#MiddleburyCT #Dogs #Cuts #Laceration
DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I have an adventurous Shorthaired Pointer named Gordie who loves running through the woods behind my home while I walk behind him. He occasionally comes back with scrapes and cuts. I want to share with your readers how I take care of his minor injuries, and when a vet visit is necessary.
Most of the time, Gordie’s scrapes are very minor. I always check him when we get back to the house, because he can easily pick up ticks, too. I remove any clinging ticks and kill them right away. I check the pads under his paws and run my hand along his coat to remove burrs.
If he has a scrape on his side or paw, I clean it with warm water, disinfect it and put some antibiotic ointment on it. If it’s a place where he can scratch or lick, I cover it with a gauze bandage for a couple of days.
Last month, Gordie limped over to me with a deep laceration on his left front paw pad. Fortunately, we weren’t far from home. I carried him inside and gently looked at the injury. It wasn’t bleeding too badly, but the cut was very deep, and trying to clean it was very painful for him.
This time, we had to see the vet. I wrapped his paw in gauze to protect it and off we went. The vet stitched him up, and Gordie has to wear a lampshade collar for the next week or so to let it heal. I hope my story will be helpful to readers. – Tyler N., Dracut, Massachusetts
DEAR TYLER: This is very helpful! Best wishes to Gordie for a speedy recovery.
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