A dogs lively and impetuous nature is what makes them endearing. Mans best friend will never fail to lighten the dreary day of a dog lover. However, the dogs exuberance and high spirits often get them in trouble. Small cuts and nicks are considered to be pretty ordinary occurrences in a dogs (and owners) life. An inquisitive pup sniffing the roses may get the ears nicked by thorns; another dog may try to fight with a jagged edged can and gain a cut on the lips. Situations like these can be easily dealt with at home. Small and simple cuts would not really need a vets attention. However, a very excited dog may barge into a glass sliding door, break the glass and seriously cut himself. A dog scaling a fence may be seriously cut by a barbed wire. A serious cut would definitely need a vets attention as the incision may need to be sutured to quicken the healing process and also to minimize the possibility of infection However, first aid must be given to the dog to stem the flow of blood.
Symptoms
A dog with a cut in the limbs may limp. Bleeding will be visible and the fur will be matted with blood. A dog with a serious cut would be in pain. You will notice the dog licking the affected area. First aid must be given at once to a dog with profusely bleeding cut. It is very important to stop blood loss as a severely bleeding dog can go into shock in just four minutes.
Arterial bleeding is fatal and life threatening. The bright red blood will spurt in time with the beating of the heart. If a vein is cut dark red blood will drip evenly. Bleeding from serious cut is life threatening as it can result to fatal hemorrhaging.
Treatment
The first a pet owner should do in situations like this is to stay calm. Rushing to help an injured pet may be dangerous. An injured dog will be in pain and will act unpredictably. A well mannered pet may not be able to recognize an owner that is trying to help. There may be a need to restrain a dog. The best way to stem profuse bleeding is to put the cut under pressure. Use gauze, a piece of clean cloth a towel or your hand if no cloth is available to apply direct pressure to the cut. This should slow the bleeding but if the cloth is quickly soaked with blood get another one and apply on top of the saturated cloth. Removing the first one can break the blood clots that have formed. Do not try to clean a cut that is profusely bleeding.
A dog with a cut ear will continuously shake its head thus preventing the clotting of the blood. The same thing goes with a cut on the tail. To stop bleeding the affected body part must be immobilized. Secure the bandaged ear to the head with a strip of cloth and the bandaged tail to the body of the dog while the pet is being transported to a veterinary facility.