Ask the Vet | Basic Dog Injury Home Care

A dog injury can be treated at home if it is not too severe. In more severe cases, it is useful to apply some treatment prior to getting to the vet. Keep a pet first aid kit and use it in cases of emergency. Dogs may get injured during dog fights, accidents or while playing.

Eye Injuries
Eye injuries may be caused by dirt, dust, fights or foreign objects. Dogs have a third eyelid, so keep this in mind when examining the eye. If the third eyelid is raised and red, this may indicate an inflammation. Don’t touch the eyelid.
Your dog might also signal that it has an eye injury by rubbing the eye. Try to stop your dog from doing this to prevent further damage.
If your dog has an eye injury, you will need to clean the eye with a saline solution or water. Use an eye dropper. Cut out some cardboard and make a collar like a lampshade for your dog to stop it from scratching. Take the dog to the vet.
If there is an object inside your dog’s eye, don’t remove the object. Put a card-­board collar around your dog’s neck and hurry to the vet.
Foot Injuries
The feet and paws of the dog may be easily injured during fights, dog sports or even while walking.
If the dog is bleeding, apply compresses to stop the bleeding. Remove any splinters from the wound using disinfected tweezers and cut the dog’s hair around the injury. Use betadine or chlorhexidine to disinfect the wound. Alternatively, you may use antibacterial soap.
Dry the area and apply antibiotic cream. Use some bandages to cover the wound. Bandages are needed, as the feet of dogs are exposed to bacteria and dirt; in addition, the dog may chew or lick the wound and this may lead to an infection. If the wound is deep, sutures may be needed, so take the dog to the vet.
If you suspect that the foot may be fractured, make sure the joints above and below the fracture are immobilized. If the wound is open, don’t push back the bones. Cover the wound with clean bandages and take the dog to the vet.

Body Injuries
Dogs may suffer from injuries on different parts of the body. You may treat them the same way as the foot injuries:  clean and disinfect the wound and then apply some antibiotic cream to prevent infection. Body injuries should not be bandaged if the dog does not have access to the wound. This will speed up the healing. You will need to apply antibiotic cream twice per day and massage it gently into the dog’s skin.
Keep an eye on the dog’s injuries to make sure they don’t get infected. If the injury area is red, inflamed and swollen, the wound is infected. Go to the vet immediately, as the infection may spread in the dog’s body quickly. The vet may prescribe some oral antibiotics. by Dr Ruan Du Toit Bester

Hope this helps
Till next week
Dr Ruan

Ask the Vet: Royal Veterinary Centre
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