Dogs may get hurt and when wounded severely, they may even bleed especially their paw are worst hit and it is quite common occurrence in dogs. Whenever your dog is bleeding, it is crucial to find out the source of bleeding whether the injury seems minor or major. If you are aware of where the injury occurred, you are well aware of what to examine and where to examine your dog’s paw more specifically. In conditions, if you are not aware of where your dog got hurt or how he got hurt, it is crucial to plan and visit your vet if the bleeding is intense.
Follow these steps when looking for bleeding in your dog.
What you should look for
Start with knowing on how to control the severity of bleeding as outlined in “How to assess the severity of bleeding”. In this process, you will discover the source of bleeding and can conclude whether to carry on first aid at home or what to follow to stop bleeding until you visit your vet’s office.
Investigate and find answers for the following questions
Is the bleeding severe, moderate or mild?
Intense to moderate bleeding should always be handled by your vet. Control the bleeding with the aid of first aid kit by the time you take your furry pal to your vet’s office.
Is the bleeding from a cut or laceration?
Check whether the bleeding is from a cut or laceration. If you find the full extent of cut, and the bleeding is mild, clean the wound with a mixture of 50% water and 50% antiseptic solution. If your dog resists this, it is better to allow your vet to handle this. If your dog is not resistant, then with the help of your friend, put on the muzzle on your dog and carry out the procedure. It would be much easier to put the paw in the solution of water and hydrogen peroxide for cleaning the wound and its surroundings.
After cleaning, apply a non-adherent bandage to the paw, and take care that you do not tie it too tightly. Keep the toes exposed in order to check the signs of swelling. If you find any sign of swelling, then it is better to re-bandage the wound little loosely. Athletic socks are best to use to provide protection to the wound. In case, the blood shows up on to socks of these wounds, then it is a signal that you need to show it to your vet.
Check in case the foreign body stuck in the wound
Always be careful when some foreign object got stuck into your dog’s skin. Unless you know exactly what it is, and know how to remove it, do not touch the wound. Let your veterinarian handle the condition. If you are confident and comfortable enough to handle it, then carefully remove it and get ready with bandages to control the bleeding that may result due to this.
Check whether the bleeding occurred due to damaged toenail
A broken or cracked toenail can be painful embedded with bloody mess. If you find that bleeding is low, work on disinfecting, cleaning and dressing up the toenail for allowing healing. In case the bleeding continues in spite of your best efforts, it is time to consult your veterinarian for further treatment.
Precautions:
Before handling your dog’s wound, ensure to put on gloves to avoid any infection. Also, these gloves will protect your hands from anything sharp that might have been inserted in your dog’s paw.
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