My dog's leg wound won't heal despite treatment. What should I do?

Question

My dog Hanibal has a big wound on rear left leg. I'm not sure how he first got it but over some time his wound got worse because he kept licking and biting it (the vet thinks it's some sort of dermatitis and he did an x-ray scan of the leg but he still isn't completely sure what it is). After four week of wearing an Elizabethan collar and antibiotics (injections and Augmetin) the wound hasn't healed. I attached a picture of the injury. I would be very grateful for any sort of advice. Pet's info: Dog | Tibetan Terrier | Male | neutered | 7 years and 3 months old | 29 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

If the wound is healing, but is just not completely healed yet, then it might just need more time to heal. Wounds that are really deep and in areas that there is a lot of movement of the skin and tissues can take a couple of months to heal. However, if the wound does not seem to be continuing to heal or there is still thick discharge, then you might ask your veterinarian if it would be worth taking a culture of the area and sending a sample to a lab to determine what type of bacteria is present and which antibiotics it is sensitive to in case a different antibiotic is needed. It's difficult to tell from the picture, but if it is possible to bandage the area, your vet may be able to teach you to bandage the area (which will need to be changed daily) and that will sometimes help wounds heal as well. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My dog's leg wound won't heal despite treatment. What should I do?

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