Puncture wound advice

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

Our Buddy was attacked by a dog last Thursday (July 17) while we out on our normal morning walk. The attacker made a good size puncture wound on his left hip that has internal pockets/lacerations and the vet said she could see the muscle. He's on an antibiotic, a pain pill, and anti-inflammatory meds. Everything seems to be working well since we traded up on the antibiotics that we're upsetting Buddy's appetite. Waiting on the results of the internal swab for evidence of infection.

Today I noticed that a second hole has appeared and the vet we saw this afternoon (not our normal one) said that some of the tissue has most likely died. Wondering if anyone sadly has any experience with puncture wounds and their healing process?

I'm attaching a few pictures of the wound - the one with all the bruising and the actual outline of a fang is a day after the attack happened. The internal pockets pretty much extend the outline of the hairline.... The other wound picture is from this afternoon when the second hole appeared. The second hole is actually inside the "fang" bruise, just taken from a different angle after some healing.

Please excuse me for the iPhone photos. :-)

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

Looks like the wounds did not load.

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

Okay, one more. Any help in how to get pics in the message while using an iPad would be appreciated!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Preventing infection is the most important thing in puncture wounds especially since anaerobic bacteria, those that don't need air, can grow in them. Otherwise I think it just needs to gradually heal in. I hope Buddy heals quickly.
As to pictures, I get out my laptop. But there are people who upload to a certain site and somehow download from there. Sorry I can' the more help.

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

Thanks! The swab we're waiting on results from was for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, should be in by Friday or Saturday. We're ready for the care he's gonna need over the next few weeks or so, we had three trips scheduled for August that are now canceled and that's just the way it goes.

Any thoughts on drains? We've seen three vets - ER Dr, our regular Dr, and new one today bc the second hole popped up - and 2 of 3 were not entertaining the drain option.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Unless there is a lot of fluid buildup that can't get out, which it doesn't look like I'd guess a drain wouldn't be indicated. The vets must see these often and I'd go with the majority opinion.

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

From the outside, everything looks calm and flat. He's still draining a lot, but always wearing a tshirt backwards to catch the oozes. No nasty smells or green-yellow colors coming out and we're doing warm compresses a couple times a day to facilitate the draining. ER Dr called the drain "a wick for bacteria to get in the wound". Is it strange to put a drain in 5-7 days after injury? Thanks F!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm so sorry this happened to Buddy. JD was attacked and bitten on a walk a couple of years ago, but his wounds were not as severe. 

I hope Buddy heals quickly. Give him a kiss for me. 

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

I'm sorry that happened to JD, it's really awful and scary. I'm glad his wounds weren't as bad.... Kisses just delivered, Buddy has been soaking up all the love and kisses. :-) But he is a little annoyed with the poking and vet visits. He's actually running away from us bc he's sick of of it all. I was chasing him through the house with a plate of medium rare lamb the other day. Lol.

[Camilla and Darwin]

How terrible, I hope he heals quickly! 

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

I'm sorry this happened to Buddy. It is so sad. Unfortunately, we have experienced a serious bite with deep wounds with our Porsche. She was attacked last May and was in serious condition after the attack. Thankfully, she is alive and well today but it was a long healing process. 

We had to go to the vet biweekly for the first 3 weeks and then weekly for about 6 weeks for deep cleaning and tissue monitoring. She also had internal pockets and the process was a several month healing time. She did not need drains. The ER vet told us that if the puncture wounds became infected and unable to self-drain they would place drains. Our regular vet agreed which is why we kept a rigorous cleaning schedule. We had to limit her activity and be careful where she was. We only allowed her to be in our yard or car, no parks, walks around the neighborhood, etc... When we were at the vet they were wonderful to take us into a room so she was as safe as possible from picking up extra germs. 

I hope Buddy feels better quickly. 

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

So sorry you had to go through this too! It is so scary - I hope the owner of dog that attacked Porsche took responsibility for all the bills. The guy with the dog that attacked Buddy sent an email to our vets office saying he would pay for all the care associated with the damage, but I really don't know if he'll follow through. We didn't have a clue that this would be so involved when it first happened and I bet he's in for a shock when the bills keep rolling in.

Buddy had his second cleaning on Saturday and has another appt tomorrow. The tshirt is really helping keep him clean and no walks yet bc he picks up a lot of dirt. And then we have extra blankets and towels on all his regular spots to keep the draining off the furniture.... Our vet hospital/Drs have been pretty wonderful through the whole thing - ER and regular operate out of the same facility - so we feel good about the care he's receiving.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The owner of the dog who attacked JD also reimbursed me for his vet bills. It happened on a Sunday, so we had to go to the ER, and even though the injuries were minor, the bill was not.