Leg Wounds. Sharing this note about a Non-Healing Leg Wound in a Dog. My Golden Retriever was hit by a car on June 20; had to have one back leg amputated. The remaining back leg had a degloving injury on lower paw. He later developed a bad ulcer at the inner aspect of that joint from the bandage and from apparently chewing on it even though he had an E collar on 99% of the time. The latter wound is worse now than the degloving injury. He is 7 weeks post op from the amputation and repair of paw. Surgeon said to come in for dressing changes in 5 days (after the dressing change 2 days ago) even though the wound is not healing well; it is not infected at this point though. It gets better, then he develops another bandage related ulcer and we go backward again.
He continues on Cephalexin; now is on tranquilizers to keep him sedated and keep off of it. Continues w/ E collar. I just changed the dressing (they gave me enough for one dressing change, I am an RN with 30 years of OR experience, but not as a dog nurse!) There is another ulcerated area over the paw now. They are putting Telfa w/ Silvadene on it against the open wounds (joint wound is about the 4 cm long and 2 cm wide) on the inner aspect of the first joint up from the paw)
My questions are these;
- Q: How often is ideal to do these dressing changes? I feel they are not being done often enough.
- A: Every 3-5 days
- Q: They are using Telfa w/ Silvadene, Soft roll-like wrap, Kling, the Vet Wrap (all 4″.) in that order.
- A: That’s fine
- Q: Would you recommend wiping/ minimal irrigating the wound w/Hibilclens mixture before changing it each time? Two weeks ago I had to take him in on Saturday (d/t no surgeon on call) and that vet did that vet used some powder in the wound rather than Silvadene. The surgeon said he finds the powder has more incidences of infections.
- A: Flush it with lactated ringers or .9% NACL solution and avoid powder
- Q: Any special food or supplements that could promote healing? He weighs 75#.
- A: An organic or homemade diet and PAAWS vitamin supplement ill boost internal immunity and promote healing
I hope you are able to see this and provide some help. We had Barkley in again today for another dressing change; some improvement in wounds. It is interesting, just as amongst people surgeons, there are various opinions and ways of doing things. The Vet today said weekly bandage changes are better than even every other day, as long as Barkley is not favoring that leg and seems comfortable, due to giving more time for granulation tissue to develop. He said removing the bandage peels off that layer if done too often. Do you concur with that? He also said no dog food is better than another including grocery store brands and would not recommend any supplements. Again, thank you so much for your response.
Hi Barb,
I agree that weekly bandage changes are fine. The diet answer is incorrect. You are what you eat and so is your dog! Nutrition is vital to health and critical to healing. The supplement answer is also incorrect. As a veterinarian for 20+years I can tell you that diet and supplements make a huge difference in both overall health and the body’s ability to heal itself. The vast majority of veterinarians unfortunately are not trained in either nutrition or supplements.
A good organic or home-made diet along with a natural vitamin supplement like PAAWS will boost internal immunity, enhance overall wellness and promote healing and recovery of your dog’s wound.
I am glad to talk to you and am available toll free at 1-866-372-2765
Thank you,
Dr Carol.
