A dog’s eyesight is not at par with its scenting and hearing abilities. Can you help a dog that has jumped into a window thinking that it is not glassed off? Running through a glassed off wall is one of the accidents where the dog can get seriously cut. Serious cuts can be sustained by a dog hit by a speeding car. A dog has the inclination to roam and serious cuts can be incurred when the dog steps into broken glass, jagged tins and sharp metals.

A dog is an accident prone animal thus an owner has to have what it takes to provide the pet with emergency care. The competence to apply first aid will be a very useful ability every dog owner should have because being explorative animals, dogs can get injured very often and a vet may not always be available or it may take some time to get to a veterinary hospital.

The abrasions and the simple cuts of a dog are often ignored and not treated. The dog owner may not even be aware of the pet’s injuries. Serious cuts however certainly needs immediate treatment not only to prevent infection but also to control bleeding as severe blood loss can eventually result to the death of the dog. A dog with serious wounds needs professional medical care as in most cases the dog has to be anesthetized for the suturing of the wound.

What signs would make the dog owner be aware that the injuries sustained by the pet are serious? A dog’s injury is serious if the deep puncture has severely damaged the skin or if suturing is necessary to close the gaping wound. The cut is serious if fat and muscle can be seen from the gaping wound. These serious cuts are expected to be heavy bleeders. Bleeding of serious cuts would be very hard to control.

Assessing the dog’s injury is necessary before treatment is applied. Remove dirt and foreign objects by flushing the cut. After foreign objects were removed, apply pressure directly to the wound with towel.

Arterial bleeding characterized by bright red spurting blood is a life threatening injury. Bleeding has to be controlled immediately thus there will be not opportunity to flush the wound to remove foreign objects. Apply direct pressure to the cut using towels, bandaging materials or clean cloth. If the towel is soaked through, add another towel over the soaked one. Continue applying pressure while the pet is being transported to the hospital.

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Filed under: Dog Info

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