Injuries and Minor Operations
Wounds—Overgrown Claws—Fractures
WOUNDS
Lacerated and punctured wounds are very common, more especially amongst sporting dogs, and this chiefly owing to the thickets, etc., they have to face during work.
Wounds and fractures are not uncommonly associated; if so, the injury is spoken of as compound. The gravity of a dual injury is much greater than where either exists as a single one.
Gunshot wounds are not uncommon, and when examining such, a good deal of care is necessary. Sometimes the shots are simply lodged beneath the skin, and can be felt by rolling the skin beneath the fingers.
In other instances the flesh is penetrated, and, it may be, the internal organs injured.
Although shot may have penetrated the cavity of the chest, or the belly, it does not follow that the injury be of a vital nature; in fact, the author's experience of gunshot wounds in the dog has been as a rule favourable, most of the dogs showing but little after effects.
If shot have passed deeply in, penetrating the chest, etc., no attempt should be made to interfere with the wounds.
When shots are lodged in tendons, etc., about the knee, they should be removed forthwith.
Lacerated or torn wounds will probably require sewing up; if so, they must first of all be thoroughly cleansed with some warm water, to which a little disinfectant has been added.
Special care must be taken to remove all irritating particles, and the hair ought to be clipped closely off in juxtaposition to the injury.
Severe bleeding must be arrested with cold water, or by touching the end of the bleeding vessel with the point of a hot iron, or through the application of a few drops of strong tincture of iron, tow, and a bandage.
A stout needle and boiled string can be used to sew up the wound.
A very common situation to find a clean-cut (incised) wound is upon the pads of the feet, caused by the dog stepping upon some sharp object, such as a bit of glass, flint, etc.
Put the foot in hot water and cover it with a pad of tow or lint, soaked in a little carbolic oil or other antiseptic liniment, bandage, and keep dog at rest for a few days.
A little compound tincture of myrrh is an excellent remedy for painting superficial wounds, so is boracic acid as a dusting powder.
Every kennelman should keep these handy in case of emergency, likewise tow, a bandage, and some antiseptic, such as carbolic acid, chinosol, etc.
OVERGROWN CLAWS
It is very common to find the length of the claws so excessive that the resulting overgrowth penetrates the soft structures, causing the part to suppurate, and the dog lameness.
Clip off the offending part with a sharp pair of nippers. As a rule, nothing further is required.
FRACTURES
The long bones, i.e., the bones of the limbs, are those commonly broken, but short, flat and irregular bones are frequently injured.
Broken back may happen when a dog is run over, but this is more liable to happen to a non-sporting dog, or rather to such as are kept in the neighbourhood of busy thoroughfares.
A senseless puppy sometimes meets with an accident of this class.
A dislocation is an injury whereby the bone is forced out of its place.
The short bones of the feet are often broken, and their repair is usually an easy one, though, as in the case of the other fractures, complicated, if a wound be present.
Fractures of the skull are not common injuries amongst dogs, and when they do occur, call for special skill in treatment.
If the broken ends of a bone are not accurately adjusted, a deformed, or false, union results, more or less spoiling the utility of the animal.
As a rule, considerable swelling comes on after fracture of the long bones, especially of the forearm, therefore an effort must be made to subdue this by bathing freely with warm water.
Well-padded splints should be used—if applicable—and applied directly to the skin, being retained in position by a bandage.
If the bandage is too tightly applied, the circulation to the part will be interfered with, probably destroying the vitality of it. Coldness and numbness are the chief signs of this.
Leather, wood, gutta-percha, starch, egg and gum, etc., are all used as supports to a broken limb. A plaster bandage is very useful.
In the case of a valuable dog, it is advisable to consult a qualified veterinary practitioner.
Rest is of course an indispensable factor in the treatment of both fractures and dislocations.
When a dislocation accompanies a fracture, or wound and fracture, at a joint, the animal should be destroyed, as the results of surgery under these conditions is not often satisfactory.