Gun Dog Forum

Hi, my 10 month old male GSP recently got cut by some barbwire on his front leg on the front side of his elbow where it bends, Its about the size of a dime with the skin hanging down, I believe it will heal fine if left alone, he licks it alot, I know all about the emt gel and sprays and duct tape, I wanted to use the gel but it's pretty much impossible to keep the little guy still when he knows what I'm about to do or when I try touching around it, he basically goes crazy, I know it's tender for him and doesn't want me to touch it, what the secret to keep him calm when you do stuff like this, Or should I leave it alone? Thanks for the help.

I just dealt with this. I cleaned it out, stapled it closed, put on the polysporin, kept it covered and it healed up in about 7-10 days.

My gsp is attracted to barbwire as well so I built a small first aid and it sees too much use.

Yes mine likes barbwire also, this is his second match with one, first one was three nice punctures on his neck, he is good with fences that are up, but there's seem to be a over abundance of down fences and barbwire piles around.

Not sure what time it happened it may be to later to staple my girl hit barbed wire sounds just like yours took 3 plus weeks without staples....

It happened Monday, I did call vet and he said if it's not 1" wide, no need for stitches, not sure I agree with that, but he said keep it clean and apply ointment.

"Sacking out" the dog helps to desensitize a dog to human touch. When you train a young dog get him used to being touched all over his body. Feet, legs, back, ears, etc. etc. When he has to stand during toe trimming and minor treatments he will be much calmer. If you start out touching him in unpleasant situations, he will resist just about anything you do. Barrel work can help this type of thing a lot.

Where do you guy's find those stapler's? If it's bad I go to the vet. Not so bad, I sew it up.

AZ Brittany Guy wrote:"Sacking out" the dog helps to desensitize a dog to human touch. When you train a young dog get him used to being touched all over his body. Feet, legs, back, ears, etc. etc. When he has to stand during toe trimming and minor treatments he will be much calmer. If you start out touching him in unpleasant situations, he will resist just about anything you do. Barrel work can help this type of thing a lot.

I will work on it, although I've had him 8 months with me everyday my hands are on him all the time it seems like, he lets me trim his nails no problem, he will let me touch around the wound no problem, but if he sees or smells the ointment, different story.

Sundby wrote:

AZ Brittany Guy wrote:"Sacking out" the dog helps to desensitize a dog to human touch. When you train a young dog get him used to being touched all over his body. Feet, legs, back, ears, etc. etc. When he has to stand during toe trimming and minor treatments he will be much calmer. If you start out touching him in unpleasant situations, he will resist just about anything you do. Barrel work can help this type of thing a lot.

I will work on it, although I've had him 8 months with me everyday my hands are on him all the time it seems like, he lets me trim his nails no problem, he will let me touch around the wound no problem, but if he sees or smells the ointment, different story.

Every now and then you get a dog with a low pain threshold and you are forced to get someone to muzzle and hold the dog while you do what you need to do. My experience on that is after about two or three times the dog settles down when if figures out your not going to hurt them.

DonF wrote:Where do you guy's find those stapler's? If it's bad I go to the vet. Not so bad, I sew it up.

I got mine from my hunting partner who was a Doc but most of the gundog supply guys have them.

On small cuts like that I just use super glue and stretch wrap.

Grant

There are several models on Amazon too. I have this, but haven't had to use it yet. http://www.amazon.com/Oasis-Disposable- ... B002OMA99O

DonF wrote:Where do you guy's find those stapler's? If it's bad I go to the vet. Not so bad, I sew it up.

Got it from my vet. I bought the wide staple gun.

DonF wrote:Where do you guy's find those stapler's? If it's bad I go to the vet. Not so bad, I sew it up.

Not as great as they sound Don. Very easy to seal in infection , and then you have a big problem. Good if you are out hunting /trial and the dog gets a gaping wound - you can stem the flow of blood until you get right to the vet.

Sharon wrote:

DonF wrote:Where do you guy's find those stapler's? If it's bad I go to the vet. Not so bad, I sew it up.

