Aww. She has to stay in for the day to be stitched

They say I definately did the right thing dressing it with the plaster, if it had dried up or got infected they wouldn't have been able to stitch it and that would have caused a lot of problems.

OP posts:

PurpleFrog · 02/02/2011 11:02

Oh!

Will she have to get a "lampshade" as well?

Original poster

DooinMeCleanin · 02/02/2011 11:10

They will try bandaging it first bless her. She kept her plaster on so I think a bandage should be fine.

OP posts:

midori1999 · 02/02/2011 11:10

Having taken a dog to the vets for a similar cut (needed stitching) they just cleaned it out well and covered it with some clean gauze and a vet wrap bandage with instructions to keep it dry.

I hope she is OK, ours came back from the general like she'd been out for a nice walk that wasn't quite long enough! DH then put her in the other room for peace an dquiet without the lampshade on (not sure why he thought that vet gave it to him!) and she chewed out the stitches, so we had to take her back next morning...

bumpybecky · 02/02/2011 11:23

poor thing :(

our dog was OK the time she needed a bandage on her foot (cut bottom of paw treading on broken glass) but she needed to have a look and a lick whenever we changed the dressing. The one time we didn't let her she ripped the whole lot off!

hope your dog heals quickly :)

Original poster

DooinMeCleanin · 02/02/2011 16:33

She is back, sporting a fetching green bandage but no lampshade collar.

She is very wobbly and miserable so I have put fresh bedding in her crate and left her to rest. Devil Dog is being mointored closely as he keeps trying to sniff her through her crate and she is getting upset with him.

I still have no idea what she has cut herself on. The vet says it is not a bite so it's not fat cat or devil dog.

I have hunted high and low for sharp things and cannot find anything, bar one can of cola and I don't think her foot is think enough to fit into a can top.

I have Dh searching and cleaning the yard now. I feel so bad that I don't even know how she has hurt herself.

The vet seemed a bit when I said I didn't know what had happened. I am half expecting the RSPCA to turn up [paranoid and guilty emoticon]

I am off to throughly clean house and yard and hnt even more for sharp things.

OP posts:

midori1999 · 02/02/2011 17:28

I hope she recovers quickly, I'm sure she'll be fine.

Can I ask what makes the vet so sure it isn't a bite? Ours was a bite, but having seen ohter bite injuries, you'd really never have known, it was just a straight cut about an inch or so long. It looked like she's caught herself on something walking past. It had happened during a fight though, although it was a case of getting 'accidentally' caught with a tooth than a deliberate bite as such.

Original poster

DooinMeCleanin · 02/02/2011 17:45

She never said why she thought it wasn't a bite. I had thought at first it was a bite as she has a graze on the front of her leg opposite where the cut is as if she has been caught on both sides at once.

They do chase and play quite roughly at times, so biting was my first thought.

OP posts:

Original poster

DooinMeCleanin · 02/02/2011 23:42

She is lots brighter now. She came out of her crate at about 7ish and has had some fish and rice.

She is also walking now, although she still cannot jump onto the sofa becausesheislazy poor doggy.

She is still snarling at devil dog if he tries to play, but he is paying attention to her and leaves her alone. Fat cat is her bbf again.

Thinking about last night there was the usual scuffle between all three of them to get to the door to greet me first and she was walking and bouncing just fine then, so I think it must have happened during the scuffle, although I didn't hear her cry and she squealed like a banshee when I covered the cut with the plaster. I have checked the hallway again and still cannot see anything sharp.

OP posts:

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