Puncture wound

[ctbarrett]

My dog got a couple of puncture wounds a week ago most likely from some sticks while baying at a coon. I am positive that the coon did not make contact. I cleaned the shoulder wound out, poked a drain hole in it filled with neosporin and glued the top shut. The other wound was between right rear leg and belly, I left it alone thinking it wasn't as bad as it really was. The next day I took him to the vet and they flushed both the wounds out and filled with antibiotic fluid then stitched him up and gave him a antibiotic shot and 50 500 mg pills of cephalexin. They told me to put a cone collar on him but I took it off to eat drink etc and he managed to pull rear stitches out. I figured he would be ok without the collar since it is such a pain in the ass but he has been licking the wound often. The tissue around the puncture channel has gotten hard around the wound and I have been squeezing some pus out of it. Should i take him back to the vet or leave it alone?

[dwalton]

Maybe it is always good to check with a vet if in sought. Where is the wound, is there swelling and how much/ Puncture wounds need to heal from bottom up. That said it needs to be kept open enough to drain. Check his temperature[ 100.5 to 102 can be normal for a dog]. Good luck Dewey

[twist]

Give antibotic for 5 days and spray with cut-n- heal twice a day for week you'll be amazed. Andy

[1bludawg]

Fill a syringe with hydrogen peroxide and flush the wounds 3 or 4 times a day.Anti-biotics are a good idea.I would use them for 7 days.If not better by then make another appt with veterinarian .

[wyohunter12]

Be careful with hydrogen peroxide continuous use, its going to kill infection, but also hinder any good tissue growth. Once cleaned, keep it clean. Definitely finish the antibiotic. I like to use Granulex V and spray it on open wounds.

The cones do not last long and usually end up causing a fight with my hounds. the one with the cone keeps running into the other dogs, causing someone to get riled up.

[david]

This thread has three pages of information.

It says the same thing about hydrogen peroxide.

http://www.predatormastersforums.com/fo ... 477&page=1


I found interesting the post from the Sgt. Who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. They kept a jar of alcohol with hundreds of 1/2 or 3/4 inch safety pins to use instead of trying to sew themselves up with needle and thread. Seems like it would work on dogs if in a place where they could not bite it.

[pegleg]

Safety pins are not pretty David. Staples are easier on everyone. Stitches aren't hard if you have forceps and practice a little. I stiched up a guy in Mexico who jammed a piece of brush into the palm of his hand a day before I got there. I was impressed he only flinched a couple times. It was 9cm deep at least and about 7cm long. Had some dead tissue had to be cut out and one edge need trimmed due to drying out. I couldn't staple that shut but stiches worked well enough. It did make me think I might start carrying some smaller gauge sutures. He seemed ok with horse thread n needle but I thought I'd prefer something smaller myself. On dogs their loose skin is often better left open on punctures but on tight or connected areas sewing or stapling after its cleaned works best. I have sewn inner tissue and left a drain in the hide. But you 'll need a sedative. If you can get it.
I use diluted peroxide if I have to. But normally purified water or saline. Clean the wound then any antibiotic is better then none. I can't carry injectable in the heat so tablets and cream are what I use unless I'm close to home or a feed store. After that it just depends on how the wound is doing. Small stuff them licking is ok. But if its bigger or the dog is obsessive about it healing can be delayed. I spent two hours stiching a dog up once and since she was sleeping didn't cover it or cone her. I woke up and she had pulled most of the stitches out. She looked like a unzipped fur coat. So I stiched her again and cut a feed bucket and taped her in it.

[1bludawg]

If you're worried about using the Hydrogen Peroxide don't use it but i've used it many times with great success.If you do use it leave the wounds open so they drain good.Peroxide is cheap and effective.

[1bludawg]

I decided i'd better research the use of Hydrogen Peroxide since it has been over 30 years since my old veterinarian had advised me how to use it.New trials and research have shown that its NOT good for use on wounds .They mentioned that old myths die hard.

[Kyle D7]

I use beta dine for cleaning and sterilization of wound. I carry a stapler in my first aid kit for wounds that need to be closed up. I recommend using shriners on the wounds it really helps them heal fast. You can buy beta dine sponges in individual packages at you're local feed store.

[pegleg]

Peroxide is way better then nothing. I'm not saying don't use it at all. If the choice is killing some tissue or getting a infection use the peroxide. On superficial wounds its hard to beat for quick clean up. But even the diluted for home use stuff everyone's familiar with is to strong to really soak it with or to use on deep tissue. Its similar to iodine if its all you have use it. Just be familiar with its caustic nature.
If you have a weepy wound on a dog that's a bit older peroxide actually helps dry it out and most of that surface tissue is so badly infected killing it to get rid of the bacteria isn't a bad trade. But its best used as a one time deal. After that the wound is better treated with other medications. Keeping tissue sterile and moist while healing promotes fast healing and lessens scar tissue. Wound care differs with type and conditions and we should recognize this. What works best for a hound may not be best for a horse for example.
I like peroxide myself for some things. Rinsing ears. Washing bloody fur around wounds. Washing staplers and other instruments while working. One time cleansing of infected wounds. It just has limitations. Just like sprays or creams you can coat them on all day but if its a dirty matted wound that these things can't penetrate they won't do nearly as much for you.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

[ctbarrett]

I ended up having my wife take him back to the vet the day I posted this thread. They cleaned the wounds out again and said to keep collar on him. Vet said to flush shoulder wound because it had a pocket with 50% water diluted home use hydrogen peroxide and keep puss drips cleaned off, then use same solution to clean other puncture but not flush it.

He has a downward puncture in left shoulder and downward puncture in hide between rear right leg and side of belly. When I first took him to the vet he had swelling or edema fluid buildup below each puncture further down in the legs.

I always see info that peroxide is ok once but not continuously.
Now that the cone has been on he is healing much quicker.

I looked for betadine but haven't been able to find it locally. Got a stapler too but I was hesitant to use it. Overall I had to pay about $150 for vet bills.

I even tore my pants the day it happened so brush must have been pretty stout.

[1bludawg]

Just from my own experience you won't have any problems using Peroxide.I've used it for many years on several dogs with shallow wounds and deep puncture wounds ,flushing them several times a day in some cases .It seemed to work fine and i had absolutely no problems.If it wasn't for this post i wouldn't have known it wasn't as effective as it seemed to be,anyway there are other products that work well .

[fats]

have had good luck on non draining puncture wounds that the chanel is down instead of up flushing daily with mastitis medication comes in syringe type aplicator for cow teats