How can I close my dogs wound without stitches?

Large wound closure in dogs can be completed with or without the use of general anesthetic. Depending on the location of the wound, a local anesthetic may be given to prevent the canine from feeling pain during the closure process. 

Cleaning & Analysis

• The wound will be covered with a water-soluble lubricant or wet sterile sponge in order to provide protection for the removal of surrounding hair. 
• The area around the wound is clipped. 
• The water-soluble gel is eliminated with sterile saline after the clipping is completed. 
• Tap water is then used to eliminate gross contamination, followed by sterile saline, and any obvious foreign material is manually removed. 
• A deep sample will be taken from the flushed wound for culture and sensitivity testing against infection. As the culture is pending and awaiting a result, the canine will be placed on a broad-spectrum antibiotic. 
• An evaluation of wound exposure is made, determining if a vital structure such as an artery, nerve, vein or joint is present. 

Wound Closure

A veterinarian can close a wound in one or four ways; primary wound closure, delayed wound closure, secondary wound closure or second intention healing. The decision of which technique to use is based on the amount of contamination present in the wound, time of trauma, and the amount of devitalized tissue.  

You can treat minor pets wounds at home since not every scrape or injury requires pet emergency care. Our pets will occasionally experience a cut, abrasion, or other minor wound. Dogs especially have more of these instances, since they are more rambunctious than their feline counterparts. The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is here to help explain the right way to treat minor pet wounds at home with pet first aid.

Get a Pet First Aid Kit 

Are you prepared for a pet injury? If you don’t have a pet first aid kit, purchase one or make your own by following the AVMA list of pet first aid supplies. In order to treat a wound, you will need to have the following:

• Sterile bandages
• Cleansing solution suitable for pets
• Antibacterial ointment
• Bandage scissors
• Elastic wrapping
• Tweezers
• Spray bottle
• Clean towels or rags

Treat Minor Pet Wounds at Home

Before you begin, make sure you have someone to help you restrain your pet while you treat the wound. If no one is available, you can also use a muzzle. Even if your pet has never been aggressive, pain can cause a pet to react differently. Avoid scratches or bites by having a plan to keep your pet stable and calm while you treat the wound.

1. Stop the bleeding. If the wound is bleeding, put a clean towel or cloth over the wound and apply light pressure. If the wound is bleeding profusely, it’s best to go to the veterinary emergency hospital since this is a more serious wound than a simple cut. 
2. Clean the wound. Puncture wounds, such as a bite wound, can appear minor, but they are not. Bite wounds contain bacteria that can cause infection. Even if it is small, clean and bandage the wound. To do this, use a water bottle with clean water in it and spray on the wound to clean out any debris, dirt, etc. 
3. Remove any foreign objects with tweezers. If there are things like glass, twigs, thorns, etc. in the wound, remove them with tweezers. Use a magnifying glass to remove all of the debris.
4. Disinfect the wound. Using a cleanser such as diluted betadine or chlorhexidine, which are often included in a packaged first aid kit, gently clean the injured area. Do not use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide as these can damage the tissue and delay healing.
5. Cover up the wound with a bandage. Apply a small amount of antibacterial ointment and cover the wound with a piece of sterile gauze or other bandage. Use the elastic tape to hold the bandage in place. 
6. Consider an E-collar. Pets can’t understand not to bite or lick at a bandage. Since their mouths can spread bacteria into the wound (and have you repeatedly disinfecting and reapplying a bandage), consider using an E-collar (aka cone of shame) to protect the wound site. 

When finished, reward your pet for being a brave boy or girl with a small treat. Take care to remove the old bandage after 24 hours and replace with a new one. Monitor how your pet’s wound is healing. If you notice there is additional bleeding, changes to the color of the wound, swelling, or discharge, contact us. This may indicate an infection or that the cut or puncture isn’t healing properly.

If you would like more information on how to treat minor pet wounds at home or if you are unsure whether or not it’s a pet emergency, please contact us.

Thank you so much for your help. We have gotten through the first part of your advice. But, now we are having a problem with the location of her wound. Since it is at the very top of the inside of her leg, it's at the widest part of her thigh and it's where her leg moves back and forth. So, the cut opens and closes when she moves her leg. What we need is some sort of very sticky band-aid that will hold the two edges together so that they will not open and close every time she moves her leg. Or, if there is some sort of glue. We read online that some people have used super glue on animals and on themselves instead of stitches for smaller wounds, but I am afraid of using super glue because I don't know what chemicals are involved. So, I wonder if there is either some sort of glue type of stuff for dogs that I could get at a pet store or if there is some sort of sticky little band-aids that will keep the wound closed when she moves her leg. If this wound was on the straight, long skinny part of her leg it would have no problem staying together when bandaging, but this location is tricky to keep the wound shut. Even though it is just a half an inch long, when she moves her leg a certain way, it stretches the wound open.

Surprisingly, she has shown no pain over this & acts as happy as can be.

LoopTail said:

Hi,

Does anyone know of a solution of some sort that will help close and heal a wound on a dog?

Yesterday I was cuddling my doodle and was shocked to find that she has a slit wound on her leg about 1/2 an inch long. The wound is on the inside of her leg at the top of her leg. It wasn't bleeding when I found it and didn't have blood around it either. It doesn't have pus and it doesn't smell. So, it doesn't look infected. However, it's deeper than a scrape. It looks like we can help it to heal if we can find a bandage that will hold the two edges together and of course I want to be sure to apply the right solution to it to make sure it doesn't get infected.

If I wasn't in a tough financial situation right now, I'd take her to the vet and ask them, but I thought I would at least try and ask here first if you guys have found anything to help your dog's wound heal.

Thank you so much for your help.

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