Open wounds - reassurance needed please!
Discussion
Hello... asking for a bit of advice from experience, please!
I'm in the unhappy situation of momentarily not trusting the vet dealing with Ella's current affliction...
Begin ramble....
She had a lump on her foreleg which was hoped to be a hysti-thingummy (common in young pups; classic presentation, etc.), except for it didn't go away, and also got bigger to boot.
So it came off...
Now, the vet said they struggled a little with closing the wound - given the size of the lump and the amount of healthy tissue they had to take; the resultant wound needed more leg skin than was available to close it up. So what she's done is close up around the wound with a few stiches, then make about 8-10 small incisions around the wound, "to ease the tightness", and to leave the lump wound itself open.
However, the bandages post-op weren't the best - the first (full on leg and paw bandage) fell off after one day; the second one was too tight and has caused inflammation, redness and swelling. So we're now dressing the wound ourselves, and are off to the vet this evening for a check-up that everything's OK.
So... my point/request.
Can someone give me an ETA on the healing time of an open leg wound (about 15mm diameter) on a fit and otherwise healthy puppy? And whether light and padded dressings might be better than the tight, immovable, non-breathable ones the vet keeps putting on (seriously; they're akin to plaster casts! And when we took the last one off, it had rubbed the wound face to the extent that it had bled, rather than wept)?
Really, I'm just after some reassurance that this will end soon - it's breaking my heart seeing her so miserable and in obvious pain.
I'll obviously be listening to the vet and what she says - I don't want to get stuck not trusting her forever!
I'm in the unhappy situation of momentarily not trusting the vet dealing with Ella's current affliction...
Begin ramble....
She had a lump on her foreleg which was hoped to be a hysti-thingummy (common in young pups; classic presentation, etc.), except for it didn't go away, and also got bigger to boot.
So it came off...
Now, the vet said they struggled a little with closing the wound - given the size of the lump and the amount of healthy tissue they had to take; the resultant wound needed more leg skin than was available to close it up. So what she's done is close up around the wound with a few stiches, then make about 8-10 small incisions around the wound, "to ease the tightness", and to leave the lump wound itself open.
However, the bandages post-op weren't the best - the first (full on leg and paw bandage) fell off after one day; the second one was too tight and has caused inflammation, redness and swelling. So we're now dressing the wound ourselves, and are off to the vet this evening for a check-up that everything's OK.
So... my point/request.
Can someone give me an ETA on the healing time of an open leg wound (about 15mm diameter) on a fit and otherwise healthy puppy? And whether light and padded dressings might be better than the tight, immovable, non-breathable ones the vet keeps putting on (seriously; they're akin to plaster casts! And when we took the last one off, it had rubbed the wound face to the extent that it had bled, rather than wept)?
Really, I'm just after some reassurance that this will end soon - it's breaking my heart seeing her so miserable and in obvious pain.
I'll obviously be listening to the vet and what she says - I don't want to get stuck not trusting her forever!
I'd need to know what dreesing material they are using. Foot is enclosed to avoid risk of swollen paw so completely normal.
We'd use
Alleyvn (contact layer) With Manuka honey applied if needed
Cotton wool - small amount for between the toes
Soffban (padding layer)
K band (conforming layer)
Vet wrap (protective outer later)
(I've used product names rather than generics but they are common and widely known)
We also use stirrups which is a bit unusual but very good at keeping a dressing in place.
Sounds like the vet did a sensible job with the wound initially. 2nd intention healing will take a few weeks (3wks) but there should be healing with each change showing healthy red granualation tissue (which will bleed easily) and wound shrinking in size. There will be some inflammation and there may be some minor rub marks from the dressing but these can be left to a minimum with some careful dressing.
It's vital the dressing doesn't get wet and should be removed asap if it does. All modern dressing materials are designed to be breathable and shouldn't move too much as will cause more rubbing. Difficult to assess without seeing what they're using (and how much! a dressing needs some substance behind it but doesn't need to be massive!), how it's being applied and how the leg is looking but I hope this helps.
Oh and its histiocytoma
We'd use
Alleyvn (contact layer) With Manuka honey applied if needed
Cotton wool - small amount for between the toes
Soffban (padding layer)
K band (conforming layer)
Vet wrap (protective outer later)
(I've used product names rather than generics but they are common and widely known)
We also use stirrups which is a bit unusual but very good at keeping a dressing in place.
Sounds like the vet did a sensible job with the wound initially. 2nd intention healing will take a few weeks (3wks) but there should be healing with each change showing healthy red granualation tissue (which will bleed easily) and wound shrinking in size. There will be some inflammation and there may be some minor rub marks from the dressing but these can be left to a minimum with some careful dressing.
It's vital the dressing doesn't get wet and should be removed asap if it does. All modern dressing materials are designed to be breathable and shouldn't move too much as will cause more rubbing. Difficult to assess without seeing what they're using (and how much! a dressing needs some substance behind it but doesn't need to be massive!), how it's being applied and how the leg is looking but I hope this helps.
Oh and its histiocytoma
Edited by bexVN on Monday 21st November 14:40
bexVN said:
I'd need to know what dreesing material they are using. Foot is enclosed to avoid risk of swollen paw so completely normal.
