When you can take your dog to the vet to treat her injuries, then that’s great. But there may come times when she gets hurt in the middle of the night. And maybe at such times, you might not have access to emergency services. The roads can be filled with ice, or your car breaks down. Anything could happen, right? So don’t you think you should know how to treat dog wounds at home?

It does sound like a tremendous responsibility. But when done in the right manner, there’s nothing you need to worry about. So let’s find out how to clean an infected wound on a dog.

What goes in the First Aid Kit?

A first aid kit is something that every household should keep, irrespective of whether they have a dog or not. If you don't have a first aid kit yet, make sure to navigate here or to a similar website to find one! Now, let’s see what goes in the bag.

Hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine or betadine solution, some tape, scissors, and sterile bandages.

The thing about bandages is that dogs can easily tear them off. So you should make it a point to get a different wrapping that she can’t rid of. And instead of regular scissors, opt for bandage scissors. They don’t have pointy, sharp edges that might end up hurting your dog when she’s wiggling around during the bandaging process. These are the kind of things that you’ll get at any local pharmacy.

And most importantly, use that muzzle. Even if your dog doesn’t tend to bite that easily, please don’t take that risk. When in pain, all dogs bite.

How to Treat Dog Wounds at Home?

The first step is to deal with the injury. And this depends on whether your dog is bleeding or not. Before doing anything, you have to make the bleeding stop. Here, I would like to share an important fact. When a dog bleeds due to biting wounds, the situation is comparatively less severe that metal or glass cut wounds.

So I’ve discussed all the necessary steps below that show you how to treat dog wounds at home.

1. Apply pressure to halt the bleeding

If it’s small wound, then you can apply pressure with the help of some gauze. But if it’s large, then you need a clean napkin or towel. At this time, there’s no need for you worry about whether the towel is 100% clean as the wound isn’t clean itself.

Sometimes the bleeding doesn’t stop in spite of applying pressure. The blood keeps shooting out every single time her heart beats. So if that’s the case, get a pair of forceps from the first aid kit. Use it to reach into your dog’s wound to clamp shut the tip of the vessel.

Now I know that this sounds like a tough task, but you have to keep at it to make the bleeding stop. Otherwise, you might lose your dog.

2. Cleaning the wound

As a responsible pet owner, you should know the best dog wound care home remedies. And in this article, I’ve discussed some of the most efficient ones. So please keep reading.

When dealing with a bite wound, it is small but infected and dirty. Clean the area around the wound with betadine or even tap water. Using water to clean that wound will be less irritating as it’s easy to pour water into the affected region.

At this point, if you spot any twigs or gravel in or around the wound, then you need to remove it.

3. Apply temporary bandage

Now that you know how to treat dog wounds at home, it’s time to wrap up the infected area. But this is a temporary cover-up to prevent the wound from getting dirty and attracting an infection.

4. Clip the long hair around the wound

The goal is to keep the region surrounding the wound clean, right? So use the scissors to get rid of all the hair around your dog’s wound. Make sure to toss the hair off in the bin before washing your hands.

5. Closing the wound, if needed

I don’t mean suturing the wound because there’s no way you should do that by yourself at home (but here’s how to do it if you think you can handle it). I mean pulling the edges of the wound together before placing a bandage over it.

6. Apply the final bandage

A square-shaped bandage is perfect for the job. You can even roll another bandage over this to hold the first dressing in place.

But please remember that when rolling the bandage around the foot, leave out the toes. They need to be visible as you might have to keep a check on them. When the toes are in good condition, they stay parallel as well as close to each other. So make it a point to check the toes every 1-2 hours.

If you spot any swelling, then it means that the bandage is too tight. So take it off and wrap it again. But this time, keep it loose. Failing to do so might cost your dog her leg.

Sometimes the wound may be large and might require suturing. So it’s best to take your dog to the vet at such times. Antibiotic therapy is necessary, and only a vet will be able to treat the condition most safely and efficiently.

What You Need to Know about Closed and Open Wounds

Before I conclude this guide about how to treat dog wounds at home, there’s something important that I would like to discuss. Now a small wound is easy to close during the cleaning process. But on rare occasions, even a little injury, especially the ones on a footpad or nose, do not close easily. So at such times, you can use super glue.

When your dog has suffered several wounds, there might be too much bleeding. So it’s best to close these wounds right away. Just squeeze a single drop into the affected area and bring the edges of the wound close together.

Super glue feels hot against the skin, so this might burn. Try to hold down your dog at this point. But please don’t use super glue if it’s not ABSOLUTELY necessary. You shouldn’t opt for this kind of treatment on bite wounds, infections, nasty lacerations, and road rash injuries.

Cleaning up the Mess

This is where hydrogen peroxide comes into the picture. Don’t for a second think that you can clean up the mess with dog shampoo. What hydrogen peroxide does is break up all the red blood cells. This makes the cleaning process easier.

And in the end, pat your adorable dog for being so strong and patient throughout the procedure. She needs all that love right now!

Conclusion

If you spot any dog wound infection symptoms even after cleaning and bandaging the wound, then you need to go to the vet. The thing about dog wound healing stages is that sometimes the affected area needs more care and cleaning. And this is something that only a medical professional will be able to provide. So don’t waste time and head to the clinic right away.

But more often than not, this doesn’t happen. So now you know how to treat dog wounds at home. It’s not just your dog but you as well that needs to be steady and calm during the procedure. So take a deep breath and go about the process without worrying about anything else. You’ve got this!

Have you ever had to deal with a situation like this? How bad was the wound and how did you try to control the condition?

Please feel free to share your experiences with us below. You can also leave your feedback in the comments section.

I hope the content helped in solving your problem. And I hope that your dog feels better in no time.

Take care.

About the author:

Ruby Smith is an enthusiastic blogger who loves all things canine. She understands what it feels like to be a caring, compassionate, and responsible pet owner. This explains why she has spent several years researching and writing about pet products and health. Her articles provide useful information along with valuable tips that make the process of caring for your pet easier and more comfortable.

Sources:

1. https://pethelpful.com/dogs/How-To-Clean-a-Wound-on-Your-Dog
2. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/care-of-open-wounds-in-dogs
3. http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2013/april/how-to-take-care-of-your-pets-minor-wounds-30187