My dog has a small open wound on his leg and it's not bleeding. It's not hindering him in anyway and he doesn't seem to be causing him any pain. Yet he keeps licking it.
2006-11-22 11:39:52 · 45 answers · asked by Ashley R 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Licking it can stop if from healing. Some dogs get "hot spots" basically raw patches because they won't stop licking one particular place.
2006-11-22 12:00:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
YES--as some of the other answers said, a dog licks a wound to allow it to heal faster, and, contrary to what some of the other people said, a dog's mouth IS 100% cleaner than ours or any other animals'. The only way to make the wound heal faster than with him licking it would be to allow him to walk in salt water, like an ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.
2006-11-22 12:11:46 · answer #2 · answered by Mary C 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He is cleaning it and its okay if its a small wound. If you see that its not healing and getting worse I go to a pet store and get Vet Wrap and wrap the wound. If its a large wound take him to a vet to have the doc look at it.
Dog saliva isnt "clean" like some people think. The reason people say a dogs mouth is cleaner than a humans is because they dont carry bacteria that can transfer to us.
2006-11-22 12:02:02 · answer #3 · answered by Kristin Pregnant with #4 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's actually a natural reaction for a dog to lick their injuries. That doesn't mean it's good though. A dogs mouth is not nearly as clean as some of the urban legends will say.
The best thing to do is to try to bandage it lightly so he can't get to it until it starts to heal. Just a sterile gauze wrapped loosely around it would do the trick. Just make sure you are changing the gauze often.
Good luck!
2006-11-22 12:04:20 · answer #4 · answered by AB 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Constant licking can cause infections, and can lead to the formulation of a lick granuloma, which he will want to lick for the rest of his life. Dogs have a lot of bacteria in their mouths (they do lick their behinds and other tasty things) and saliva is chock full of bacteria. Bandaging is difficult, and sometimes an Elizabethan collar is the best solution. Good Luck!!
2006-11-22 12:34:46 · answer #5 · answered by Annie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes allow him to do this . dogs have cleaner mouths than humans do remember that... your dog ( and all other dogs) has some special stuff in his saliva that helps everything heal... even if you get a wound and your dog begins to lick it allow him to do so you will heal much faster than you think!! SERIOUSLY!! well like i said let him do this and he wiill soon be back to normall. this is very natural... dogs used to be wolves and if they got a cut they had to heal quickly or they would die but then agien some dogs don't have this stuff in their saliva and it just majkes the healing harder... watch him and see if the wound is getting better don't worry but if it getting mushy and talking a long time to heal some bandages would do the trick... jut wrap them lose!! and be shure to change them often! and if you can get a little bit of ointment that would really help.if he begins bitting it allow him to... he is just talking the scab off so that his saliva can get into the wound if he didn't have the special saliva he wouldn't be doing this.
bye
2006-11-22 12:18:06 · answer #6 · answered by izzy animal maniac 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My dog cut his leg open once crawling threw a chain fence. At first I thought he was licking it because it hurt and I thought it was the natural healing process that dogs had. The wound wasn't getting better and seemed to be getting worse. I took him to the vet and the vet basically put neosporn on it and wrapped it up... that cost me $900... so...
2006-11-22 12:04:45 · answer #7 · answered by Mom 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's wierd, but true. A dog's saliva is actually more clean than that of humans. It is very natural for him to lick his wounds. By nature, this is how they heal their wounds. You shouldn't be worried unless he is biting at it and making it worse. If he starts to do this, patch it up so he can not get to it.
2006-11-22 12:37:44 · answer #8 · answered by Jane D 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A lot of animals lick their young in order to disinfect wounds. Your dog is most likely just trying to clean it out. Supposedly a dogs salvia is several times cleaner than a human's.
2006-11-22 12:12:28 · answer #9 · answered by Gillman Donald 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If he licks it, it's ok as long as the wound is improving - even if it is happening slowly. If he is chewing it, he needs to be stopped. The Vet will put a bucket over his head so he can't reach it.
You can try to stop the over licking my telling him "No" when he licks it, and gently pushing his face away, or distract him by calling him to you and giving him a pat.
hope this helps you.
2006-11-22 12:06:26 · answer #10 · answered by Puss in Boots 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your dog needs a visit to the vet. It's hard to tell from your post if the licking is making it better or worse - but the word 'continually' makes me nervous. Get this checked now before it becomes a bigger (more expensive) problem!
2006-11-22 12:02:48 · answer #11 · answered by Misa M 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