We'd use
Alleyvn (contact layer) With Manuka honey applied if needed
Cotton wool - small amount for between the toes
Soffban (padding layer)
K band (conforming layer)
Vet wrap (protective outer later)
(I've used product names rather than generics but they are common and widely known)
We also use stirrups which is a bit unusual but very good at keeping a dressing in place.
Sounds like the vet did a sensible job with the wound initially. 2nd intention healing will take a few weeks (3wks) but there should be healing with each change showing healthy red granualation tissue (which will bleed easily) and wound shrinking in size. There will be some inflammation and there may be some minor rub marks from the dressing but these can be left to a minimum with some careful dressing.
It's vital the dressing doesn't get wet and should be removed asap if it does. All modern dressing materials are designed to be breathable and shouldn't move too much as will cause more rubbing. Difficult to assess without seeing what they're using (and how much! a dressing needs some substance behind it but doesn't need to be massive!), how it's being applied and how the leg is looking but I hope this helps.
Oh and its histiocytoma
Ah Bex.... We'd use
Alleyvn (contact layer) With Manuka honey applied if needed
Cotton wool - small amount for between the toes
Soffban (padding layer)
K band (conforming layer)
Vet wrap (protective outer later)
(I've used product names rather than generics but they are common and widely known)
We also use stirrups which is a bit unusual but very good at keeping a dressing in place.
Sounds like the vet did a sensible job with the wound initially. 2nd intention healing will take a few weeks (3wks) but there should be healing with each change showing healthy red granualation tissue (which will bleed easily) and wound shrinking in size. There will be some inflammation and there may be some minor rub marks from the dressing but these can be left to a minimum with some careful dressing.
It's vital the dressing doesn't get wet and should be removed asap if it does. All modern dressing materials are designed to be breathable and shouldn't move too much as will cause more rubbing. Difficult to assess without seeing what they're using (and how much! a dressing needs some substance behind it but doesn't need to be massive!), how it's being applied and how the leg is looking but I hope this helps.
Oh and its histiocytoma
Edited by bexVN on Monday 21st November 14:40
<breathes sigh of relief>
It was I that took her to the vet initally, and the OH got cross because I couldn't remember the name of the blasted thing when I was recounting what the vet had said... nothing's changed!
Manuka honey, eh? Straight onto the open wound, or just around it?
Minor rub marks I'd be OK with, but these are big and nasty and inflammed - the top layer of skin looks almost like a graze, and they're swollen to boot, so I'm going to enquire if they've got something more suitable for the more thinly-furred crittur...
All other thing that you said - present and correct. Healthy pink around the wound (rather than red)... hopeful of seeing wound shrinkage over the next few days... I think the second bandage might have set-back healing a little, given the rubbing it did.
So, about three weeks?
So, so, so, SO good to know! Thanks Bex!
(Almost forgot to add - both dressings were the same materials - some form of cream, then what looks like compacted cotton wool (although I'm guessing it's not, just something that looks like it!), then looser cotton padding, then a bandage type material, then really quite heavy, and very heavily sticky, porous-looking (but wierdly also water-proof looking) pink plaster tape, which made our fiesty one whimper when it was pulled off.
)I'm reassured already.
Bex - you're the best!!
Thanks that's a big compliment!
I should say 3 weeks if no complications or set backs to the healing process.
I can't think what the plaster dressing is, our outer layer sticks to itself not the skin though we do add a sticky dressing right at the top to reduce the chance of slipping.
Honey useful if healing a bit slow and helps reduce inflammation. Applied on wound, it's not always needed but worth considering.
Don't worry yet but should be seeing progress in next couple of dressing changes.
I should say 3 weeks if no complications or set backs to the healing process.
I can't think what the plaster dressing is, our outer layer sticks to itself not the skin though we do add a sticky dressing right at the top to reduce the chance of slipping.
Honey useful if healing a bit slow and helps reduce inflammation. Applied on wound, it's not always needed but worth considering.
Don't worry yet but should be seeing progress in next couple of dressing changes.
Edited by bexVN on Monday 21st November 15:28
I can well imagine, TheVet - don't trust this particular vet that's treating Ella at the moment, yet trust Bex implicitly, even though I've never met her! She's like that, a breed apart, but back to your pet, if you don't trust your vet, then vote with your feet, I would expect the problem to be cured eventually by your own vitnery, but if you aren't happy, ask your friends who they use and see what feeling you get when you phone up to ask about "an appointment". If the healing process exceeds 4 weeks in total from original issue then I would be advising a reassessment. As for the honey, I helped a calf recover from a wound covering 75% of the lower portion of two legs. She's still doing well and I hope to see her soon as she is due to calve before too long.
I trust the other vets at this place, and the OH trusts this particular one, so I'm happy to stay with the practice...
Plus, the wound seems to be healing OK.
Took her back in, and, to give her credit, she was happy to alter the treatment style (lighter bandages leading to no bandages, rather than the full-on leg cast!), and prescribed some painkillers as we asked for them.
Never got to try the honey this time, in the end - vet gave us some cream instead.
Plus, the wound seems to be healing OK.
Took her back in, and, to give her credit, she was happy to alter the treatment style (lighter bandages leading to no bandages, rather than the full-on leg cast!), and prescribed some painkillers as we asked for them.
Never got to try the honey this time, in the end - vet gave us some cream instead.
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