[size=10pt][/size]I have a 8 month old male, he was bitten by a stray about 4 weeks back. The bite is on his under belly near the penis- its just not healing. I have done all I can, vaccinations, pills daily cleaning of the bite incision with Betadine liquid etc. Worst thing is I need to keep him away from licking the wound as a result I have to put a collar muzzle. Poor chap his name is Naughty but it seems he's forgotten all the fun he used to have running after the ball on our terrace. What do I do, the wound is about as deep as a canine teeth
Re: Stray dog bite Hi , sorry to hear about this wound problem , I`m assuming that you have been to your Vet ? The trouble is that when wounds are easy for dogs to get at, they will instinctively lick and nibble, making things worse . Could you try using a cone type head collar for him to stop him from doing this ?
Re: Stray dog bite Have you seen a vet about it ? My old lab got a puncture wound from our next door neighbours alsation. I didn't know about it and it turned into an abscess badly infected. The first thing I knew was when he went off his food and started shivering because he had a high temperature. Labradors don't shiver well rarely is I knew something was wrong. I found a big hole just above his tail made by a canine tooth. He needed antibiotics and I also had to try to keep the wound open to let the germs out so the fact naughty's hasn't healed over might not be a bad thing but he might need vet treatment to help get rid of it. Dog teeth and bites have lots of germs if it was me I'd go to the vet. Ooo sorry just re read your post it sounds like you've already been to the vet. In that case if you've finished the tablets etc and it's not getting any better I would at least ring the vet and ask them. Hope he's better soon. Jen
Re: Stray dog bite Oh ouch anils.....!hi to you and your dog,I've got dexter a 14 month old yellow boy . I dread having to say this as the cone is dreaded and hated ( although necessary )on here but maybe try that if you aren't positive that he isn't getting to the wound.....I've just come through a long operation recuperation with Dexter ,the vet told me it was vital for the most effective healing that he didn't lick it .....it was hard work for us as even with the biggest cone on,Dex was agile enough to reach the wound site Also when Dexters wound wasn't healing after the first operations was taking him in every second day to have the wound dusted with collagen powder...I can't remember exactly how it works but it has the effect of causing the wound to knit together ...might be something to ask your vet about Best wishes Angela
Re: Stray dog bite Thanks all for replying to my post, I have been taking him to the Vet practically everyday for cleaning, he has had his share of antibiotic vaccines, pills and what have you. Initially I must confess I did not get the Cone collar for the first few days but now he wears one- homemade I just hope my bundle of joy recovers and starts playing his usual games again Reagrds. Anil
Re: Stray dog bite Thanks guys its heartening to know that so many care for my little one. I must thank The Lab site, its an absolutely amazing site and in fact yesterday I made my daughter see this place and requested her to be regular on it, she is my partner in raising Naughty I am a first time dog owner and as we are vegetarians we have been raising him on milk, roti (Indian bread made of wheat flour), and other veg foods, but I feel he is not growing as much as he should so thinking of feeding him some dog food, now Royal canin is very expensive and I cannot afford the same, however Pedigree may be an option, please advise Regards, Anil
Re: Stray dog bite Hmmm...well I would continue to consult with the vet on it, but I wonder if nutrition isn't part of the problem in it not healing properly? Dogs are carnivores, they do need some animal protein. I would definitely look into food made especially for dogs, ie the best quality kibble you can afford. Are you in the UK? I am in Canada and not all the brands are the same so others can advise you better on that, although there are many ideas on which food is best. Many are doing the raw feeding with great success as well but I can't advise on that as I feed my dog kibble. I hope he starts to heal soon, it is such a worry. Let us know!
Re: Stray dog bite I too would very strongly suspect that nutrition is an issue. He won't be getting what he needs on milk, roti and vegetables. Switching your dog to a complete dog food is definitely advisable, so it's a good thing that you have come to that conclusion Pedigree dry dog food would be a much better option than his current diet I love it that his name is Naughty ;D
Re: Stray dog bite Please do feed your dog a diet which contains meat and preferably a food especially prepared for dogs, or look up on the internet the raw food diet called BARF (bones and raw food) which might be easier for you but not pleasant if you are a vegetarian. I used to work for a vet and I am very sorry to say that a dog brought up on the food you are feeding died before he was a year old. I am not being critical as I am sure you have been doing your best, but perhaps didn't understand the dietry (sp!) needs of a canine who is a carnivore.
