Today we look at managing serious cuts that can happen to dogs while outdoors.
Commonly, dogs can get cut while romping around outdoors, no matter whether they are working as hunters or playing with the family on a hike. Superficial cuts can be dealt with easily by cleaning the wound, applying pressure and, when the bleeding stops, bandaging the cut before transporting Rover to your veterinarian.
One of the biggest mistakes people make regarding applying pressure with a wad of sterile gauze or even a clean towel is not that they don’t apply enough pressure. It’s that they don’t apply appropriate pressure for long enough. The problem comes when they lift the gauze or towel to see if bleeding has stopped.
It is extremely difficult for people, whether staunching a cut on a kid, themselves or their dogs, to go a full 10 minutes without looking to see if the bleeding has stopped. When one does that, they disrupt any clotting that has occurred, and they must start the clock again. Just apply pressure and sit there for the whole time.
Also, people get concerned about the blood they may see around the scene. Forget about blood outside the dog. Keep whatever blood is left in the pooch inside the animal by maintaining pressure.
Veterinarians use 80 milliliters per kilogram to estimate total blood volume. That’s about one-third of a cup of blood for every 2.2 pounds of weight.
Nowhere is this more important than with serious cuts that get into arterial vessels. Arterial vessels, big or small, bleed a lot. They are characterized by bright red blood typically exiting the wound with enough pressure to spurt or stream out quickly. It is common to see the pulse in the spurting blood, too.
These are serious but manageable wounds using similar techniques. Again, applying pressure is vital. Get a wad of clean gauze or even a towel and slap it on there and hold it tight. If the dog struggles or resists, get someone else to help you hold it.
Beware of defensive biting. Owners of dogs going outdoors should carry a muzzle and practice putting it on. Couple that practice with treat rewards and any emergency becomes less stressful.
What if you’ve done all this but the blood soaks through the gauze or towel? Do not raise the material to see how bad it is. Simply gather more of what you started with and place it over the first and continue the pressure during transport. Repeat as needed and keep the dog calm.
Arterial and dirty cuts should typically not be closed in the field even though skin staplers and sterile suture material are available online. Certainly, there are dogs that will accept closure and keep right on hunting.
If a dirty wound is closed, one runs the risk of an infection. It is unlikely you have enough saline or even clean water to irrigate a really dirty wound. In that case, get the animal to definitive care.
If an arterial wound is closed, one runs the risk of having a large volume of blood collect under the skin, which is called a hematoma. That means something is still bleeding in the wound that a veterinarian needs to cauterize or even tie off.
What about tourniquets? Not much research has been done on applying tourniquets by novices in the field. It’s not like putting one on a human because of the contours and anatomy of a dog. Most resources suggest it may be better to use commercial hemostatic dressings.
Next week we’ll cover tourniquets and hemostatic dressings in more detail as we further consider cuts in dogs.
Powell, of Pullman, retired as public information officer for Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Pullman. This column reflects his thoughts and no longer represents WSU. He may be contacted at charliepowell74@gmail.com.
