Help Please!! Huge Gaping Wound!

[dovelove<3]

sorry i know this is not a pigeon but i wasn't sure where to post this.

this is my puppy Rivers,

today my little sister discovered a huge wound on/into her left shoulder. i mean huge! i have know idea when or how this happened. my dad looked at it and he said he smelt the infection in it. and my sister said she saw maggots but when i went to take pictures i didn't see any.i don't know what to do about it. and sugesstions.

the wound it about two inches long. and when i pull the skin back a little i can see that it goes in about two or three deep.

thanks for any help. i am really worried.

[Feefo]

Flush the wound with sterile saline, but after that get it to a vet who will be able to check the wound and suture it!

Most small animal vets might know very little about pigeons but they know a lot about dogs and cats!

Cynthia

[bcr1]

You should take it to a vet as soon as you can. Try to kaap it clean until then with water and triple antibiotic. Do not use peroxide on it, my vet told me that on puncture wounds it can drive infection into bloodstream.

[dovelove<3]

my sister already flushed it with peroxide once i won't let her do it again.
i have triple anitbiotic ointment. i can't get her to stop licking it. she would just lick the ointment right off. and i am afraid to touch it because she crys so much about it. i made a appointment for her vet in the morning. i have to work so my dad is going to take her. he is worried that it wont heal because he thinks it has been open too long. and that it wouldn't heal with stitches.

[bcr1]

If the poor baby is in pain you can give it aspirin. If it is still small probably use a half of one though.

[Columba livia!]

Wow I"m So Sorry Hill! I Hope It All Works Out! PRAYERS ARE SENT!

[Columba livia!]

It sure looks gnarly! how do you think he got it?

[Charis]

Ouch...Please don't flush with straight peroxide because it burns tissue.

[spirit wings]

vet ASAP, make sure he/she is up to date on his rabies vaccination. if there a maggots it has been there awhile.

[dovelove<3]

she is up to date on everything. like i said i didn't see any maggots but it was after my little sister had cleaned it so who knows. she has a tendency to exhagerate so its possible it didn't have any maggots. her appointment is tommorrow morning. i know i said puppy. but i she is actually five and definitely not small. i just call my dogs puppys cuz thats how they act.

[dovelove<3]

Originally Posted by Columba livia!

It sure looks gnarly! how do you think he got it?

i honestly don't know. she was stuck under our solar today so its possible she could have hurt herself then. i was not here when that happened though. that was this morning when i was working. i have no idea what is under there but im sure things that are not good for my puppies to be around. we try to keep them out but they get past all our barracades.

[bcr1]

It is hard to say how dogs hurt themselves unless you see them do it. I know mine are always running into things and getting cuts and stuff because they play hard. They usually don't act like anything happens though As long as you can keep it clean the vet will take good care of it I'm sure. I have had to make several emergency visits for mine and they are fine and very resiliant. Just pet her and give her a biscuit for me.

[Msfreebird]

You can put an old T shirt on her for the night so she doesn't keep licking it. It can be sutured, your vet will trim away any dead tissue, flush it out, and suture the good tissue together. And he'll put her on antibiotics.

[MaryOfExeter]

Originally Posted by Charis

Ouch...Please don't flush with straight peroxide because it burns tissue.

Yeah I was about to say, Peroxide may not sting as much as alcohol, but it does eat the tissue, making it take twice as long to heal. Never clean deep wounds or those that are pulled tight (as in, would need stitches of some kind) with peroxide.

[Jay3]

Originally Posted by Msfreebird

You can put an old T shirt on her for the night so she doesn't keep licking it. It can be sutured, your vet will trim away any dead tissue, flush it out, and suture the good tissue together. And he'll put her on antibiotics.

Yes. When our Jessie (gordon setter) had a cyst removed from his chest, and tore the stitches open, and had to be restiched, We put T-shirts on him to keep it covered so he wouldn't bother it. It works.