Re: Stray dog bite I think we had this discussion previously with another member. Please please try switch to a complete food if you can afford it. I can understand you might not want to use the raw food even though it might be cheaper for you. I know that your dog will be much more able to fight off infections if it gets all the right nutrients in its diet and that ABSOLUTELY includes proteins from meat. Please let us know if we can help any more but do listen to what your vet advises too.
Re: Stray dog bite Forgot to mention that Pedigree would be a better option than what you are feeding him at the moment.
Re: Stray dog bite I agree totally with whats been said by the other with regard to his food, he probably hasnt got a good immune system which is restricting his healing process along with his growth and so yes , kibble of any kind would be much better than a vegetarian diet and milk , good luck to you, your daughter and Naughty
Re: Stray dog bite Thanks all again, I am sorry I have not been able to write and thank earlier, so Pedigree it is for Naughty from today....hope that helps. I am based out of Delhi-India, someone asked I think Rachael... Regards, Anil
Re: Stray dog bite I had an idea you were out of the UK anils....I'm in Dubai with Dexter and it can be hard making sure I can get him everything here so it must be difficult for you ...Naughty will be back to himself in no time with the help of his new diet...let is know how he is and I'm hoping for a good recovery of his bite wound for you all x Best wishes Angela
Re: Stray dog bite So Pedigree it is now, once a day(night time) other two mails are home food, he will be 9 months on 7th of Dec and I am feeding him thrice daily with a few treats thrown in now and then. Hope he recovers from that stupid dog bite soon :-[ Cheers, Anil
Re: Stray dog bite At nine months he probably only needs two meals, the only reason he still needs three meals is because he hasn't been getting the right nutrients a carnivore needs. Not a criticism, just an observation! If you start giving him one kibble meal (pedigree) and one home-food meal, do try to make sure the home-food meal is also right for him. Some rice and vegetables are fine, but dogs do not digest milk well. Otherwise you can give him egg every now and then, and if you are not happy feeding him raw chicken and bones, then a can of sardines or tuna is a great substitute, good for him and he will love it! I am sure with his new diet he will start growing properly and his immune system will improve. Good luck, and please let us know how you get on!
Re: Stray dog bite Hi People, Went to see a third Vet yesterday and today too, seems my cup of woes isn't full yet, Naughty now has a lot a reddish skin on his underbelly around the small wound that he has of dog bite, so this new Vet who is the third in line says that this is owing to the antibiotics he's been having....only thing I have to do is put Betadine liquid on it few times a day, as for the real problem which is the stray bite he says that it will heal on its own, actually the dog bit him on the loose hanging skin of his belly near his penis as such there is no muscle or bone near the wound .....so the small opening caused by the bite has to close by itself by natural process and till that happens I need to ensure that he does not lick, stays away from water and other general precautions in addition to getting it cleaned regularly to prevent any new infections. Oh God.....please help Anil
Re: Stray dog bite Anil don't fret ,proceed as advised by this vet.....it will take some supervision and management( I'm the owner that slept with Dexter for a month to get his tail wound better.....I'm sure you won't have to go to such extremes,)but you will see some improvement now that you have changed his diet too.did you mention the collagen powder to the vet,that really had a great effect for us....keep on touch Best wishes Angela
Re: Stray dog bite Hi All, So it 3 days that I have started Naughty on Pedigree Professional, meanwhile all that the third Vet that I visited had to say is that the wound is on loose skin of underbelly with no muscular or bone support so it will heal on its own ..implying that the wound will gradually heal from inside out and the opening will then close. Its been more then 4 weeks now and poor chap keeps bumping into walls as he wears the cone shaped or Elizabeth collar as it called. As for me my darling daughter cleans him up every morning @7 before going to school, twice after coming back from school (she is the nurse) Wish there was something I could do to rid him from the terrible ordeal he is going through Regards, Anil
