if a dog gets cut, do they heal the same as humans?

Question

My girlfriend was cutting the mats out of my dog when she accidently cut him, a very small gash. is this a problem? we have cleaned the cut and put a little bandage around his leg.

Answer 1

You've done the right thing, don't worry, it will heal fine. Obviously, don't let the dog chew on the bandage! I bet your girlfriend feels terrible, I did exactly the same thing to an abandoned and very matted persian cat and I felt like the worst person in the world! She healed fine, your dog will too.

Answer 2

If it's smaller than half an inch long and an 1/8 of an inch deep then you should be just fine. If it's any bigger, either deeper or longer, then I'd suggest consulting a vet. Small, little cuts can heal just fine with a little Neosporin. Larger cuts can easily get infected, considering how active animals are and the fact they'll want to mess with the wound which can cause more harm than good. If it is a decently sized cut, you'll need antibiotics to prevent infection, a good bandage that will not only protect the wound but help it to heal properly and possibly an E-Collar to prevent them from irritating the wound. If it is smaller than the size I described, just use some antibiotic ointment on it, keep an eye on it and it should heal properly. I would avoid using Peroxide, it has a drying effect that can be more damaging than helpful on an animal. I'd also remove the bandage from the leg... Wrapping an animal is quite different from wrapping a human and you never can tell if it's too tight, cutting off circulation or preventing them from using that leg properly which can result in a larger problem. I'm thinking if the wound is a decent enough size that you feel it requires a bandage, you should see a vet. It's much easier to prevent an infection than it is to heal one. Oh and one more thing... Next time, take your pet to a groomer or vet to get their mats taken care of. First off, an animal should never develope mats in their fur, if they are then they aren't being groomed enough or well enough or all of the above. Secondly, vets and groomers are specially trained to groom animals properly, not only so the animal's fur stays in a nice, healthy condition but also to ensure the safety of the animal. They have the equipment and set-up to properly, SAFELY groom an animal and I'd suggest leaving that up to the experts.

Answer 3

What you have done sounds just fine to me.
And yes, dogs heal much faster than us...it will be gone in a couple of days.
My dog cut herself jumping through a barbed wire fence (shes not very clever). She had a huge gash under her front leg. This obviously needed vet treatment but she was running around again a week later

Answer 4

I wouldn't see why not? Dogs also lick their wounds naturally to clean them, and because they smell the blood and they like the taste of it.(ever tasted blood before? It has a metal like taste and its actually kinda sorta good) and some say they tend to heal faster than ours. Although I have read that licking wounds to heal them faster is just an urban legend. Sooo I wouldn't let them lick a cut on you to clean it or anything.... The bacteria in dogs mouths is very bad. They never brush their teeth we have to do that sometimes. And they lick themselves and eat their own feces. Yuck! I would not let one of my dogs lick my cuts, unless it was a complete emergency and knowing that my dogs aren't diseased. But you shouldn't be afraid of licks in the face or anything. They may be gross, but they aren't dangerous. Although the mouth of a typical dog is full of bacteria, it's "species specific." So, if a dog were to lick a person, most of the germs wouldn't transfer. "Bottom line -- you're more likely to get a serious illness from kissing a person than kissing a dog."

Answer 5

My experience is they heal faster than we do with less medication. Where we put neosporin they use saliva for antiseptic. I just read an article about a groomer super gluing the ear of a dog she was grooming back on after she cut it off. It (the ear)floated away when the owner tried bathing it at home, so I don't recommend super glue over a good ol' veterinarian. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Should be fine but keep an eye on it. Dogs tend to heal much quicker than us. Just try and keep it clean!

Answer 7

Yes they heal the same, although I would suggest keeping an eye on him. The dog may try to scratch or lick his wound which will enflame it.

Answer 8

It should heal fine but if it looks bad on monday maybe go to a vet.

Answer 9

dogs heal quicker than humans, they keep licking the wound and somthing in the salva helps it heal quickly

Answer 10

should'nt be a problem, and it should heal just the same as we do, but keep an eye on it just in case, it could become infected, seek advice from vet if it does.