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Author Topic: Medical Tips For Saving A Dog  (Read 1301 times)
Austesus
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« on: January 04, 2020, 06:58:47 pm »

I know there have been other threads to hit on this before... but I would like to get some insight from some of you experienced guys on the common stuff. I know we could talk all day about one specific injury... but I’m looking for the simple (ish) answer for the most typical stuff. I have been lucky enough to not have to use my med kit hardly at all, but i would like to keep a little waterproof notepad in my kit with what to do for certain injuries. I try to remember as much as I can but we all know that under stress it can be hard to remember things you haven’t actually done before.

For example, let’s use a sucking chest wound since I just saw Cajun mention this type of injury. How would you identify it, what would be your first steps to treatment, and would you treat it and be done, or would you treat it just to buy you time to get to a vet? What are some things that we can do ima bad situation to hopefully save a dogs life?

Some of the stuff I can think of off the top of my head is;

A sucking chest wound

A cut to the throat

A bad cut that has cut through muscle

A cut that has allowed intestines/guts to come out of the dog


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Cajun
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« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2020, 09:25:33 pm »

Austesus,   I keep the basics, sutures, both absorable and regular, staple guns,  hemostats, needle driver, tweezers and scissors, gause and plenty of vet wrap. In Hillbillys case, we were able to vet wrap him and stop the sucking air. The one thing I did not have on me was Ace. It was in my work truck. If I would have had that I could have knocked Hillbilly out there and sutured the open wound which penetrated right behind  the rib cage.  Antibiotics are a must where we hunt because the marsh has so much bacteria out there. I also always have a case of Tomorrow or today handy and shoot that into open wounds. There is more, I am just to tired right now to think of it. Time to head for bed.
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t-dog
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« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2020, 06:51:54 am »

I pretty much do like cajun. At one time I kept a roll of saran wrap in my supplies for those air sucking wounds or intestines that were trying to fall out. But like cajun said that vet wrap works good and takes up less space. I pretty much have gotten to the point that I only use absorbable sutures. I figure if I miss one when removing them it's not a big deal. Most cases, 7-10 days is all a wound needs to close. As for intestines go, if the dog got cut to the point that they are coming out, there's a chance the gut is cut too. That has to be checked good. If you put a cut gut back in your dog won't make more than likely. They will become Sepsis or Septic and die from the infection if you don't catch it soon enough which is really hard to do. When the gut is out back in they need to be clean from any debris, sticks and leaves etc. and make sure they aren't twisted or knotted up. That's another likely death sentence. Muscle cuts need to sewed up just like the skin cuts. The straight in stab cuts I usually leave alone and hydro them. They usually drain and heal inside to out pretty good. If you only sew the skin then the wound heals outside before inside which leads to abscesses. Plus they need the muscles to function properly. If it leaves a scar on the skin then oh well but muscles are like bungee cords stretched. When you cut one it retracts towards the end it is still attached at. It isn't going to just heal back together. I tore a muscle in my thigh completely. To this day I have a big knot on my upper thigh where it retracted to it couldn't heal itself without surgery. You need to get the same muscle sewed back to itself too in the case that 2 or 3 different ones get it in one cut. I sewed the wrong ones together once and had to rename the dog to "donut". I got the forward and reverse mixed up and when one side was going forward the other was going backwards. All he could do was spin in circles, lol. Antibiotics are super important too, but I always pour the probiotics to my dogs after a round of antibiotics. The antibiotics kill the good and the bad flora in their gut which is huge to their immune system along with so many other things. The gut and the brain work.in conjunction with one another to produce the same chemicals. If the brain is low on one it will rob from the gut and vise versa. If one is low they both can be. It can affect their hormones and everything. I have seen dogs that seem to go through a depression so to speak after a bad cutting and heavy antibiotics. I have seen gyps heat cycles messed up after a heavy cutting. "I" haven't seen that since I started using the probiotics. If I have any doubt about any of it, it's to the vet. Better safe than sorry. The dogs I hunt and feed are either a staple in my breeding program or fight to be one. I gotta do my part if they are gonna be able to do their's.

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Reuben
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« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2020, 08:57:22 am »

Excellent post Tdog...

