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› articles by michael goldberg, dvm
Getting Into Fights and Bites! After a long and cold winter, our four-legged companions generally take to the great outdoors for longer periods of time. This of course can lead to some unfortunate encounters with other four-legged creatures. Often, in the spring and summer, a large proportion of the patients that I see are ones that have been on the receiving end of dog and cat bites. If you hear a skirmish and have not seen it, often the pet will be sore at the sight they have been bitten. You can determine this by simply and gently running your hands along the skin of your pet. Be careful, sometimes they may strike out if they are very sore. Once you find out where they have a bite wound, it is wise to clean it with any disinfectant you have at home. I often recommend diluted tincture of golden seal but there are many other natural disinfectants you can use, from tea tree oil to calendula and even peroxide. Once the area is cleaned, I generally recommend a few remedies that may be helpful in healing the bite wound and allowing one to avoid the use of antibiotics. Aside from the use of remedies, I recommend a warm compress about three or four times daily by dissolving a handful of Epsom salts in a litre of warm water and hot packing the area for a five-minute period. The following remedies may be helpful and should be given 3 times daily for two or three days or until the wound is no longer red and swollen. Generally 200c potency should be adequate. Arnica - very useful if there is a lot of visible bruising in the skin and the pet is very painful. Also useful for the "macho" type who is expressing a "stiff upper lip" despite the injury. Lachesis - useful if the area around the bite wound is bluish and painful. Also if your pet seems to be angry whenever you try to clean the wound. Ledum - useful if there is a bite wound that is cool to touch. Hepar sulf this is useful if the wound is very sensitive to touch and the pet get very irritable when dealt with. Higher potencies tend to abort any abscess (greater than 30c) whereas lower potencies are useful to drain the wound once pus has accumulated. Silica - this is useful when the pet is often timid and yielding. The wound is not very sensitive to touch. It is important to realize that if the wound area should swell, there may be an abscess forming which should be seen and evaluated by your veterinarian. At the first sign of any swelling, the remedies I have found most useful are Hepar sulf in low potency (6c) given up to four times daily, if the wound is sensitive to touch, or Silica at 30c potency repeated as often as four times daily if the wound is not overly sensitive to touch. Wounds on the extremities may involve the bone as well; so if your pet is not doing well after a few days on therapy, or if the appetite is off, see your veterinarian. Read more Articles by Michael Goldberg, DVM... |
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vancouver animal wellness hospital Michael Goldberg, DVM; Sue Hughson, DVM 105 e. broadway, vancouver, bc v5t 1w1 / phone: 604.738.4664 / fax: 604.738.4694 Hours of Operation: Monday, Thursday & Friday: 9am - 6pm, Tuesday & Wednesday: 9am - 7pm, Saturday: 9am - 5pm © Copyright 2004-2006. vancouver animal wellness hospital. All rights reserved. › Contact Us › Privacy Policy › Sitemap › Home |