My dog's wound closed up. How can I safely reopen it to drain fluid?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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  Answered By Anna M., DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on

  Keep the area clean using mild soapy water and you can gently scrub with a clean wash cloth. Dawn dish soap works well. You can soften & wipe away crusty discharge or a small scab this way. Once the body is ready to close up the draining hole, you won't be able to keep it open - the main this to keep it clean and draining as long as you can before it closes up again. Hope this helps!

  

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  Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

  Veterinarian

  Published on October 1st, 2018

  Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Ideally a laceration should be closed with suture material by a veterinarian. If the laceration is deep enough or creates a large enough pocket underneath the skin, a drain may need to be surgically placed in order for excess fluid to drain out rather then keep accumulating underneath the skin. The wound does look deep, but is hard to accurately access without examining it in person. If going to a veterinarian is absolutely not an option in any way, there is not a lot you can do other than try and keep the area clean and dry. Using sterile saline to flush the wound out several times a day can help. Keeping a bandage on the area can help keep material out of the wound. The real risk here is infection which is high if Diesel is not on any antibiotics. Topical antibiotics are probably not going to be enough to prevent infection. Diesel may need to be on an oral antibiotic as well.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful