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Cut On Leg


Guest Davros

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Guest Davros

so, the search function has failed me... apparently 'cut' and 'leg' are both less than four characters and therefore will not be included in my search >_<

 

 

the houndie has managed to slice the front of her wrist open - i'm not really sure what the correct anatomical term for dogs is...

 

but she's got it good... it's about an inch long, and all the way through - you can see bone :(

 

a friend of mine who is a vet nurse cleaned her up for me and gave me an antibacterial wash to use (can't remember the name of it but it's a red concentrate and you mix it in the water until it's a cotton-candy pink colour), she suggested several times a day but i am kinda reluctant to do so much faffing about, as we are succeeding in keeping things clean with a strip of band-aid and some vet wrap... i've been giving it a rinse and replacing the band-aid every 12ish hours... friend reckoned a lot of places would probably advise stitching it, but as it's right on the front of the joint - and hounds have such thin skin - they'd likely just get ripped out again, making the wound worse... and it's a few days after the fact and probably too late to get it done now...

 

the houndie doesn't care in the least... has an intermittent slight limp but otherwise you wouldn't notice... the only reason i knew she was injured was the blood pouring out of her leg... :/

 

i know stuff generally heals better if it's left open to the air, but i'm REALLY concerned about the possibility of infection if i do, as she's likely to get all manner of dirt and foreign grubby stuff in there as she dashes about like a mad thing, and she still folds the cut leg up underneath herself to sleep...

 

so far it's clean and still seems healthy, the area is pink and there is no evidence of anything wrong with the healing process...

 

but if anyone has any suggestions i'd really appreciate it... for now i am sticking with keep it well covered and clean!

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Cut the toe out of an old sock. Pull the remaining tube up her leg so that it covers the injury. Vet wrap or bandage-tape the upper edge of the sock to her leg--not tight enough to restrict circulation.

 

The sock will be loose enough to let air get to the wound so it can breathe. You can roll the sock up as necessary to check things. But the sock will cover the wound and help protect it against dirt and debris when she's outside, protect leg and bedding when she tucks the leg under herself when she sleeps.

 

Can you keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't licking? That's the biggest danger: that she'll lick it as it heals and gets itchy, and thus open it back up again. You may need to muzzle her with a guard on the muzzle.

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Since its so deep I'd give her some antibiotics-probably cephalexin ~500mg twice a day. I kind of doubt that I'd go to a vet because I would be afraid they would do more harm than good. Their intentions may be good but most do not really appreciate how thin that greyhound skin is. I've seen several hounds-even my Minny when I picked him up to foster-that had retarded healing because the stitches put in by a ungreyhound savy vet pulled out and then in his case he even had to undergo general anesthesia to repair the wound and be restitched properly by a vet that is familiar with greyhounds. And that is assuming that you could keep her from ripping out even properly done stitches. Seeing the bone is not necessarily a crisis although it might sound kind of bad. I know that from Slim's toes and the board certified vet that treated them. Slim had chronic toe issues and often would tear them open and you could see bone but I would bandage them and they would heal fine with the vets blessings. If all she has is a slight limp and the wound looks good I'd just give the antibiotics as a cya and dress it probably with manuka honey or furacin dressing. I purchase my antibiotics from vet supply so I don't have to go to vet for them either. If you don't have any then I wouldn't worry too much anyway unless it starts to look like something is amiss. But I personally would not go to vet and risk them screwing up the nice healing process you got going. I would keep it bandaged though to keep dirt out until I felt that wasn't a concern. JMO.

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I'd see the vet and get it cleaned out and stapled/stitched. Front of the joint is a tough place but not impossible. Hugs and best luck!

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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I agree, if it is so deep that it goes to the bone I would see a vet. Better to pay for some antibiotics now then get a big infection and bigger medical problem down the road.

 

Also...are you sure it is bone you are seeing? Often when they get cut, you can see the layer of skin/fat underneath, it kind of looks like bone.

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Strongly recommend vet. It may not be actual bone you are seeing. (Oh, I see RedHead mentioned something similar.) Nonetheless it is usually much safer to have the vet check it. Any wounds there are already so close to bone, tendon, joint capsules, etc., that any infection is a real risk.

 

Sounds though like this hasn't just happened. If it is healing well so far your vet may stay with your preferred option of leaving it unstitched. Still, a deep cut on a lower leg always gives me the heeby jeebies. (Perhaps because my Greys' legs remind me more of my horse than my other dogs?) I'd really want an exam.

 

Remember that many of our dogs are stoic. Even just an intermittent limp could be a sign of a more serious problem. Course, I've also got one drama-king for whom some of the tiniest things cause overly dramatic reactions. "OMG, it almost touched me. [sCREAM!!]" :lol So it can be hard to gauge pain sometimes.

 

Hope all heals well.

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how about calling your vet first????

