We had a big decision this morning, keep the appt or not. When I undid the gauze there was just the slightest bit of a blood stain. More like it absorbed rather than got bled into. Took him out for his morning pee and absolutely no limping. In fact he cocked the other leg, putting all the pressure on the injured one and trotted back to me in all out, goofy play mode.

I came in and read Kelly and Jennifer’s posts and yelled to Bob to “clip the hair” as I headed to the shower. No questions asked and I heard the buzz of the electric shaver (nice when that happens). We talked about the squirt bottle too and how much better than would have been than the yogurt containers we used. Thanks Jennifer.

The wound looked really good, nice clean slit, and Bob was now fairly confident that we should just cancel the appt. I, on the other hand, (my how things change) thought this is their best leg/foot guy and I really didn’t like the location. What harm could the expert opinion be? Bob was adamant that there was no way they were to put him under, as was I. We had a friend loose a dog (not our vet office) during a routine spay. Bob said he would stitch him up before he allowed that.

So I packed all the boys up early this morning and we headed out on the hour long journey to make our 9:00 am appt just to have this guy tell me, practically verbatim, what you folks did.

To put stitches on this particular wound would be like stitching the back of your wrist or kneecap. They’re just not going to hold. He said there were a couple of reasons he may do it and both had to do with squeamish, inattentive owner issues, not what he felt was the best course of action. Oh and yes, he would put him to sleep to do it.

The second option was to bandage it but he said with the dampness (lots of rain the last little while) even short bathroom trips with it covered was likely to get moisture in there. Said it could quickly cause a “diaper rash” kind of situation. This is one wound he would definitely not recommend taping/bandaging for any length of time.

He said we did a great job last night and it’s perfectly clean. (Thanks Kelly, the hair removal this morning really helped with the clean visual too). He had me walk him around a bit, absolutely no limping. I don’t think Vince knows (or it’s not registering anyway) that he has an injury.

And just like Mr. Frost said, the third option (best course of action he recommended) was to keep up with the Neosporin for the next few days and keep it clean (said Vince will do a good job of that too). He went into great detail about how this wound is going to heal, in a nutshell, like a triangle. I can explain if anyone really wants to hear it.

He did warn though, if we don’t keep it clean, a few days from now he’ll have to get him back to the same state it is in today. Often involving cutting back infected skin (under anesthesia), stitching and immobilizing. Uhhh… we’ll be keeping it clean.

He said limited exercise but not complete bed rest. Open, grassy fields, my yard and leashed road walks (even slow biking), but no sloped hills, banks or ditches and avoid stairs where possible. No mud puddles or possible areas of contamination.

He gave me an 8 day prescription of Amoxil (Novo) 500 mg caps. I told him about the bitter melon his co-worker has him on. He gave me a funny look and said not to give him the bitter melon this Saturday (it’s a once a week thing).

Man, this is not good timing. Vince is having the best poops (like tootsie rolls) I’ve ever seen (which he asked about). Said he read about his “gut” issues but feels the internal antibiotics are necessary right now. I don’t know about this? I took them but does anyone have any insight on this stuff.

He also said he could prescribe a mild tranquillizer with a pain killer. I said with him showing no signs of discomfort, is this really necessary? He said no, not necessary at all, it just makes the more energetic dogs a little easier to manage. I told him that if he started up with any behaviors I couldn’t manage I would let him know. I know I joked about this earlier in the thread, but didn't think a vet would actually perscribe it without just cause. You can sure see who trains these guys and it's not the patients. With the types of exercise he has OK’d, I’m sure we'll be just fine getting that energy drained.

So all in all, probably a total waste of $126.00 but I do have the peace of mind (warnings, cautions and precautions) that should make this go smoothly. Vince’s “wonderful” vet isn’t in until Wednesday. I don’t know if I should wait to talk to him about the antibiotics or if I should start him on them with dinner tonight like this vet suggested? 2 capsules, twice a day with meals.

I would do the antibiotics personally, and make sure I added plenty of probiotics.

did he say why you couldn't do the bitter melon with them?

One thought that just came to mind:
I don't know anything about this antibiotic, but if it is a strong one and could potentially trigger the diarrhea, that might be a trouble for the open cut if there was contact.

I agree that with damp conditions you want it to breathe, but if it were me, I would want that cut covered just for outdoors/potty breaks etc, and then taken off once inside. I liked the idea of salt water foot baths for keeping it clean too.
It should help it heal faster.

I would also suggest the antibiotics. Considering how he was injured, and especially the location of the wound, they could save all of you a world of trouble in this particular situation. Just make sure to give with food and follow up with probiotics... good luck!

For sure Jennifer, he's getting the plain, active yogurt right now and I intend on continuing it.

As far as the bitter melon, when I got "the look" I told him the reason I mentioned it was because Vince's Dr. said it had many of the same properties as penicillan. I know this is a form of antibiotic as well. He didn't seem to know about it so I told him he was on the capsules made from the fruit, adult dosage once a week. I think his response was precautionary, not an informed opinion at all.

This is why I'm wondering if Vince actually needs this Amoxil and what the interactions (if any) would be, based on what he has in his system now. It sure gets messy when you deal with more than one doctor.

 Quote: Joyce Salazar

One thought that just came to mind:
I don't know anything about this antibiotic, but if it is a strong one and could potentially trigger the diarrhea, that might be a trouble for the open cut if there was contact.

I agree that with damp conditions you want it to breathe, but if it were me, I would want that cut covered just for outdoors/potty breaks etc, and then taken off once inside. I liked the idea of salt water foot baths for keeping it clean too.
It should help it heal faster.

Oh Joyce, I totally agree. We've been working in a steadily, uphill direction to get him where he's at, he's just so healthy right now and I don't want to change a thing if I don't have to.

The salt bath is a great idea. He didn't say anything about this, just said to make sure we use sterile water (we're on a boil water advisory in our community right now - which he knew).

 Quote: phaedra rieff

I would also suggest the antibiotics. Considering how he was injured, and especially the location of the wound, they could save all of you a world of trouble in this particular situation. Just make sure to give with food and follow up with probiotics... good luck!

Thanks Phaedra, I tend to agree, if not just simply as a precautionary thing. I think I will give it to him as perscribed and call Vince's vet on Wednesday to make sure he's in the loop and see if he has anything to add/suggest.

Salt baths are good for just about any wound IMO, i use it on the cats and dogs and they really helped my hand when it was all torn up.

EMT gel would also be good for this kind of wound, it would protect it from yuckies and help it heal...stuff is like magic!!

EMT Gel is great stuff, just hard to find where I live. I ended up getting mine from a chinchilla breeder.

Thanks guys, I will look into this EMT Get. And Joyce, I've been meaning to pay our Tack Shop a visit, I'll also look for the Vetericyn.

We got out for two short 1 hour leisurly strolls today. I know he's not understanding why he didn't get the intensity he's used to but he ate a good dinner and is relaxing nicely. I gave him two of the Amoxil right after he finished eating.

We got the wound all flushed out again, with a sterile squeeze bottle Bob picked up. Much easier, again, thanks Jennifer. We just mixed in some regular salt, I will get some sea salt tomorrow.

It looks nice and clean but a bit wider. Bob swears by this "Gold Seal" stuff. He broke open a capsule and mixed in a little bit with the Neosporin. We'll see, it's a herb, I don't think it can hurt.