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How Do I Know If He Needs Stitches?


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HI - Pongo has an abrasion on his front leg - not sure how he got it but we interacted not so favorably with 2 dogs last night. Skin is ripped right off - bled for a bit but just looks like "meat" this morning. Used polysporin - no limping or over-zealous licking or swelling. Would you recommend a stitch or two - I know he will not have fur there again...

 

Susan

Susan and Pongo

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My Babette ended up with a chunk out of her side, about 1" x 2" and we went to the vet. They pulled it together and put in a few staples and now all that you see is a very thin white line.

 

I would take Pongo to the vet anyway and let them look at him and clean it out. If there's enough skin to pull together a staple they will and he'll also probably need some antibiotics for that wound.

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, Phoenix, Okie, Casey, and Ellie the Galga; with Aggie, Alexa, Bear,Cody, Gianni V., Missy B, Babette, Bernice, and BooBoo at the Bridge

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Probably not. Argos gets "door dings" on his legs all the time. I just clean them and put neosporin on and let it heal. I usually bandage it for the first day or so to give it a chance to start healing before he can start licking it. It would be really difficult to stitch that area, I would think, given how thin the skin is and the fact that there's no fat underneath.

 

Hope Pongo is feeling better!

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Christie and Bootsy (Turt McGurt and Gil too)
Loving and missing Argos & Likky, forever and ever.
~Old age means realizing you will never own all the dogs you wanted to. ~

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Without a picture, it sounds like there may not be anough to stitch. Plus after that many hours many vet's won't stitch anyway. From experience :rolleyes: usually those types of injuries heal without incident. Keep it clean and keep licking to a minimum. You'd be surprised about what fur will grow back. Foxy ripped a half her ear skin off and it has a lovely covering of fur.

 

Keep an eye out for infection, and then off to the vet you go.

Casual Bling & Hope for Hounds
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Janet & the hounds Maggie and Allen Missing my baby girl Peanut, old soul Jake, quirky Jet, Mama Grandy and my old Diva Miz Foxy; my angel, my inspiration. You all brought so much into my light, and taught me so much about the power of love, you are with me always.
If you get the chance to sit it out or dance.......... I hope you dance! Missing our littlest girl.

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Back in the late 90s ,a vet once wrote in CG Mag, "If it's bigger than a half dollar, it probably needs stitches." That comment was such a solid suggestion, it stuck with me all these years!

 

Of course, your mileage may vary. B)

 

Marcia in SC

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To the vet with him.

 

Honestly anytime ours gets a serious injury (from another dog especially), we go to the vet and have it checked out. Even if it does not need stitches, it may very well need antibiotics.

Jennifer and Beamish (an unnamed Irish-born Racer) DOB: October 30, 2011

 

Forever and always missing my "Vowels", Icarus, Atlas, Orion, Uber, and Miss Echo, and Mojito.

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Guest chucknstan

I would take him to the vet, too. The one time I didn't, the cut got infected despite keeping it clean and neosporin... just be on the safe side.

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Well.... I obviously don't know about this particular injury. What's it look like? How long? How wide? How deep?

 

I've found myself running to the vet less often than I used to though. With skin tears, nothing deeper, minimal bleeding...if they're not more than and inch long, and less than that wide, I probably wouldn't go to the vet. And, I don't wrap as much now for little wounds. As long as it's just a small skin tear, and stays clean, no reddness, no swelling, no infection, it'll probably heal. A little licking doesn't hurt either. IMHO. And you'd be surprised where hair will grow back.

 

But- that's me. Use your comfort level, and common sense.

 

 

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I'd probably do a vet check anyway on the wound. For a professional clean and possible antibiotics, if not necessarily stitches or staples.

 

We've had something dime sized, that I carefully cleaned and covered, expand overnight to something much, much, bigger. On a shoulder. Somehow the skin on greys stretches. That one took five sutures on the following day, but it was a tiny nick on first view. :huh

 

And if you don't know exactly where the wound came from . . . I'd err on the side of caution, re potential infection, but I'm a bit weird like that.

 

Just saying. It is your comfort zone, not mine.

Gillian
Caesar (Black Caesarfire) and Olly (Oregon) the Galgo

 

Still missing: Nell (spaniel mix) 1982-1997, Boudicca (JRT) 1986- 2004, and the greys P's Catwalk 2001-2008, Murphy Peabody (we failed fostering) 1998-2010 and Pilgrim (Blazing Leia) 2003-2016,

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If I were asking if my dog should be taken to the vet, then in my opinion the answer is "yes". We don't see the injury, or the signs of illness, and other then Dr. Feeman we aren't vets. JMHO

Greyhound angels at the bridge- Casey, Charlie, Maggie, Molly, Renie, Lucy & Teddy. Beagle angels Peanut and Charlie. And to all the 4 legged Bridge souls who have touched my heart, thank you. When a greyhound looks into you eyes it seems they touch your very soul.

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more then he loves himself". Josh Billings

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