Had to staple one of the dogs question....

[luke0927]

Well it finally happened had a dog get a good cut, thank god it wasn't deep enough to hit any muscle it was on my female on the right from but it was about 2 1/2" and all the way through her coat. I cleaned it with soap and water and put some alcohol on it and then stapled it....it was my first time using the stapler and it didnt come with instruction and i couldn't find much on the Internet i knew to pinch the skin just had to figure out squeeze i fast and hard so you get a good hold with the staple....dog didnt even flinch......I think the dog go cut on some tin that was stacked up just ran by and got snagged, My grandpas been pilling it up for a new building....how long should i leave the staples in about 10 days?

can anyone recommend a good simple first aid book for dogs? I do keep buffered asprin but didn't give any to this dog should i look at giving her anything or just keep an eye on the cut to make sure it stays stapled and clean.

Thanks

[Sharon]

Keep a very close eye on that cut.
My friend stapled his dog and the dog got a massive body infection.It almost died.It cost him a small fortune to save his dog.
The staples were the wrong size and not all the germs were washed out.
Often antibiotics are needed early to ward off infection.

If you see increased redness or pus, get your dog to the vet asap.
Don't let the area get wet/ dirty from the dog being outside.
The amount of time to leave the staples in, depends on the size of the wound.

As you can probably tell, I am no longer in favor of amateur stapling/ wound management.
A little money spent early often saves a lot of money later.

[snips]

You may need antibiotics too.

[vzkennels]

Several yrs back I was on a hunting trip & my old dog Ace was in a fight at home.He got his front leg laid open pretty good,my wife took him to the vet & the vet said it was better to leave it open & heal from the inside out.He siad there was less chance of infection that way it could drain & get fresh air.He healed fine not even a scar & you could lay your hand in it when it happened.I think I would see the vet in cases like that & I'm not one to run to the vet about every little thing.He did clean it good & give us antibiotics for him about 10 days.

[luke0927]

Thanks I'll call the vet its not like im out in some remote spot hunting better make sure its taken care of right.

[R-Heaton]

Luke,,,, sounds like you didn't do to bad. But from my experience and this is from me calling the vet out on every occasion horse and dog is I have yet to see them give a dog staples or stitches. From what I have seen the vets scrub it with a betadine solution (mixed down with water to look like tea) put one of those non stick bandaids around it and some vet wrap and send ya on your way with enough supplies to do it yourself in a day or two. They always just flap the torn skin back over fit it where it goes the best they can and your done. From what I hear timing is everything if staples or stitches aren't done fairly quickly its best to be left open,,, but not sure on the exact rule of thumb. I would be careful with the alcohol, saline solution is better. As far as antibiotics being used up front to prevent infection, there is no study that shows this is true or prevents infection.

11:34 am

[luke0927]

it was already starting to heal good...I removed the staples and used cephapirin benzathine on the wound he told me to use it a couple times a day until it heals up.....

[Sharon]

You're a good guy.
You can take advice and not get offended.
Hats off to you.

[PrairieGoat]

This is one of those innocuous little threads that are infinitely valueable. Much like Luke, I also carry one of those skin staplers in my First-Aid kit...no instructions, haven't a clue really how to use it. Now I think I will try to avoid using it unless absolutely necessary...and I'm not even sure what that means....hopefully will recognize it when it happens.

Randy

[rugdog]

The stapler should be used to bridge the gap between the field emergency and getting the dog to the vet. People think they'll save money by skipping the vet (and sometimes they do), but it's better to have the vet treat the would properly right away. You will minimize the chance for infection, and may save money in the process. Take care...

[bpenn1980]

Is the stapler widely used in emergency medicine for dogs? I have an emt license (current, but not practicing) and staples dont come into the pre-hospital care setting for humans to the best of my knowledge. Is it an animal thing?

[GsPJustin]

Bpenn, I believe on average the staple is more of a temporary solution to closing a wound if you are out of the way or needing to get to a vet. It can be a very good method of first-aid if done correctly.

[topher40]

I use staple almost exclusively versus stitching a dog up. Unless I have a very mild mannered dog that doesnt need to be sedated to get good closure. I haven't ever had any problems with it and I use a betadyne to clean it out before I staple. One thing you cant forget is to leave an opening at the bottom to allow the wound to seep.