Neck Wound

[Guest wrldruler]

George and Nelly were outside today doing zoomies. George got his collar caught on the gate, freaked out, snapped his collar off, and ended up with a puncture wound on his neck. In my opinion, it wasn't too bad. Size of a nickel (DW says it was bigger) I suppose, and bleeding a little. But being first time parents, we rushed him to the ER.

 

Vet sedates him, cleans the wound, says its not bad enough for a drain, wakes him up, anti-biotics, pain medicine, told to give warm compresses, $400, thank you, have a nice day.

 

So we just paid $400 to have a vet clean a wound.

 

These types of puncture / cut wounds seem fairly common with greys. So should I be rushing them to the $400 vet everytime they get a wound?

 

Curious how to know if a vet ER is needd, or is a home remedy more appropriate?

 

Thanks,

 

Chris

[Guest greyhounder]

I only take them in if the wound is gaping open..

[Guest darlene]

If it's not bleeding profusely, I wait for my vet. Those er vets will break you every time!

[lothianjavert]

I will admit I'm more likely to take a dog to a vet than myself to the doctor, but I try very hard to avoid the e-vet, because of that. Generally, look for things like bleeding: profuse? Will it need stitched? (how deep, wide, etc.) Other wounds? How much swelling, if any is involved? How distressed is the pup? What's the pup's temperature? (temp won't help if it's a cut, but if something's not right, it's a good thing to know)

 

In the end, sometimes it's a hard call to make. I've done unnecessary evet visits too, I think we all have. With things like cuts, bumps etc. You learn to judge better after you've dealt with a bunch.

 

I just restocked on vetwrap-- went to buy a couple rolls, and it was more cost effective to get a case. Hope I never need it all, but the stuff is handy for all those scrapes and bumps my clutzes seem to get! (and we equally clumsy humans use the stuff too... )

[Batmom]

If you're not sure, better to go than not go.

 

If it's a deep, narrow puncture, I want a second opinion on whether there's any foreign bodies in it, and I want antibiotics started same day.

 

P.S. Hope your pupper heals up with no problems.

[ahicks51]

This is what I posted back in July in response to a somewhat similar query:

 

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.

[Chicocat]

The thing that makes me tend to opt for the vet is that I've seen a couple of injuries that looked like superficial puncture wounds, but had a tear into the muscle that you couldn't see. You know how greyhound skin has some "stretch" and the injury to the muscle was just a bit beyond the puncture wound. That said, when it's the option of going to the E-Vet, I probably think a little more about whether it can wait till the next morning.

[patricia]

I am glad your babe is fine! I would have done exactly what you did...often times things look minor when in fact they could be more of a major issue plus I would want the antibiotics started asap. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

[Guest LindsaySF]

If you're not sure, better to go than not go.

 

If it's a deep, narrow puncture, I want a second opinion on whether there's any foreign bodies in it, and I want antibiotics started same day.

Agreed.

[Hubcitypam]

If I only had back all the $$$$ I spent on e-vets as a newbie. My general rule of thumb of is unless it's gaping wound and/or won't stop bleeding, the dog is not in distress and eating and drinking normally it can probably wait for the regular vet to open for $300 less.