Hunting your dog after injury/stitches

[TMan]

I've reviewed the archives to see what people think about hunting their dogs after getting injured or receiving stitches and didn't really find any discussion on this topic, so here it goes. My 9 mo yellow lab stepped into a water drain and cut her left back leg down to the bone below her last articulating joint just up from the foot (Not sure if that's a knee or ankle on a dog). I took her to the Emergency Vet and they put her under and intubated her and stitched up the subcutaneous area and then closed the wound with stiches again on the outside and gave me antibiotics to prevent infection. $475 later, I'd say there are probably 10 stitches across half of the circumference of the front of her leg and is wearing the infamous lampshade. However, she can still get at the wound so when I'm not around to watch her I wrap it in gauze and stretchy tape and then cover it in duct tape. She can still get to it a little and has kept it from healing faster becasue she licks it and tore out 2 stitches. So I'm going back in to get a bigger lampshade and get it looked at to the shegrin of my wife and furniture...

The bummer is, we have a trip to Marshall MN planned this coming weekend for our FIRST trip together aside from one local metro area hunt and game farms. Considering you guys can't see the wound, and aside what my vet will tell me today when I bring her in for a check, SHOULD I TAKE HER and HUNT HER THIS WEEKEND and bandage her up good and hunt her in just some dry easier areas? We have 5 guys and 2 other dogs besides mine.

She has no ill effects and even at the time of injury did not really show any pain from the injury. She's been running and retreiving at full speed. I do not want to risk getting her infected but feel I could bandage her up real well for some short hunts. It's a tough call, I was so excited for both of us...

Tackleman

[Ufatz]

Please check with your vet before you let your pal hunt this week. Personally, with a cut that deep, I would err on the side of caution and keep her/him out of the field. There is the possibility you could do the dog permanent harm running it hard with a wound like that and that many stitches.

In any event.....please talk with the vet about it. Also, could be you'd end up back in the vets office for another $475 too.

[lawdog]

I think you know the answer already Tman... You can't hunt that young dog and risk further injury when you are going back in to have her re-stitched right now. She's obviously not healed. Don't risk 10+ years of hunting for an earlier attempt at getting the pup back out.

[TMan]

Thanks for the reply guys.

Went to the Vet yesterday and was told that she is healing nicely and confirmed that the two stitches don't need replacing and that she is on par to have them taken out as scheduled. I discussed with my Vet the feasability and health risks of us going hunting this weekend. The Vet said that my girl is healing well with good granulation around the cut, no reddness, swelling, or puffiness and that provided there were no changes in her healing (I.e., the dog chewing on them and opening them up) that it was perfectly fine to take her if I covered the stitches with a bandage and some duct tape for additional protection and to have them out at the 14 day mark, the Monday I return instead of Friday before we leave. The only caution was that it was recommended to wash the area after the hunt if we were in very wet areas.

So, hopefully we can go now unless things don't play out as planned this week. We'll just take it a little easy.

[gspman]

If possible wrap with vet wrap and then cover with Duct Tape. Make sure not to wrap or tape to tightly. Check the foot often. If it is swollen it may be wrapped too tightly. You may want to redress it a couple times during the day too.

I actually trialed my shorthair wrapped like this once. It was a Weimy walking trial. I told all the folks there I wanted her to look like a Weimy since I was at a Weimy trial so I used gray duct tape. Got a few chuckles with that one.

gspman

[TMan]

Thanks GSP. That's exactley what I have. A friend of mine takes care of horses so she gave me a whole roll. I'm a Physical Therapist and my Wife's a nurse so we've got plenty of other gauze, etc. supplies around the house...kind of makes us favorites around the neighbors

[LuciandTim]

We had to sit out 3 weeks last year. Really put a damper on our season! Vet said she would be ready in a week. He was crazy! It was a cut on her pad and I didn't want to risk it or have it open more. Didn't want to jeporadize the rest of the season.