First Aid Treatments for the dog’s minor cuts and nicks

Dogs are energetic animals that have the penchant to wander. Dogs are commonly injured while doing their normal activities. Injuries like severely bleeding lacerations, deep puncture wounds or broken bones that managed to rip the skin would need urgent medical attention. Dogs with these kinds of injuries would be in pain and if no treatment is administered at once, the injury can lead to the death of the pet. Urgent treatment is therefore very necessary to save the dog from death. A dog that is seriously injured must be taken to the hospital right away.

Dogs though are hardy animals and there are a lot of instances when an injury would heal even without treatment. A dog owner would make sure that the injury of the pet is attended to but simple cuts and nicks may not be noticed. Minor wounds, especially those that are not bleeding heavily will not be noticed because of the fur covering. Blood soaked fur will not pass the attention of the owner. Cut paws will also be noticed because of the bloody marks the dog leaves on the floor.

Because dogs do not wear foot gears, paws are highly vulnerable to cuts, nicks and other injuries. Sharp rocks, broken glass, tins and anything sharp that gets in contact with the paws when the dog walks or runs would result to cuts and nicks. Dogs have high prey drive. A dog will tenaciously follow a prey in rocky outcropping and in thorny bushes. Injuries that would range from serious wounds to simple cuts and nicks would be sustained by the dog.

Dog owners need not take the pet to a vet if the wound is less than an inch as this minor injury can be treated at home. There are even some instances when these minor wounds would heal without treatment as they are not noticed by the pet owner. Anything that causes discomfort and pain will be incessantly licked by the dog. Minor cuts can get infected when mutilated by the dog. Treatment therefore is necessary.

Kwik Stop or styptic powder would control the bleeding of nicks from clippers or of nails that are trimmed too short. Controlling bleeding for small cuts is easy. To remove dirt and foreign object from the wound it has to be flushed with running water. A cotton ball soaked with hydrogen peroxide is dabbed to the wound and to the skin around the wound to prevent infection. Generally, small cuts and nicks are not bandaged as exposing the wound to the air promotes the healing process.

Sarah’s Dogs provides more information on dog first aid and simple cuts.