Did you know? Around 10,000 dogs are either injured or killed in car accidents each year (Pet Pedia).
If you’re reading this, it’s probably because your dog has been injured. Don’t get upset, you can help heal their wounds with just a few simple steps. Here are easy ways to speed up the healing process:
Top ways to ensure wound care for dogs
Follow the below steps to ensure proper wound care for dogs.
1. Stop the bleeding
To stop bleeding, you can use a cotton ball or a clean piece of gauze to apply pressure. You should also place the dog’s wound on a towel or blanket so that it won’t get dirty while you’re treating it.
When applying pressure, use firm but gentle pressure with your fingers to make sure all of the blood has been absorbed by the pad for at least five minutes (or until there is no more bleeding). Make sure you don’t press too hard because this could damage tissue and cause even more pain for your dog than necessary.
2. Clean the wound with water
Clean the wound. Use a sterile gauze pad and gently dab water on the wound to clean any dirt or debris.
Choose an appropriate bandage for your dog’s wound and apply it over the dressing after cleaning it with water, if needed.
3. Apply an antibacterial ointment
Apply an antiseptic ointment to your dog’s wound to help prevent infection. Antibacterial creams are available at most drug stores, and you can usually find them near the bandages.
Antibacterial ointments are not the same as antibiotic ointments – they don’t contain antibiotics or other medications that would treat a bacterial infection.
Instead, all they do is kill microorganisms that cause infections, so they’re great for preventing infections from occurring in wounds on your dog’s skin.
4. Treat the wound with a honey-based bandage
Honey is a natural antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-fungal. It can also help to reduce pain and inflammation; promote healing; kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi on the wound site; and keep wounds moist, so they heal faster.
5. Use an antiseptic spray or rub
The next thing is the wound disinfection. Different dogs have different skin types, so you will need to use a product that works for your dog’s particular needs. One common recommendation is an antiseptic spray or rub containing chlorhexidine (CHX).
CHX is highly effective at killing bacteria that cause infection and can be applied directly to wounds. It can even help prevent infection from taking hold after cleaning and closing a wound.
6. Give your dog vitamins C and E
To help your pup heal, you can give him antioxidants. They can prevent damage produced by free radicals, which are formed when a dog’s body starts to repair itself.
In addition to vitamin C and E, there are other antioxidants that your dog’s body can use to fight off infection and heal wounds more quickly. These include beta carotene (found in carrots), selenium (found in fish), bromelain (found in pineapple), and lutein (found in spinach).
Vitamin C is found naturally in strawberries, kiwi fruit, papaya, and citrus fruits like oranges or limes. Vitamin E is much harder for dogs to get from their diet alone, so this should be supplemented if necessary with cod liver oil which contains both vitamins A & D as well as EPA/DHA omega-three fatty acids.
They have been proven time after time to improve the health of dogs with skin conditions such as hot spots on their paws when used daily over several months at dosing levels up until 100 mg/kg per day for large breeds weighing over 60 pounds.
Smaller breeds may require less dosage depending upon weight but should still be monitored closely until symptoms resolve completely before reducing dosage levels down further than 25 mg/kg per day if possible.
7. Help your dog get plenty of rest and change the bandage daily
After the first day, you should be able to change the bandage and clean the wound with a mild soap. If you see any redness or swelling, discontinue treatment and seek veterinary wound care for dogs immediately.
Let your dog take rest while he heals his wound, so keep him separated from other pets in case they try to pick at it.
And finally, make sure you’re giving your dog all the vitamins and nutrition he needs for optimal healing – most important is getting enough protein so that his body can use those proteins as building blocks for new skin cells.
Just like humans need nine essential amino acids to survive, dogs need them too: try adding animal sources like yogurt (make sure it doesn’t contain sugar), eggs, or fish oil supplements into their diet if needed.
If it’s hot outside and/or humid inside, then use an air conditioner (AC) unit instead of a heating system because these provide cool air instead of warm ones like furnaces do during winter seasons which makes them ideal appliance options year-round, such as summer mornings when temperatures rise above 50 degrees Fahrenheit outside but not inside yet. Humidity can slow down the healing process. So, make sure to use an air conditioner in your pet’s area if it’s necessary.
8. Limit your dog’s activity
Reduce your dog’s activity:
- If the wound is on a leg, keep your dog from jumping up on furniture or other high surfaces.
- If the wound is on a paw and you have more than one dog in the house, keep them separated so that they don’t get into fights over toys or treats.
- If the wound is on an area where your dog likes to scratch (like his head), try putting him in a crate during his regular nap time, so he doesn’t get himself worked up by having nothing else to do but claw at himself.
This can also help if he gets nervous when you leave him alone for long periods. A crate will be familiar territory for him and make him feel safe while giving him something else besides itching all day. You can also try spraying some calming pheromones around them – they smell nice and calm down people too.
Conclusion
Wounds can be painful and uncomfortable for dogs as well as their owners. But you don’t have to worry about this too much if your dog has a small wound. The best you can do is clean the wound with water, apply an antibacterial ointment, treat it with a honey-based bandage, give your dog vitamins C and E, help him get plenty of rest, and change the bandage daily.