matt241075 12 Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 hi all i went out ferreting on sunday and my dog cut the inside of his leg on some barbed wire. the cut itself is only to the skin no mussle damage at all. i took him to the vet today and he said to stich up the wound it would be £300!!!!!!!! he said the next option would be to leave it to heal naturally and just keep it clean but it would take a while. i opted for this and got a 2 week course of antibiotics with some cleaning solution. £300 for stiches there make it impossible to treat our dogs. Any advise would be a great help.. thanks matt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
riohog 5,907 Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 hi all i went out ferreting on sunday and my dog cut the inside of his leg on some barbed wire. the cut itself is only to the skin no mussle damage at all. i took him to the vet today and he said to stich up the wound it would be £300!!!!!!!! he said the next option would be to leave it to heal naturally and just keep it clean but it would take a while. i opted for this and got a 2 week course of antibiotics with some cleaning solution. £300 for stiches there make it impossible to treat our dogs. Any advise would be a great help.. thanks matt all i will say is an open wound is a timebomb for infection .. !!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
socks 32,253 Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 you obviously cant stitch so what i would do is smear the wound with manuka honey get a pot with a rating of at least 10 cover and change the dressing and re apply the honey evry 3 days ... the wound will heal very quickly ........ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bullterrier Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 get yourself some dog insurance mate.. .john Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chid 6,782 Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 Learn how to stitch . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skycat 6,174 Posted October 12, 2010 Report Share Posted October 12, 2010 Without seeing a photo of the wound it is impossible to say whether or not it should be stitched. Most skin only tears will heal by themselves eventually but first ask yourself the following questions: Do you know enough to know what to look for if the wound gets infected? Do you know what to do if the wound gets infected? I have seen large skin tears heal very well indeed, but the owners knew what they were doing and the wounds were in places were scar tissue wouldn't cause a problem with the dog's mobility. Follow Socks' advice anyway and keep the wound very clean. Any sign of pus, discoloured tissue (brown, green, black, purple, dark red) means infection, likewise a bad smell. Once granulation is covering the wound well then allow the dog to keep it clean and whatever you do DO NOT use wound powder to dry it up. Large skin tears need to stay moist until the area of raw tissue is no bigger than a 10 pence coin or they can seal in infection, cause irritation to the dog and delay healing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sandymere 8,263 Posted October 13, 2010 Report Share Posted October 13, 2010 (edited) Your vet is the best source of advice but from a layman's prospective based on your description of the wound being a skin tear. I'd say that in a perfect world the great majority of wounds would be closed to increase the speed of healing, reduce the risk of secondary infection, minimise longer term scaring and reduce the extent of discomfort but occasionally wounds are left to heal without closure. There are a number of methods and dressing to aid the healing process, including gells/suger solutions such as honey, but they are problematic to use with dogs and at their best with deep and or chronic wounds. A moist wound will heal quicker than a dry one so keeping it covered is likely to aid this and if gel type dressings aren't available I would personally try a non adherent dressing that could probably be purchased from most large pharmacies. Clean the wound with saline or water then cover with the dressing, making sure the none sticky side is next to the wound, repeat as vets suggests is necessary. New granulating tissue is a red shiny color and its presence if a good sign, on a dressed wound it should form over the whole surface area, in a wound that is not dressed and cleaned by the dog itself the tissue may only form around the edges and takes a little longer to heal. With new granulation the sides will slowly pull together until there is full wound closure. Try not to damage the new tissue with excessive cleaning. Becoming dark, smelly and or lots of muck coming out are all warning signs and mean back to vets. Healthy dogs heal well and if the vet is happy for the wound to be left then one should expect a reasonable chance of there being a good outcome but there will always be a greater risk of complications with an open skin tear against a closed one. Most dogs will quickly remove wound dressings and some dogs will worry a wound and make it worse so a bumper collar or the like to restrict access is a good idea Healthy granulation The best advice is to understand that working dogs get injured and either live near a PDSA or you need to get insurance or start a fund in readiness for future vets bills because they will definitely come and if you cannot afford to treat a working dog you shouldnt own one. Edited October 13, 2010 by sandymere Quote Link to post Share on other sites
matt241075 12 Posted October 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 thanks for the advise,does that mean i should`t have anymore kids if i cant afford private treatment????? thanks matt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skinner 348 Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 thanks for the advise,does that mean i should`t have anymore kids if i cant afford private treatment????? thanks matt well said mate. feck the vets they take piss Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SNAP SHOT 194 Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 HI mate, If the wound isn't to open, and its healing naturally well, and your dog is on a course of antibiotics, also get a mastitis tube or two from a local farmer, these contain antibiotics, put gloves on and apply to the wound in the morning and evening, ITs not a do it all cure, but helps loads... Snap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
the lamping ferreter 160 Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 leave it open to heal mate just put a bit of purple spry on a leave it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
the lamping ferreter 160 Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 leave it open to heal mate just put a bit of purple spry on a leave it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sandymere 8,263 Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 thanks for the advise,does that mean i should`t have anymore kids if i cant afford private treatment????? thanks matt No we have the NHS for people but I don't think that covers dogs so either you pay or the dogs go without treatment. Purple spray won't help and may even slow healing! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Malt 379 Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 £300 sounds bloody expensive for a few stitches. I paid £110 to have both my lurcher's dew claws off at my vets, and that covered anaesthetic, medicine, the procedure & a consultation fee from the previous day. I'd shop around for a new vet... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiff 36 Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 you should put a pic of the tear up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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