Darwin has a gash on his leg, ADVICE NEEDED...

[Camilla and Darwin]

So I just found a gash on Darwin's leg. It looks like a "v", and each side of the "v" is about 1" long. It's from earlier today so the blood has clotted a little bit, but he's been licking it and blood is still coming away when I wipe it with a wet paper towel. I am going to take him to the vet tomorrow morning, but for tonight what should I do? 

Rinse it with Hydrogen Peroxide? Is there some kind of ointment I should put on it? Do any of you have an idea of how I can keep him from licking it, because we don't have a cone. It's on his upper hind leg. 

Thanks!

[Dori & Rua]

Soap and water?  I hear that HP kills the skin. Yes...do neosporin

[Donna K & Quincy]

Peroxide is ok for the initial cleaning but it does prevent healing if you use it on a daily basis. Polysporin or Neosporin if you have it is good. A V shaped gash sounds more like a tear than a cut an may need stitches. To keep him from licking it put a pair of pants or long shorts on him it he will tolerate them. Good luck, I will look for an update tomorrow.

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

Hi Camilla

I understand the wound is located on his upper hind leg.  When my dog had hot spots we would use one of my husband's old t-shirts to cover the spot with to keep him from licking .  They would appear in some unusual places so we had to be creative in how we cut the shirt up to cover it...hope this helps.

In addition, I keep on hand this stuff called Vetericyn wound & infection treatment.  It is pretty pricey at around $35/bottle but it has saved us a trip to the vet on more then one occasion.

I hope Darwin feels better and you too!

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

I would pour HP on it since it happened earlier, and then dry it well and put some Neosporin on it and maybe put a pair of boxers on him for the night... he could sleep with you so you can make sure he isn't licking too much.... 

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

I've used neosporin on wounds (unless something else is prescribed by a vet) and my cousin's dog had a rashy thing on his upper thighs and she put her husband's boxer shorts on the dog to cover up the spot to keep him from licking it raw! Lol not sure if Darwin will wear them but that's my only suggestion!

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Yes, Vetericin if you have it. If not, just clean it with water and/or hydrogen peroxide. Dry it out and cover it somehow so that Darwin can't get to it.  Keep us posted.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I wish F Parker was around. I think there was a post saying that you shouldn't put HP in a deep or puncture type wound. I do think it should be cleaned, though.

Wish I could be more help, I'm so sorry this happened to poor Darwin.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

she thinks he cut it on some metal...is tetnus a threat?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Tetanus is very rare in dogs. Dogs are very resistant to tetanus and from what I could tell, when they do get it, it's from a wound being infected by bacteria that's normally found in horse or cow manure.  

[Ginny Nightingale]

all good advice and neosporin is what my vet has recommended in the past. 

[Lynn D.]

No, do not use Hydrogen Peroxide. It kills the healthy cells as well as the bad bacteria.

If this were me. I would shave the area, wash with baby shampoo, ensure that the bleeding has stopped (pressure and elevate above his heart). Then place a non-stick bandage over it and wrap the area with coban.

That's my professional answer.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Well, we did some stuff before I saw all of these answers, but it seemed to turn out okay. First, since we really couldn't tell much of what was going on, we poured some hydrogen peroxide on the wound. He cried and yelped and I felt terrible, but a ton of stuff came off of it, and revealed the actual wound. It's actually about a centimeter long, and it doesn't look terribly deep, but it's not just a scratch either. We put neosporin on it, then gauze, then wrapped an ace bandage around him, then put one of my shirts on him backwards. It seems to be holding together fairly well. 

So my question now, is this. If we cleaned it, it's about 1cm long, not too deep and it stopped bleeding, do we need to take him in to the vet? If tetanus is not a big risk? The vet is about 1 hour away from us now. I'm completely willing to take him in if needed, but if it's not absolutely necessary, I don't know. What do you guys think? Can we handle this on our own?