Vet wrap...don’t leave home without it...
Always keep CutHeal and amoxicillin capsules at home...
CutHeal you will find at any feed store and amoxicillin on internet, just look up fish meds...

Nine times out of ten most cuts do not need to be stitched...clean the wound of any debri and spray twice a day with CutHeal...if cut is severe give amoxicillin twice a day as well for about 7 to ten days using 250 mg capsules...

When using this method the scars will be minimal and recovery time reduced...
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cajunl
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« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2020, 09:37:31 am »

If you have never taken a first aid course it does help. People and dogs are pretty similar in you want to stop the bleeding/trauma and stabalize them to move.

Bad Throat cuts are pretty simple. You have to stop the bleeding if it is the major vein or artery you dont have much time. Same if it is the major artery in the legs.

Sucking air you have to find the hole and close it. Anything will work wrapped over the hole you can close it.

In all honesty the other things if you don't have a way to sedate them its pretty tough to work on some of the major things.
Cut out guts and deep, deep muscle cuts have to be cleaned out REALLY well. Its hard to do that with a dog squirming and a dirty tailgate.

Broken bones kind of the same. They have to be cast, wired, or pinned to heal mostly.

Skin cuts if it cannot be cleaned out very well it is better left open the majority of the time. If you do sew or staple, leave a pretty good size hole in the bottom to drain out.  Pokes I mostly just keep clean. I don't really do a lot of antibiotics unless it is really needed for major stuff and they mostly get along without it. I try not to build up an effective tolerance for when they really needed it.

I like the Israeli emergency wraps a lot. I keep them in all my trucks, buggy, backpack. They are vacuum sealed so they can get wet and muddy. They also dont need tape.


Most of all a GOOD, COMPETENT vet is godsend!
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t-dog
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« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2020, 09:47:53 am »

That's one thing I've seen learned the hard way. An artery was cut and finally clotted with pressure on it. The dog was taken to the vet and they started to work on it, the clott was removed in the cleaning process and the dog was lost. If that happens, LEAVE IT ALONE. Keep the dog stable and immobile if possible. I saw a 137 pound boar stick a great catch dog in the shoulder and hit a major artery. Pressure was applied and got it to clot off. They went and got the 4 wheeler to take the dog to the truck. On the ride to the truck the clot was jarred loose and the dog lost because they couldn't stop the bleeding the second time. If they are bleeding like that and you manage to stop it, LEAVE IT ALONE.

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Slim9797
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« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2020, 11:31:02 am »

Just to stir the pot. My best first aid save a dogs life advice is scrap the bulldog, get some good dogs that bay the right way, a lever action rifle. And go hunt hahahaha
. Serious note most of it is common sense man. Bleeding and leaking are different things. Bleeding ain’t gonna kill a dog, leaking will. You gotta get arterial cuts cauterized.
Sucking chest wounds you can hear. The night that ultimately killed my kate dog she got gutted. And that big long toothed hog managed to break her back 2 ribs, gut her, and puncture her diaphragm from the back side. My vet initially said no, her chest was good, I was pretty sure other wise. Next morning he had to open her back up because her lungs were collapsing.
A cut that makes it all the way through the abdominal wall is usually very apparent, they’re belly will looked sucked in on one side and bulging on the other, even if no guts are out/visible, this for me = auto vet visit.

Caffiene/sugar i.e. Dr Pepper, raw honey. Are wonders in regards to keeping a dog out of shock. Vitamin K will also help with bleeding.
I think most run of the mill cuts are better left alone. I know guys that sew everything. I’m more of a blue kote it and give em 2 weeks.

Bigger cuts, ones maybe that you closed and dog chewed back open and it’s too late to close back up now. Running Water hose for 10 minutes 2x a day will do more than you would likely believe by me just telling you.


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Reuben
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« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2020, 12:20:33 pm »

Artery and vein cuts...once they clot up make sure the dog stays inactive for 2 weeks otherwise it could open up during a hunt and the dog bleed out...I came close to having one not make it because of hunting one too soon...

