Cuts And Scrapes

[Guest rsmccorm]

As all of you greyhound owner's know, the skin of a grey is like paper. I've had my grey for about 3 months now. She has had one cut before that healed together overnight. She cut her arm the other day and Im having a hard time telling when a cut on a greyhound should be seen by a vet. To me everytime she gets cut it looks bad b/c the skin is so thin and you always see muscle under the cut. So how do you determine when a cut is bad enough to be seen by a vet. It wasn't bleeding, it was just opened. It was a small cut (about 1/2 inch). It took a little over a day to start healing together and now its fine. But i was worried for a bit.

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

I just keep an eye on them. Spud bumps a lot of things and runs into fences so he's had quite a few scrapes and cuts.

 

 

As long as it doesn't look infected and starts to heal relatively quickly, we don't go to the vet

[ahicks51]

You'll get better at knowing when a grey should be seen eventually, but as a rule of thumb:

 

1) ANYTHING that gets infected should be seen by a vet.

 

2) Penetrating injuries (anything that is deeper than just the skin, such as into the muscle) should be seen by a vet.

 

3) Anything larger that a nickel, particularly if it is on a part of the body that sees a lot of flexion (and is therefore less likely to heal without assistance) probably should be seen by a vet. The nickel size is just my opinion- some will say smaller. It also depends greatly upon location and cause of injury (and therefore the chance of wound contamination).

 

Most (all?) injuries to the pads of the feet will require assistance in healing. Anything that won't stop bleeding or seeping should be seen by a vet.

 

At the very least, wash out with dilute Betadine (povidone iodine), and cover as best as possible. The way greyhounds are "built," along with their fur, makes it tough to keep bandages on- and greyhounds can be very determined in their attempts to nurse their own wounds- often much to their detriment. That pea-sized nick on a leg can be opened into a quarter-sized wound if allowed. Cover it, tape it, and (if necessary) use a collar.

[Guest rsmccorm]

You'll get better at knowing when a grey should be seen eventually, but as a rule of thumb:

 

1) ANYTHING that gets infected should be seen by a vet.

 

2) Penetrating injuries (anything that is deeper than just the skin, such as into the muscle) should be seen by a vet.

 

3) Anything larger that a nickel, particularly if it is on a part of the body that sees a lot of flexion (and is therefore less likely to heal without assistance) probably should be seen by a vet. The nickel size is just my opinion- some will say smaller. It also depends greatly upon location and cause of injury (and therefore the chance of wound contamination).

 

Most (all?) injuries to the pads of the feet will require assistance in healing. Anything that won't stop bleeding or seeping should be seen by a vet.

 

At the very least, wash out with dilute Betadine (povidone iodine), and cover as best as possible. The way greyhounds are "built," along with their fur, makes it tough to keep bandages on- and greyhounds can be very determined in their attempts to nurse their own wounds- often much to their detriment. That pea-sized nick on a leg can be opened into a quarter-sized wound if allowed. Cover it, tape it, and (if necessary) use a collar.

 

Thats is pretty good advice! Thanks. Yes her nick was very small on her forearm, right above her wrist joint. It started off very tiny and i noticed it getting larger. We started putting two butterfly bandages on it to at least keep the skin from growing apart. She would eventually lick them off, but they would stay for several hours at a time.

 

[MarcR]

One of my girls, Kara, manages to come in with assorted scrapes and minor cuts from time to time. ahicks51's advice is great. Some greys don't take well to the collars, though. I had one girl that was absolutely terrified by it and would refuse to eat with it on.

[kjw]

I very rarely go to the vet anymore for cuts or scrapes. I just start the routine up, flush with a mixture of iodine and saline regularly to keep it clean, rub with clean saline soaked gauze to encourage granulation, then prep H to help it close up more quickly. Best not to cover cuts with anything, the air helps them heal. Exception: if the pupper is worrying at it, then we start with the modified wardrobe for the pupper lol.

[Guest greytexplorer]

Any thoughts as to using skin glue like they do in hospitals?

Where can I get it?

[kjw]

Any thoughts as to using skin glue like they do in hospitals?

Where can I get it?

 

That's actually just krazy glue. Really. My dd worked in a vet office, they use it all the time.

[ahicks51]

Any thoughts as to using skin glue like they do in hospitals?

Where can I get it?

 

That's actually just krazy glue. Really. My dd worked in a vet office, they use it all the time.

 

Cyanoacrylate ("Krazy Glue," "Super Glue") was developed originally for gluing lenses together for Bausch and Lomb, I think it was. A couple of decades later, related compounds were researched for war surgery; I think octylacrylate or butylacrylate won out. Cyanoacrylate generates some amount of heat when it cures, causing wound damage if large amounts are used. It also forms methacrylate, I seem to recall- Plexiglas- which is not flexible. The other acrylates are more flexible.

 

(Note: Methacrylate is soluble in acetone, so if you glue your eyes shut when someone switches your eye drops with "Krazy Glue," it CAN be undone- but it's not pleasant.)

 

I've used "Nexcare" liquid bandage spray- designed to stop bleeding on contact with the spray- to stop seeping of blood from "happy tail" on one hound. It's a series of related compounds, mixed with some silicone compound, presumably so that the entire wound doesn't get sticky. It'll bind on the small scale, but not on the large scale. It'll close capillaries, but won't stick your thumb to the tail!

 

For emergencies in the field- search and rescue stuff- Krazy Glue is sometimes used to affix bandages that otherwise come off when tape or adhesives just won't work. I've never gotten to the point where I've had to use this on a hound, but it has crossed my mind that if I ever had problems getting a bandage to stick and I was at wit's end, well- might have to give that a try!

[Guest LindsaySF]

I agree with Ahicks51's advice.

[Guest Hannah]

My general descision making for all the animals injuries are to imagine if I had the injury

 

If I would just rines mine off and leave it then I give the animal a good clean and quick spray with antiseptic and observe for a few days

 

If I would give mine a good clean and antiseptic squirt then I do the same to the animals but phone the vets for a chat when they are next open - sometimes followed up by a visit.

 

If I would take my injury to the Dr/nurse for treatment I phone the vets regardless of time for a discussion about treatment (and potential visit).

 

If I would be taking my injusty to A&E (ER) then I am on my way to the vets after a quick call to say I am coming.

 

Its worked well so far mostly its the first two but I have used the third a few time and the fourth just once (thankfully not out of hours and 'just' a broken leg)