Yard fight: Now what?

Dogs got loose and into a bit of a tussle this morning. My boy got the skin ripped off his ear and a few punctures on his leg/shoulder, and my sister's dog got punctures/cuts on and around his ear.

No injuries are serious enough to warrant a trip the veterinarian's (where we would undoubtedly be ripped off), so we are just going to treat at them at home. We have Chlorhexl scrub and have been using that, which we've had a lot of success with previously. We also have some Clavamox left over from another dog, and we'll be treating both males with that.

Any other suggestions of how to keep the chance of infection down? Also, I attached a picture of my boy's ear; should I tape it (he keeps shaking his head) or just leave it alone to heal by itself?

 

Keep the wounds flushed and clean with bettadine medical scrub. If any punctures absess.Use a razor to pop. Squeeze out/drain absess and keep clean.Looks real minor should heal up fine. Use corona oil or nustock to prevent scarring.

 

Thanks Red. Where can I get that medical scrub? My mom is a nurse, she probably knows what it is though.

 

the ear can be stapled . the leg need to be cleaned . if you have a syringe take it and put peroxide in it and flush . then no mmore peroxide .

 

do not tape his ear. If he has any internal damage to the ear he will shake out the drainage.

 

Personally if it were me i would save the clavamox,it might come in handy if something more serious happened down the road.I would just keep it clean,and it will heal fine on its own.If your using the clavamox you don't need anything else for infection.

 

Hell you can get it at Wally World.

 

I would clean the ear out real well with diluted betadine. Then staple it shut. Otherwise everytime he shakes his head it will bust open. Then for the punctures use a syringe of the diluted betadine and put it in the hole and flush it out daily. Also hydro therapy works wonders as well.

Get he dogs on an antibiotic. If you can get Fish Flex (cephalexin) would be best. You do not want an infection. This very minor wounds. Should heal fine. However a round of antibiotics will prevent an infection.

 

the wounds aren't that serious. flush out the wounds and keep them clean. you can use an aerosol cut/wound spray and be fine. Might also want to put him on antibiotics just to be on the safe side.

 

you can get powdered ornacycline/tetracycline from about any major "pet" store; it's sold in the bird section. mix it in w/ their feed. i've used it on our jrts when they've gotten nicked up for 5 days after injury, never had any issues with infection.

edit - keep them separated, or invest in a better chain set-up. kennels or chain link, even a privacy fence won't keep them apart if they have a distaste for one another now. good luck.

 

Tough to tell from the pic is that ear wound is a candidate for stapling. Is the skin just gone? Might just have to clean it daily as suggested.

I am also a huge advocate of hydrotherapy. Get some chlorhexidine. You add a couple ounces to a gallon of the hottest water you can stand to put your hand in and hold it there. Dip a hand towel in it and leave it very wet. You want the liquid AND the heat for the wounds. Hold the towel on the wounds for 10-15 minutes. It's a small pain in the ass to do, but trust me it will do miracles for healing those wounds up, and keep them from getting infected. Do it at least twice daily. Three if you have the time.

A very experienced member on here taught me about it, and my vet also highly recommends it. Needless to say I've used it after yard accidents also with huge success. I swear by it.

 

Good lord, over kill you think guys, antibotics, flushing with medical supplies. A little water/ vinegar mixture, squirt it on it and the dog will be fine, not serious enough to go through all that seriously. Keep an eye on it of course but doping your dog on antibotic is working in reverse; so when there is a serious problem those antibotics might not work as good. Antibotics are used as a true fix to a problem not as first resort for no reason at all. This is not just bumping my gums, real talk. Boogieman is right also.

 

correct NAUS.... they r not bad ( ur dogs must have no mouth) just kidding... LOL! just put neosporin on it an u will be ok. u can hit it with iodine first if u want.

 

If you have a detachable shower head take it off and run it over the wound. Even a garden hose will work in a pinch. I have done hydrotherapy on many occasions. It cleans away necrotic tissue and aids in the promotion of healthy granulation tissue.

It appears to have edges on the pic. But after sometime you will not be able to close it. I was stating what I would do. And tetracycline is not the best skin antibiotic. Clavamox will do. But what are th milligrams?

 

The puncture wound needs to be flushed. You can call it overkill. But I always treat. Because I have seen what a simple "wound" can turn into if half as done.

 

I also agree with the above statement. Long term use of antibiotics for no reason is NOT a good thing. When you really need them one day you will wish you hadn't done it.

 

sorry ! actually the best antibiotic would be pen G or cephalexin. I do know what im talking about, im not just an internet dogger like some.Ive been hunting wild boar for a long time. But hey just giving some advice.Cephalexin is used in both dogs and cats to treat a variety of bacterial infections, including skin infections, [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]wound [COLOR=blue !important]infections[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], bone infections.

<LI class=ArticleContentBullet>Cephalexin is an antibiotic of the cephalosporin class. It is related to the penicillin drugs in how it kills bacteria, but cephalosporins have a much broader range of activity against bacteria than penicillins.
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet>Cephalexin will prevent the bacteria from forming an adequate and protective cell wall. This results in instability and subsequent death of the bacteria.
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet>Cephalexin is a prescription drug and can only be obtained from a [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]veterinarian[/COLOR][/COLOR] or by prescription from a veterinarian.

 

No need for meds.Probobly no need to staple unless you are super worried about scarring. I would not call flushing out the wound with bettadine overkill lol.

 

I wish my yard accidents were that minor haven't had but two and I have had dogs my whole life but both were alot worse than that. You must have been in the dog yard when they got loose.but all these suggestions are real good.

 

Reading is fundamental. Did you not see where I stated above about Ceph? LMAO ANd Ceph can be purchased from Jeffers to name one.

And Penicillin is not the best due to the fact that many things are resistant to it.

Dogs harbor bacteria in their mouths as part of the normal flora. So when there is a puncture wound the bacteria is placed in there when they bite. Also when it comes to puncture wounds you have to keep them open because you do not want to trap the bacteria in the wound which will cause an abscess. They heal from the outside in. It may look like a simple pucture would from the outside but there is torn tissue inside.

So you flush the wound and allow it to drain. And place them on an antibiotic to prevent infection. If it was just that scratch above the puncture no antibiotics would be needed.
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<LI class=ArticleContentBullet>You can do what you wish with your animals. But from my experience this is the best course of action. And I have never had any issues with this course of action.