HowTo:Stop a dog from chewing on a cut/sore on his foot. Need help. Thanks!

Hi, and thanks for any help. The wolf/dog I live with (80 percent wolf, 20 white shepard) has an open sore right on the top of his back left foot, and chews at it, so it can't close. Putting a hood on his head is not an option. Does anyone know of a substance we can place on the sore/cut which wouldn't hurt him but that he'd taste once or twice and not think of tasting again? Appreciated.

Hi. When my dog had a similar problem I put this liquid called "TCP" on the wound area. It's a strong smelling and not great tasting antiseptic. You can gargle with it if you have a sore throat and it helps make it better and you can use it for cuts and such.

Anyway I asked my friend who works as a vet and she said to just water it down a little and dab it round the area. The smell is pretty strong for humans so for dogs it's a lot stronger plus as I said it's got a nasty taste to it. My dog never touched her leg after that.

It might not work as well for you but that's what I used so thought I'd let you know.

reply to post by Aleister


Dogs lick sores to heal...and in most cases they can. Theye have a form of antiseptic in their mouths. No doubt the sore is itching him, so he continues to lick. Putting antibiotics or hydrocortizone for itching will help some, but he'll just keep licking it.

They seem to heal in the wild on their own, but I know you want to help him.
Maybe at least contact a vet or the vet school program at a local college for advise on something he'll leave alone to heal. Mostly likely, he'll just keep licking it off. Its just what dogs do.

Good luck. PS There are antihistamines (oral) that he can be given to calm him down and stop itching. Talk to a vet for those. Good luck with him!
MS

reply to post by Aleister


Given my wolf hybrid will eat any form of food on the planet (ever watch a dog eat one Habanero pepper after another?) I wish I had a solution other than bandages.

Do you have any toads in your area? My dog will not touch one and he kills rabbits on a nearly daily basis. When he got a bit froggy with a horse he ended up with a broken shoulder and collarbone. He had to spend three months with a leg wrapped against his chest. The only way I could get him to stop tearing up the wrappings was to rub a scared toad all over them.......

I am actually being serious as dogs hate the taste of toad and will not under any circumstances eat one. It might do the trick.

I should add: A wound that is deep can become infected regardless of how much the dog licks it. A shallow wound dogs will usually take care of themselves.

reply to post by Devilishwork


Thanks, it's that kind of advice that's needed. I'll look into that one. Is it sold at drugstores, grocery stores? thanks again.

Devilishwork
Hi. When my dog had a similar problem I put this liquid called "TCP" on the wound area. It's a strong smelling and not great tasting antiseptic. You can gargle with it if you have a sore throat and it helps make it better and you can use it for cuts and such.

Anyway I asked my friend who works as a vet and she said to just water it down a little and dab it round the area. The smell is pretty strong for humans so for dogs it's a lot stronger plus as I said it's got a nasty taste to it. My dog never touched her leg after that.

It might not work as well for you but that's what I used so thought I'd let you know.

sounds easier than catching a toad

reply to post by mysterioustranger


I knew that but had forgotten. If it were just me I'd let it heal naturally, but someone else is fretting. Hopefully the thing will heal up with help from the guys own saliva, which makes a lot of sense.

reply to post by Mamatus


There are frogs and toads in a couple of places just a little away, but I don't like to see any of the kids in the area try to catch them and give a little warning to them sometimes that "people" are watching and disapprove. So I'd hesitate to run one down and rub it on the foot, but who knows. This is the second wolf hybrid I've raised and did most of the training, and much of that training was just teaching him his territory (fenced in, but he could probably leap over it if he had a mind too). So he doesn't have a chance to chase the rabbits and squirrels, who are all smart enough to know not to come into that territory. He has a good appetite, and, as you know from raising one of these critters, is among the most intelligent and loving animals that people can be lucky enough to hang out with.

Here's some info for you:

www.petsadviser.com...

Hope it helps.

Peace

jude11
Here's some info for you:

www.petsadviser.com...

Hope it helps.

Peace

thanks. I'll look at that one later, have to run off now. The sore isn't from anxiety related things, it was from either a stick, rubbing against something, or not getting out of the way of his "brother" - a full shepard who tussles with him sometimes.

reply to post by Aleister


I have a Northern Inuit and its dad used to have pink and sore legs from constantly licking at any scrape or any cut it had on it`s legs and once they get in the habit it`s hard as hell to break.

However I have one of its pups now and it caught its leg while jumping over a reservoir wall. It started constantly licking it and making it worse so everytime it went to lick the area i told it NO and pushed its nose away.

There is an antiseptic cream we get in the UK (and am sure in the US, just might be called something different) it`s called Savalon. I smeared that really thick to the affected area and within a week the sore had gone.

Think it had a lot to do with the fact the cream tastes like S@@t. Hope that helps.

He has a good appetite, and, as you know from raising one of these critters, is among the most intelligent and loving animals that people can be lucky enough to hang out with.

