Boxer - serious laceration - HELP!

[hooligan]

Well if you decide you have to DIY and need help, let me know. Good luck

 

[mangled]

Thanks.

Em

 

[redhen]

hooligan..i know..its not right that she brought him there several times and he wont work with her...usually a vet will take care or follow up on something like that..for cheap or for just the meds...i stopped going to vet for that reason...i could just tell that she lost..WHY she became a vet in the first place((or maybe she became a vet for the money..who knows..

))..i KNOW they cant work for free...but geez...she already brought him in several times...i'd be real..

..if i were her...i'd still try to call him in the a.m...and see what he will or wont do for you...good luck again..Wendy

 

[EllyMae]

Just another idea incase you can't get the vet to do much more(but hopefully he will prescribe another round of AB, sounds like puppy needs it), but I use a product at work(I'm a nurse, too, and deal primarily with wounds) called hydrogel. We use that in deep wounds, after rinsing the wound with saline. We NEVER rinse a wound with peroxide because it can be so caustic to the granulating tissue. If we ever use peroxide we dilute it 50/50 with saline then follow with a saline rinse. But rarely do we use it. But back to the hydrogel, it can be purchased at (usually) at home health agencies if they have a store front or pharmacies.
The only thing that I worry about is the infection. I will say a prayer that the vet will at least put him on another round of AB. I can't imagine turning away a dog that you have already started treatment on. But hey, some docs will treat humans that way, too. there is no excuse for that.
Can you tell I'm upset right along with you? Keep us posted and let me know if I can help.

 

[mangled]

EllyMae-
We also rarely used Peroxide. I was figuring it as a one-time deal, to get the wound fresh and start with good, clean tissue. As soupy as it looks right now, I doubt there's much new tissue granulating.

Now that I actually went and looked at the little bottle of peroxide I do have, it's one of the 50/50 bottles I brought home in a scrub pocket one morning. I happen to have a suture kit as well. It's amazing what you can accidently cart home in a scrub pocket.

My husband and I are going to go get a couple of those stitches out of the pad, and do a good warm water soak and then pack it. The kids are finally settled, so nows the time.

I'll give the vet a call in the AM, and hopefully will have good news to report.

Thanks all-
Em

 

[EllyMae]

Being in home health, you should see the cargo area of my car...they make us carry one of those HUGE rubbermaid containers with what looks to be the entire central supply department, lol.
Good luck tomorrrow. I will be watching for updates.

 

[hooligan]

Yes, let us know what the vet says, and if possible talk directly to him. He obviously KNOWS how much you care about your baby and might work with you bc of that

 

[texasgirl]

At our clinic we are huge fans of epsom salt soaking twice daily.
Good luck. As long as you can keep the infection away, they usually will heal pretty well on their own. Dogs and cats are cool like that

 

[mmajw]

Most vets wont even stitch the pad area. I am surprised, guess they thought it was bad enough to give it a shot. The pad area is the worst to try and heal. I would clean it well daily and try antibiotic ointment and wrap the foot and change the bandage at least once a day but I would do twice and clean each time. It may take awhile but hopefully soon it will heal. You may also want to have the dog on anti-biotics (oral) for 7-10 days for infection reasons.

 

[mangled]

Well, called the vet this AM, they wanted to see him immediately.

Got Chico up there, unwrapped his bandage and the vet tells me he needs another surgery. They want to anesthetize him again and "freshen" the wound, then restitch. The estimate? $417.27

They also wanted to charge me a $18.00 follow up fee and I told them they all ready charged us for $400 plus dollars, and now wanted ANOTHER $400 plus, and I wasn't paying anymore. I thanked him for his time and we left.

So, we're on our own. I drove out to a clinic that a fellow church-member has, and he was kind enough to give me a 14 day supply of Clindamycin, 300 mg, so hopefully it'll help with the infection. It was only $17.00. He won't see the dog, though, without charging, and we just don't have it.

I'll try to get a picture tonight when I do the bandage change and the epsom salt soak. We let him out of the e-collar last night and he went nuts licking it, then wanted to chew, so the collar went back on after the bandage change.

I'm going to go ahead and pull the stitches tonight. I left them last night, in case the doctor wanted to take them out today.

So, anyway, I guess I'll be nursing a injured dog for a while.

Thanks for all the help and ideas.
Em