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Dog's elbow wound, can't walk, no vet. What can I do at home?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 56 lbs

My dogs elbow has a wound. It's not bleeding but there is some kind of hole. He's not able to walk properly. There is no veterinary hospital near my town. What medications or aid should I provide? My dog is 10 years old. Male German Shepherd. Unneutred

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 17th, 2017

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is difficult to make out what the problem is with the hair around the affected area but from the picture, it looks as though there is a severe hot spot or abscess at the region of the left elbow. If you have no veterinarians near you, I would recommend using a mixture of betadine and saline (mix the two together until you have a light brown mixture) to clean the area. First, you will need to remove the hair from around the wound so that you can treat this properly. Once the hair has been clipped away, I would recommend soaking the elbow in this solution three times daily for 15 minutes each time until resolved. If this does not resolve or worsens, then I would strongly suggest you find a veterinarian that can treat this appropriately. Kaju will likely need an oral antibiotic and anti-inflammatory for further treatment. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 2nd, 2020

    This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria but fungal infection is possible as well). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching (if any). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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