Wherever possible, a wound will be closed and sutured in order to speed healing. However, if there is gross contamination or deep infection present, the wound will be left open for topical treatment and to ensure drainage.
During the inflammation and proliferation stages, you can encourage faster healing by keeping the wound covered, create a proactive antimicrobial barrier to prevent infection, and keep the wound moist. Do not wrap your dog's wound too tightly. This can restrict blood flow to the area and impede the healing process.
Apply a small amount of antibacterial ointment and cover the wound with a piece of sterile gauze or other bandage. Use the elastic tape to hold the bandage in place. Consider an E-collar. Pets can't understand not to bite or lick at a bandage.
You can also lightly wrap your pup's wound with a bandage. Change the bandage. Wounds need oxygen to heal, so make sure you change the bandage regularly and allow the cut to “breathe.”
Once the wound is no longer open but still in the final stages of the healing process, you shouldn't need to wrap it in a bandage. However, you should continue to apply both the cleanser and the cooling gel until your dog has recovered completely.
Bandage the wound — Apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment and cover the wound to help prevent contamination. If you wrap your dog's limb, ensure the bandage isn't too tight and could restrict blood flow. Monitor the wound — Change the bandage and clean and assess your pet's wound two to three times a day.
Use a mild soap and water solution and rinse the area well. Do not use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, as these can actually delay healing. Once the wound is clean, you will want to apply an antibiotic ointment or cream. This will help to prevent infection and will also help the wound heal faster.
It can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months for a wound to fully heal-- so make sure not to rush the process. Your dog will eventually get back to their normal behavior and routines-- you'll be taking them for walks and runs in no time!
Once the wound has formed a scab, there is no longer the need to cover it with a bandage as the scab now acts as a protective barrier. Keep the area clean, but be gentle so that you do not accidentally remove the scab.
Streaking – Red streaks either around or moving away from the wound are potential symptoms of an infection known as lymphangitis. Bad smell – A pungent odor from either the discharge or the wound itself is another common sign of an infected wound.
Betadine is an over-the-counter topical antiseptic meant to reduce the number of microorganisms on the skin. It contains povidone-iodine, which is a potent antiseptic. For many reasons, veterinarian surgeons use it when preparing the skin for surgery. It is also great for dog wounds.
To apply betadine on your dog, gently wipe the wound with a washcloth saturated with the betadine solution. You can do this up to twice a day for minor sores or skin infections. One great thing about Betadine is that it is completely harmless if it's ingested.
You should never attempt to use bandages marketed for human use (often called Band-Aids), Neosporin, or any type of liquid bandage on a pet's injury.
New soft moist pink tissue should be forming in the area the wound was sustained in. If there is no new soft pink flesh forming where the wound was sustained, and you notice flesh around the wound is looking dark or feeling leathery, this is a bad sign.
If you notice increasing redness, swelling, discharge, increasing pain in the area of the wound or a bad odor coming from the wound, contact your vet right away.
Your dog's wound will go through 4 stages of healing Inflammation, Debridement, Repair, and Maturation.
A handful of studies have found that when wounds are kept moist and covered, blood vessels regenerate faster and the number of cells that cause inflammation drop more rapidly than they do in wounds allowed to air out. It is best to keep a wound moist and covered for at least five days.
Wet or moist treatment of wounds has been shown to promote re-epithelialization and result in reduced scar formation, as compared to treatment in a dry environment. The inflammatory reaction is reduced in the wet environment, thereby limiting injury progression.
Change the bandage each day—or sooner, if it becomes dirty or wet—to keep the wound clean and dry. Some wounds, such as scrapes that cover a large area, should be kept moist to help reduce scarring. Sealed bandages work best for this purpose.
Bandage Your Dog's Wound
If you have antibacterial ointment on hand you may want to apply a small amount to the area before covering the wound with a piece of sterile gauze or another bandage. Avoid using products that contain hydrocortisone or other corticosteroids.
Cuts and grazes
Contact your vet for advice if your dog's wound isn't healing quickly, or looks infected. Large or deep wounds are often very painful and get easily infected. A large/deep wound should always be examined by a vet immediately.
Deeper cuts should be dealt with by your vet, ideally that day. There are many deeper cuts that we see that we don't sew up—if the skin edges are close enough and there is not a lot of motion or skin tension, we may just clean it out and let it heal on its own.
Gently clean the wound and surrounding area to remove any crusty or sticky debris. This will keep the wound edges clean, reduce the potential for re-infection, and allow new healthy tissue to develop.