 

felix had one cut down to his tendons- pretty nasty looking. i irrigated it well with saline solution bandaged it gently and went to the vet. he complimented my skills, said keep it clean and let it heal. he's not a racer, so we figured he didn't need microsurgery to reattach the tendons. he runs just fine, i can see a tad of a turn out in that paw when he walks, but you really need to look hard. this was at the top of the hock- that flat part that hits the ground- and took close to 3 weeks to heal. the second scarey looking cut was in his pastuern- again i could see white stingy tissue- tendons and was really grossed out, his paw was really swollen. i called my vet, he said to irrigate it w/ peroxide- it didn't hurt him at all- that helps form scar tissue and it healed really really quickly- in less than a week. my dogs have had split webbing- a talk w/ my vet and following instructions worked fine. now dog bites- felix has been nailed 2xs needed antibiotics along w/ his staples.

 

have you contacted karen dawson on facebook- greycare. it's an australian site and she's EXCELLENT!!! i don't know if she's in your area, she certifies green hounds as well.

Edited by cleptogrey
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Guest Davros

i will ring around and try to find a grey-savvy vet... the one i take the belgians to is good with working dogs but i don't think they have experience with greys at all...

 

this is after i washed it again this morning, before drying and re-dressing... so the surrounding area is dark from being wet

 

IMG_3312.jpg

 

 

 

edit for spelling :/

Edited by Davros
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Guest grey_dreams

That looks really swollen :( How does the size compare with the other leg? If it was me, I would head to the nearest ER/vet sooner rather than later.

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I am certainly not a vet, but that doesn't look cut to the bone to me. Greyhounds cut VERY easily, Teague slipped on the ice this winter and I remember posting here as I was worried. It was suggested to keep it open and clean and it healed up just fine (I have seen a lot worse on this board!). So...unless it is getting infected I would probably just keep it open and clean. Others with more experience may have other suggestions, that is just my experience.

 

Teague's ice wounds

IMG_0850_zps54e2561f.jpg

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your regular vet should be able to handle this. lucky he's a brindle, you won't even see the black scar once it heals. we have stuff happening like that way too often. yup. paper thin skin. btw, i use a regular old fashioned vet, (he has a around 10 greys in his practice), but w/40+years of experience and he's seen it all, done it all. a good vet is a good vet.

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Guest elliemae421

I would be concerned as well! Looks swollen as all others have already said too! I would see a vet sooner than later!

They should at least be able to put your boy on antibiotics! :ghplaybow

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i will ring around and try to find a grey-savvy vet... the one i take the belgians to is good with working dogs but i don't think they have experience with greys at all...

 

this is after i washed it again this morning, before drying and re-dressing... so the surrounding area is dark from being wet

 

IMG_3312.jpg

 

 

 

edit for spelling :/

Hate to disagree with so many but to me and my pack this would be a minor wound certainly not worthy of a vet call. I don't even see the so called swelling people are harping on. Right under the cut you can see the leg narrows down like it is supposed to and you can see the toes are not at all swollen either. I routinely heal my animals of far worse wounds than that. I would just clip/cut the hair away from it; dress it with furacin or manuka honey; and bandage till it started to heal over and got good enough I didn't have to worry about it getting reopened. I know this would work for us.

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We've dealt with much worse looking wounds here at home but those were not on lower legs with so many boney bits with attending tendons & ligaments. Don't know what it looked like when it first happened but that doesn't look too bad in terms of a healing wound. That doesn't look like bone in there to me. (But I'm in accounting so what do I know.) Do agree there does look to be swelling but camera angle & coat coloration can strongly effect that. If in comparison to the other leg the area around the wound doesn't look larger or more "filled in", doesn't feel fluid filled or warm to the touch then likely it isn't serious.

 

Going just by that picture & your description, right it seems just wound management is needed. Would keep it covered & clean. Twice a day checks should be ok if it's worked so far. If the band-aid is working then I'd stick with it. If healing slows or anything starts to look worse I'd take a trip to the vet. Same thing if she starts licking it a lot or efforts to like it escalate. Basically any signs that do not point to steady improvement would be reason for concern. That includes limping less. If intermittent limping doesn't improve or gets worse then off to the vet.

 

And give her a cookie. Cookies make everything better.

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Guest Davros

managed to get in to see a vet, they said keep up the keep it clean and dressed work for a few days but try to give it a chance to dry out as well... so i've been leaving things uncovered when i am home and can supervise, but putting a dressing (and a muzzle) on when i am at work... so far so good... looking much better, and there is no swelling and no infection - she just has lumpy legs...

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Good to hear! I was wondering how she was doing. I didn't think it looked too bad. Just typical greyhound stuff lol. When you can run over 40mph it don't take much for something to go awry and they are surely a finely tuned running machine -the Ferrari of the dog world lol.

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