Not as great as they sound Don. Very easy to seal in infection , and then you have a big problem. Good if you are out hunting /trial and the dog gets a gaping wound - you can stem the flow of blood until you get right to the vet.

So true Sharon
We sewed up one dog`s belly after giving the wound a good antiseptic wash, 6 months later there was a small abscess and out popped a piece of canola leaf!

Always leave a small gap to allow for drainage.

Grant

Yup - it's purely a temporary measure to get the dog to someone who knows what they are doing.

I've been lucky, the worst barbwire incident I've had was a long deep cut on the inside of the dogs ear flap that bled like crazy, but wasn't at all life threatening or require any treatment beyond pressure to stop the bleeding and EMT gel. Everything else has just been various small cuts and scratches.

If you find cut or tear within few hours, clean well with anticeptic wash then saline. Staple together rolling fur and skin away from each side to get tight edge to edge fit. Triple antibiotic or other gel.

If longer then several hours, stapling will have more chance of getting dirt in wound. Then I just give antibiotics for the 7-10 days and keep putting triple antibiotic or similar gel on wound.

Must give antibiotics to dog for 7-10 days. Only way to keep out infection in the wound.

I'm lucky enough and have used same vet for 20 years that he gives me a script for a couple different bottles of antibiotics just for these cases.

Never had a infection in a wound. I do all my own staples.

You are obviously experienced. Good advice. The problems arise with the inexperienced who just bought the gun.

Don't learn this the hard way like I did. Even a very loose bandage wrapped around a dog leg becomes more like a tourniquet over the course of a few hours or overnight. Worse if the wrap is near one of the joints and he bends it while sleeping, for example. You may discover a grossly swollen lower extremity in the morning, below the bandage!Anyone else have that experience? One vet told me a dog leg has more veins running up a leg, than arteries running down. Do the math, he said.

41magsnub wrote:Yup - it's purely a temporary measure to get the dog to someone who knows what they are doing.

I've been lucky, the worst barbwire incident I've had was a long deep cut on the inside of the dogs ear flap that bled like crazy, but wasn't at all life threatening or require any treatment beyond pressure to stop the bleeding and EMT gel. Everything else has just been various small cuts and scratches.

Love those ear cut's. You'd swear the dog was running out of blood!

FWIW -

I had a dog that tangle with barbed wire (I think) at a trials some years back. Fortunately there was a vet in attendance who had all the necessary stuff. I washed and flushed the wounds out with Bactine liquid, about as well as I could and brought him up to the vet.

Laid him down and they sewed him up with stainless steel suture wire. I asked about it and the vet said that he used it on bird dogs for two reasons...First and foremost, bacteria will not live on Stainless steel, so there is minimal possibility of something infiltrating along the path of the stitch and seocn, if you leave the ends of the stitch long, the dogs will not mess with it because the ends will poke them in the nose mouth and tongue, so no need for "the collar of shame", which is a royal PIA to deal with in a kennel situation.

I picked up a stapler and a staple puller after that incident and keep it in the dog box, just in case. I also have a cloth muzzle in there somewhere. I always keep a bottle or two of Bactine liquid and a bottle of saline in the dog box. I figure I can keep one of my dogs still long enough to close up a wound with staples, if I am by myself. Not so sure I could suture a dog up if I was alone. I ain't good one handed.

RayG

I'm with Mr. Linden, any cuts that are anything more than superficial and off to the Vet I go. I too learned the hard way. Plus I'm a little squeamish.
My younger dog hit the barbed wire and I thought I could handle the one inch tear. Nope, it just kept getting worse with green colored drainage coming from it in just a few days.

In fact, even after the Vet took care of it and it was this healed:



She ripped it open again on some briers. Really sets you back as a hunting team when one of your best partners has to sit at home.

As a side note, my older girl really did a number on herself few years back. One morning we were hunting migrating Woodcock when my younger pup went on point. Older girl came in to back and when I looked down at her I nearly passed out. She had hit some wire and had a flap of skin from her elbow to her ankle and it was hanging down to her foot. Nearly all of her leg muscle was exposed looking not unlike a deer leg when you skin it. And the thing is, she didn't want to quit hunting!! Acted as if nothing even had happened.