My dog has a surgical burn. Dead skin is falling off. Can it be sewn?

Question

My dog received a 3rd degree burn during surgery. It is almost 2 weeks old and it looks like the dead skin is about to fall off. The vet wants to sew it closed but only if good skin on edges. Is that a good idea. Pet's info: Dog | Bernese Mountain Dog | Female | spayed | 8 years old | 84.4 lbs

Linda G, MS, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello. I am so sorry for this medical error happening to your dog. Yes, the center part of the wound, called an eschar, will slough off. This will heal, but it may take several months to do so. We do try to sometimes close these as they advance just to protect the underlying healing tissue. But at this point in time, I do not think the wound can be closed without doing extensive grafting. There are multiple techniques for addressing such an huge wound. If you are at all unsure of your veterinarians ability to handle such a wound, you might want to ask for a referral to a large surgical center or even consider the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My dog has a surgical burn. Dead skin is falling off. Can it be sewn?

Most Helpful Answer

Share