If the dog is going in shock from bleeding out keep him warm and keep him in the house with you...with any serious injury I bring the dog in the house and put down a mat and an old blanket next to my recliner and he will be on his pad and I will sleep in my recliner...I want my dog to know he isn’t alone in his time of need...sometimes that is the difference that saves their life...moderate electrolytes and raw beef liver seems to help faster recovery...
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Goose87
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« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2020, 02:33:24 pm »

If in the field and there’s a severe life threatening injury the first thing to do is control YOURSELF and remain calm, and control the situation, if your panicking and freaking out your dog will do the same, what you would you do if you were in the ER and the Dr you trust with your life and fixing you is panicking himself, most folks don’t believe or can’t comprehend that our dogs respond to us and our actions and reactions in ways that sometimes can’t be explained, don’t over complicate things or make a mountain out of a mole hill, the basics have already been covered, one of the most important things in healing and recovery is what TDog said about the pro biotics, an already healthy gut to begin with will help healing without the use of any anti biotics, I give mine a pro bio tic capsule about twice a month, the benefits go beyond wound healing, if you feel uncomfortable about your abilities to repair your dog and care about his well being it’s best to go ahead and head to the vet, I know most of us can’t fork out a lot of money in vet bills so if you’re finding yourself always in that situation you need to re-evaluate your situation and ask yourself if you like funding the vets office or changing your style of dogs and hunting, most anti biotics are severely over used and result in resistance to them, over time it will lead to major complications, use common sense and think about the hundreds of years animals have been domesticated prior to any types of meds, every time there’s a cut there’s no need in running the pill bottle, HYDRO THERAPY is one of the best methods to wound healing and has been proven successfully for hundreds of years, it’s very simple and if your not sure what it is a quick google search will help, veterycn hydro gel is a cure all around here, I use it for and on just about everything, I use as a holistic approach as possible as long as the dogs well being and comfort is on the right path, I keep the tubes on today and tomorrow on hand and use them on initial repair to prevent site specific bacterial infections, read up on the benefits of fasting from food while recovering from severe tissue damage, you and your dogs will benefit, I use a product called organic greens I buy in the med section at Walmart for myself and my hounds, taste like you ran a bale of alfalfa through a juicer but the benefits are awesome, I saw how well they helped me and started mixing it in an injured dogs food daily and it will be in my arsenal from now on, I usually let the wounds heal on their own unless it’s a gaping skin cut, and keep the scabs opened and wounds such as bites drained and will apply betadine and peroxide mixed after the hydro therapy every few days, if you see chronic redness or no healing around the wounds after a few days and still fill a slight fever then an AB regiment should be started, go out and purchase home veterinary Manuals, I have one written by dr Leon Whitney and one put out by Mearck (sp) and try to rely on myself and my own whit first and am honest with myself if feel my knowledge and skills won’t help my dog, keep in mind that veterinarians are the the properly educated and experienced ones in the health care and welfare of our animals but at the end of the day they are still a business that has to make a profit and as bad as I may sound and I know not all vets are not like this, thank God mine isn’t, but a lot will stick it to you in your moment of need and take advantage of the situation and your love of your hound all in the name of the almighty dollar, ask around to as many as you can as to what vet they use and even if you have to drive a bit further try to find one that is hunting dog friendly and understand this way of life, my personal vet is a gift from above for me and my buds, she’s a straight shooter, and honest with you and the most reasonably priced around us and has come in at all hours of the night at times for extreme emergencies, we’ve had her come in on Christmas Eve night before and was never charged any extra, I know not all of us have this luxury but if you can find it, it’s well worth the little extra driving, if your truly interested in learning yourself there’s a plethora of info out there on the WWW to get you started, utilize google and YouTube to your advantages...
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Austesus
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« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2020, 04:15:02 pm »

Great info guys, this thread is turning out good. I run all rough dogs but have been lucky enough to never have a serious injury, I’ve used staples twice. Once on my old Dum Dum dogs shoulder because there was a large hole where the skin was pulling apart. And the second time was on another guy’s dog, she had a few big cuts and had a piece of skin about the size of a paper plate hanging off on her rib cage. Other than that I’ve always used hydro therapy and vetericyn spray a few times a day to heal up cuts.

