My dog's swollen wound looks infected. How to treat without a vet?

Question

My dog has a wound that I have tried to keep clean, but it is swollen and I am afraid that it will become infected or that it already is. I want to know if I can give her Cephalexin in a low dose. I have read that I can, but I want to get advice from a vet. I don't have money at this moment to take her to the vet and just want her to get better. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 5 months and 16 days old | 20 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, we cannot (legally and ethically) advise giving prescription medication for a condition that we can't fully evaluate through this service. It's difficult to know how bad the wound is without seeing it, but I'll give you some general wound care advice: 1) Clip the hair around the area and expose all of the sore skin. 2) Wash/spray the area with just cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 5 minutes at a time. Do this at least twice a day. 3) Bandage the wound (if possible) with gauze and apply an over-the-counter antibacterial cream (i.e Neosporin) to the wound. Keeping it covered and keeping Zoe from licking it will be the most difficult part of the treatment. You can help keep the bandage on by placing a good (really sticky) tape above and below the bandage. You can find sprays in the pet store, like bitter apple, that are meant to deter licking. This can be sprayed on the bandage (not the wound) to help keep Zoe from chewing it off. NOTE: Be careful not to bandage too tight around legs, or it can cut-off the circulation. If you notice that the toes/foot starts to swell, then remove the bandage and leave it off until the swelling goes down. It's difficult for me to know how severe this is without evaluating her, but in severe cases it's recommended that she gets professional treatment, or she can have life-threatening complications. I understand that money is an issue, but there are often various options in these cases and I recommend contacting a local animal rescue for advice about affordable veterinary care. If you have further questions or need further clarification, then you may consider having an online consult with one of our vets on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This way, you can send unlimited pictures and have a text conversation with a vet. I hope that helps and Zoe gets better soon.

My dog's swollen wound looks infected. How to treat without a vet?

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