Injury to foot, what do you think? (Graphic photo)

[Tazwell]

Hey guys... Fleetwood messed up his foot over a week ago, and I'm on the fence about taking him in to have it looked at. This happened Thanksgiving, so a week and a half ago. We hiked, biked, and walked, and when we got back to the car, i noticed his foot was bleeding--- a LOT. When I got home, I put pressure on it and when the bleeding stopped, I wrapped it. I changed the bandage every 8 hours or so for about 4 days, then started to let it air out, then left it uncovered all the time.

The wound(s) itself has not changed much since that day, you can see new growth but the wound is not shrinking. The day it happened I called my vet and explained it to her, and gave me clavamox which he's been on. It has prevented infection.

But it's just not really closing up. So, vet? Wound care advice?


Foot injury by TazwellC, on Flickr

[JessLough]

Are you sure he hasn't been licking it, preventing it from healing?

Rosey had something that LOOKED like that, but as far as I know, it never actually bled. Though I only noticed it because she was obssessively licking her foot.

It ended I bought some Betadine and put her in The Cone until it was healed. Now, this was quite a few months ago, and its still not completely healed, in the sense that its not smaller... but there's new growth and it's also not an open wound anymore so I don't worry about infection. Oh, and when sue went outside I put vet wrap so it wouldn't get sand or mud in it.

I don't we what a vet would do, can't really stitch that, so likely just wrap, and since he already has/had clavamox.

As long as there is new growth, I wouldn't be terribly worried, personally, if its not bleeding or bugging him, but if your gut is telling you vet, I'd say go with that.

ETA: I'm on a phone and the picture is small on it, so I may be missing something xD

[Saeleofu]

I'd take him to the vet. It doesn't look terrible, but it may need to be debrided a bit to get it to heal fully, and it will probably need a bit of lidocaine to do so.

[Tazwell]

If he's licking it at all, it's certainly not excessive because I haven't seen it. I'm more worried because its so open still, and he's getting close to being out of clavamox...

[JessLough]

Ahh, yah I can't see how open it is, I just read the "new growth" part and thought you were just worried it wasn't shrinking.

[Bigpoodleperson]

It does look like he has been licking it, and that is probably why it is not healing well. I would take him into the vet to see if they need to do more then just antibiotics.

[AdrianneIsabel]

Check with the vet, I may be tempted to try nu-skin on my dogs with an injury like that. Otherwise if its not infected I would just let it heal naturally.

[~WelshStump~]

EMT Gel, you should be able to get it at most farm stores (got mine at TSC store). Used it on a bite puncture on End's leg and it healed up quicker and cleaner than I expected, most of the fur it growing back even. First bought it to use it on her when she sliced open a toe less than a week before a show, I'm guessing it was from glass, but it was fully heeled by our show date. Really, I can't brag about the stuff enough, but it does all come from personal use of the product.

And as far seeing the vet, honestly I don't know as they would do much for it anyway, other than maybe put him on a different antibiotic.

[Tazwell]

The wounds look clean, there's no dead tissue or debris in it, so I'm not sure what they would do. It certainly doesn't appear that it could be stitched. I am going to pick up fleetwood's other medication today, so I will ask about it while I'm there.

I forgot to add, he's also on 'low dose naltrexone' everyday for his autoimmune condition, I think that's an anti-inflammatory med. that may be slowing down healing, yes?

[Tazwell]

That emt gel seems like good stuff. I've heard good things about it before, but I just now actually looked into it. I've only been putting neosporin on it.