I keep amoxicillin on hand at all times as well as penicillin (I have actually only used it once and it didn’t want to inject very easy so I haven’t used it again), I also keep doxycycline. My medical kit is fairly basic, I ordered it put together online (I think from hardcore hog dogs). It came with a staple gun, surgical scissors, a few different forceps and tweezers, some different sutures, iodine, gauze, and bloodstop powder. I keep pressure dressings as well. I need to get some vet wrap. I also need to get some books, and some probiotics.

I’ve had some basic first aid training. I’ve done basic first aid and CPR, and the army makes us do annual TCCC training which focuses on combat wounds, which cover penetration (GSW and shrapnel) as well as stopping bleeding. But medical stuff is something that I want to expand my knowledge on. I also have a great vet but they are expensive. I just go there because I know that they are extremely knowledgeable and good at what they do compared to the other vets around here, and they keep a vet on call for emergencies. But i like to do everything I can by myself. I think a healthy dog shouldn’t need to go to the vet regularly. Dogs have great immune systems as most people on here know and are very resilient. An emergency, then yes the vet is awesome.

While I like to think I’ll remember everything, in a stressful situation it will obviously be hard to remember stuff that I’ve read about but never actually done with hands on experience. That’s why I want to make some sort of cheat sheet to keep in my medical kit. But great info guys, let’s keep it coming! I hadn’t heard of the probiotics before, and also didn’t realize vetwrap could be used for a sucking chest wound. And hadn’t thought about cauterizing before.


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« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2020, 05:03:05 pm »

If you "catch" hogs long enough, your going to have your fair share of bad wrecks, especially with rough dogs. Some good stuff so far. Just remember, lot of times it's going to happen away from the truck, buggy, wheeler, boat, ect. A backpack or vest to keep all that crap in is nice, but not always practical. Roll of duct tape, a plastic sack, a lighter, and an old shirt or two tied off to your sides with mule tape, between a couple of you, can be real handy getting a bad one out of the woods and back to where your doctoring box is. All this stuff can be used on yourselves as well. We've had to sew up and tie off ourselves from time to time  Wink  Then again, if you are afraid of them, you could always switch to some loose baying dogs that never get close enough to get cut, tote a long gun, and shoot them. Grin
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Austesus
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« Reply #11 on: January 05, 2020, 07:18:47 pm »

Sure thing warrent, I always keep tourniquets and an IFAK in my truck. Never know when they will come in handy. But that’s a no go on the loose dogs lol, I like my alligators haha


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« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2020, 06:15:47 am »

One of my home remedies for cuts was taught to me by a mentor. It works real good on cuts. I've had some nasty cuts that really healed good using it. It's castor oil and alum. Castor oil can be found in the Walmart pharmacy and the alumnus in the spice section, it's used for pickling. I make a little paste out of it and apply it in and around the cut. It does a great job of drawing it up and even though castor oil tastes great the dogs dont want to lick it much. Alum is in Vetricin.

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Austesus
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« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2020, 07:02:04 pm »

I’ll check that out T-dog. What are you guys using for probiotics? I glanced at them in tractor supply while getting wormer yesterday but all they had was powder, I was expecting pills


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« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2020, 07:37:55 pm »

TSC has a tube called jump start that is good and they have probios in a tube. The best is Health Gard, that's the proper spelling. It's the best and it is a liquid. The powder works fine too. I use a bucket to feed out of. So I just put 3 or 4 scoops of feed in it then 3 scoops of the powder on it and just keep doing that until I have enough to feed. That powder will stick to the greasy feed. My dogs will eat the probiotics before the feed if I use the tube stuff. My puppies will follow me back to the gate if there isn't probiotics on their feed. But if probiotics are on the feed they won't look up until they are done.

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Austesus
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« Reply #15 on: January 07, 2020, 10:35:47 am »

Thanks T-Dog, what is the dosage? Or does it not matter?


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« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2020, 05:39:54 pm »

Grown dogs get about 2 clicks on the tube stuff. I usually give what would be about a half scoop of powder per dog. The liquid is about a tablespoon per dog.

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Austesus
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« Reply #17 on: January 07, 2020, 05:48:02 pm »

T-Dog, I gotcha. How big of a scooper are you using? I’ll probably get the powder and mix it with their food


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« Reply #18 on: January 07, 2020, 05:54:29 pm »

Scoop is in the probiotics

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