Jake either got bit by something or scratched himself while on our walk today. He was running around in the bushes so I didn't see what happened. All I heard was him scream and yelp before running back to me.

Here is a picture of the wound:

As you can see, there is basically a chunk of skin/fur missing from the inside of his leg. It hasn't been bleeding and he doesn't seem to be in much pain anymore but I'm just wondering how I should take care of this. Does he need to see a vet? Stitches? Bandages?

Thanks for the help!

Disinfectant, for sure. Especially since you don't know how he did it. If it's a puncture, peroxide is good. Bubbles out anything that might be inside….

if it were my dog and not too deep, i'd put some betadine on it and some neosporin and keep an eye on it. Prevent him from licking it too much. Little scrapes usually heal up nicely.

I agree with the previous posters - the main problem can be infection. A clean cut should heal up nicely but I don't need to tell you to keep an eye on the wound,

Okay so it's definitely a puncture and not a scrape. I disinfected it with peroxide and the poor guy screamed bloody murder the whole time. He's off sulking in the corner now.

Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty useless when it comes to first-aid.

Easiest way to deal with a puncture is to use a needleless syringe and direct peroxide into the wound to keep it cleaned out and healing from the inside. What you don't want is for it to close over with infectious material inside. And yes, he will "see you coming" next time. My horses certainly do! I hasten to add, it isn't necessary or wise to overdo it, but you need to make sure it stays clean. (a nice reward post treatment will give him something to look forward to)

I gave him some cheese before, during, and after the cleaning. I didn't know basenjis could scream while eating. Haha.

That's why i like the betadine, it doesn't sting. (don't know if it does a better or worse job). However, it does stain anything it even almost touches.

Betadine is better then peroxide. In short peroxide may help to kill the "bad" stuff, but it also kills the good tissue on the edges of the wound (which is why you'll see white-looking tissue after using hydrogen peroxide…..that tissue is dead ). A simple saline solution is your best bet to clean out any debris. You can irrigate the wound with saline and then use a triple anotibiotic if you wish.

Sideline question – is betadine or neosporin good for general anti-infections on small cuts and scrapes? What about bacitracin?

My vet always told me neosporin was fine for small cuts and scrapes for dogs.

For disinfectant and irrigation of a deeper wound, I have always used witch hazel - doesn't sting. When I had went to the ER because of bad bite from breaking up a fight, I had a really bad puncture on my leg and told the ER doc I was using compression (Coban), gauze pads, witch hazel and neosporin and they told me that basically they were going to only change one thing about my regimen and that was give me wider Coban (only available at hospitals). They also said at the same time I should also leave the wound uncovered a 2 hours each morning and evening (including leaving off the neosporin).

I can't speak for neosporin as i've never used it. I always used Betadine paint but can no longer buy it here (I'm not sure why). However I now just top up the bottle with iodine and use the brush to get it right into the wound.

Going to go look for some Betadine and failing that I'll switch to neosporin.

Also, I was able to get a picture of what bit him…

LMAO!!! Too funny. Gotta love those Tiger Squirrels that we have here in Alberta.

@wizard:

Sideline question – is betadine or neosporin good for general anti-infections on small cuts and scrapes? What about bacitracin?

When mine get cuts I use betadine to clean it out, rinse that off then dab it dry, and put neosporin on it very lightly. Bacitracin may also work, but I'd ask the vet if there's any question.

PS - yeah, lots of those tiger squirrels here in Florida too - LOL. Very clever photoshopping.