Just wondering how many and how often you have to stitch up your dogs. Where did you get your supplies and can you give me any advice, pics would help. I am thinking that I will have to duct tape his mouth shut, but where do I get the needle and thread, the vet? Are they willing to part with such items?

Thanks,

gonzaga

Gonzaga, Here is a staple gun that should work well. Remember to leave a "tear drop" opening at the bottom of the suture for drainage. I'd say if you think you should tape his mouth than it's probably a good idea. Best of luck.

-Brian

http://www.huntsmart.com/hunt/Item_Hog-Dog-Staple-Gun_BDSSGUN.html

It just dawned on me that if you have a cut already needing sewed up, you won't have time to order a staple gun, sorry.

In an emergency u can take a sewing needl and heet it up and bend it like a fish hook and use some haevy thread or dental floss just be sterile.I stiched one of my pups after two of them tore each other up.I named him stiches.
good luck
wayne

i used to work for a vet so getting the stuff has never been a problem but i dont think you will have any problem either, i like to use a staple gun when i can but sew alot too, the best way i have found is tape there mouth shut, ty their back legs off to a post and let my wife hold them down tight, i use a half moon needle and dental flose most of the time, but if they can lick it and its going to stop bleeding i useally just leave it

the staple gun is the way to go, we still sew also but much faster and easier with the gun

Thanks guys, that is exactly the info I was looking for. I will have to get me a little sewing kit together to put in the truck.

Gonzaga, it would have to be a life or death deal for me to sew them up. We have had a dog get pretty tore up a time or two and if you give them some pen and blue-kote things work out pretty well and a lot faster then you would think.

I have only had one dog sewn up and $280.00 later i was happy to have him be ok....soon after i had the experience to be around some guys that hunt dogs for a living and see what they did with dogs in alot tougher shape then i had experienced at the time. I was amazed at how tough these dogs can be and what they can overcome.

Don't take this the wrong way i am in no way saying let the dogs suffer...learn what you need to do and take care of it. If they are worth feeding they are worth whatever it takes to keep them healthy and alive. Just be smart about it.

p.s. We use electrical tape when we castrate and brand our dogs. Leave a tail on the end so you can unwrap it easier when you are done. Also tape their front feet together, this will keep them from pulling it off their muzzle.

I have to agree with Poser on this, I take good care of my dogs,but I don't stitch a dog unless it's life or death.
It's amazin how tuff dogs are, and how well they heal.Penn , and a dogs tongue do wonders.
Around here, you can buy "stitch kits", at the farm supply.
They have a curved needle, 24 inches of waxed thread,and come sealed sterilized in a little foil pack. I think they cost aroud 5 $.
I have freinds that run hogs, and they use staples, but I have never used them, so have no opinion.

The reason I was asking about sewing up a dog is because when I took a dog of mine to a vet, my dog had a broken foot. Apparantly he had gotten out and got hit or somehow broke her foot. The vet never took and xray or really payed much attention to the foot. His final piece of advice was to "let her lick that infection out", he had pushed a bloodclot out of her foot about the sice of CD disk. I had taken her to this vet on 3 different occasions and she just wasn't getting any better. When I left for work, I put her in the garage. When I got home, she had licked her left leg raw, all of the hair gone down to the skin. It looked like someone had shaved her hair all off. I took her to another vet that said "the only way to save the dog was to amputate it because she had been gone too long without the right treatment". I did it and she was fine for the next 3 years and then she passed away.

I was kind of hesitant to let another dog lick on a wound, but apparantly you guys do let them and you guys are dog people, so I will listen to you guys. If I think it is really bad, or life threatening I will take him to my vet first thing.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I will use both staples and suture, just depends on location and type of wound. The KEY to any wound treatment is to get it cleaned out! Remember this rhyme "the solution to pollution is dilution" Flush the wound out well to insure there is no dirt,debris etc...left behind, as this will cause it to fester. If I have alot of dirt in the wound I will use peroxide the first time, then water/betadine solution. If you have a wound with missing hide, or that comes apart after being stapled/sutured, use Granulex spray on it daily. It will speed up the granulation process, and heal quicker and better than anything else I have ever used.

Take care.

Doc, you stole my thunder,Haha,well said.
I want to expand on something Doc mentioned, Only use Peroxide "ONCE"!!!! Reason being, peroxide kills "germs", but also kills the antibodies that the dogs system is building to fight infection.
When in doubt, about anything you can use on a horse wound, you can use on a dog wound. You can get most anything you need from the local feed store.
The best advise is if you don't know what to do, stop the bleeding, and haul a$$ for a good vet clinic.

I doubt there are many fellas better qualified than UHDoc to answer this question, as a dogman and a professional. Very well said buddy, to overlap this thread with the first aid kit one, Granulex is a must have. Duane, you are absolutely right about peroxide and if you can avoid it thats good too.

I'd add aswell, any wound dressing whether its ointment, paste, spray or wrap, breathabilty is a huge benefit to healing. Drainage is vital aswell to cut down on the festering and allow the dog to clean itself and remove the "junk" leaving the wound.

Lots of good information in this thread, maybe we can get a couple of these pinned up Duane.

I agree, lots of good info. I'll do it.

While I did not tend to the wound myself, I did learn from the vet when Budro was bitten on the hind end by a very large Bull Mastiff... a deep puncture wound (such as a bite from something with BIG teeth) should not be closed up as apposed to a laceration. Deep wounds need to drain as was mentioned about the tear drop at the low end of the wound.
Shaving the area is important also.

Rick H...

You can also use the EMT gel it is handy to have around it is like the medical glue that they use to close wounds . I keep it in my antenna case .