I am on my second wolf, the first lasted 16 years. I think of it more as I am lucky they choose to hang out with me.

My current pup has no limits to the area he can roam. I am fortunate enough to live in an area with few neighbors and those that I do have, think he is cool (I introduced him to them all) and they are ranchers that shoot coyotes on sight... I use a pettracker to keep tabs on him when he goes to far. So far he always returns home and for that I am grateful. It's good to have a true friend.

Great critters, but not for most folks.......

Get your dog an inflatable collar. It's a lifesaver, really. It's also a much more humane alternative
to a cone. You can easily slip it on and off (but your dog can't) and keep your pup from biting
and scratching sores and wounds and give him a chance to heal. PetCo has them, they call
theirs ProCollar Premium Inflatable Protective Collar. They cost $20-$30 and they're worth every penny.

reply to post by orbitbaby

My pup would never speak to me again......

reply to post by Aleister


Animals are amazing. They can heal right up on their own. Still..Im not implying to leave it untreated. You should get it looked at.

Just an additional mention here: I had a Siberian Husky-Timberwolf mix. Great animal. He "yipped" all the time and bounced back n forth.

When he was about 5 years old...he went running downstream in the Huron River in Ann arbor Michigan, yipping and barking and splashing down the river....

I never saw him again...even looking everywhere for a long time. I think he just went natural-wild...always loved that dog!

mysterioustranger
Just an additional mention here: I had a Siberian Husky-Timberwolf mix. Great animal. He "yipped" all the time and bounced back n forth.

When he was about 5 years old...he went running downstream in the Huron River in Ann arbor Michigan, yipping and barking and splashing down the river....

I never saw him again...even looking everywhere for a long time. I think he just went natural-wild...always loved that dog!

edit on 09-22-2013 by mysterioustranger because: (no reason given)

My daughter has a Siberain Husky. Rule one - NEVER let him off the lead unless the area is fenced, because he will just keep going...and going...and going!
When he was about one year old she ignored the advice and let him off the lead. After about an hour of searching we spotted him hanging on to the back end of a Swan that was trying its best to fly away!
Fantastic animals. When she first got him I thought he wasn't very clever compared to my border collie, but I soon learnt the difference. A Border Collie always wants to show you how smart he is, whereas the Husky is so damned sneaky he hides his intelligence! Took me a while to figure that out.

Devilishwork
Hi. When my dog had a similar problem I put this liquid called "TCP" on the wound area. It's a strong smelling and not great tasting antiseptic. You can gargle with it if you have a sore throat and it helps make it better and you can use it for cuts and such.

Anyway I asked my friend who works as a vet and she said to just water it down a little and dab it round the area. The smell is pretty strong for humans so for dogs it's a lot stronger plus as I said it's got a nasty taste to it. My dog never touched her leg after that.

It might not work as well for you but that's what I used so thought I'd let you know.

Isn't TCP a cleaning chemical?
Would that not be highly toxic and kill the pet?

reply to post by Aleister

I knew that but had forgotten. If it were just me I'd let it heal naturally, but someone else is fretting. Hopefully the thing will heal up with help from the guys own saliva, which makes a lot of sense.

Canine saliva does not heal anything...unfortunately, that is a myth. Actually, dogs' saliva can be teeming with bacteria from whatever the dog may have chewed on or eaten recently. Dogs are typically given a plastic or fabric cone- "The Cone of Shame" -that stays around the neck, preventing their mouths from being able to reach the wound. If that is not an option, there are colloidal bandages that will adhere to fur and there are many things you can apply to the area that will make it taste bitter to them, possibly deterring the behavior.

It is a common misconception that the saliva of a dog contains any healing properties and if they continue to lick or chew at an area, preventing it from healing, a serious infection can occur...they can develop septicemia very quickly and die. I was becoming concerned at the number of people who were saying dogs have "antiseptic" properties in their saliva...they do not, and in fact can have lots of nasty bacteria between their teeth, etc., that can be fatal if it enters the bloodstream.

You state that it's a sore...do you mean like a blister or lesion? If it's something like a scratch or a cut, and you are reasonably certain it is not infected (edges are pink, tissue is clean of fur and debris, no pus or foul smell coming from it are good signs), you can actually close it with some good old-fashioned super glue. They can't chew it open and if it's closed, they can't smell it so they won't be drawn to it. Eventually, as the wound heals, the glue will slough off along with the dead skin cells. We close minor cuts on humans like that all the time. It is sterile, and works. If it's a lesion or pustule, you'll most likely have to get him the cone or bandage it so that he cannot reach it.

orbitbaby
Get your dog an inflatable collar. It's a lifesaver, really. It's also a much more humane alternative
to a cone. You can easily slip it on and off (but your dog can't) and keep your pup from biting
and scratching sores and wounds and give him a chance to heal. PetCo has them, they call
theirs ProCollar Premium Inflatable Protective Collar. They cost $20-$30 and they're worth every penny.