How To Stop Dog From Licking Wound

Dogs may lick themselves for grooming purposes to alleviate pain or to try and calm irritation from some kind of injury or allergy.

How to stop dog from licking wound. Excessive licking will slow the healing process so you need to stop your dog from licking his wound. Your dog s natural tendency is to lick the wound. Licking an injury is a natural behavior however sometimes it can do more harm than good especially if the wound is something like a surgical incision. Licking the wound can cause the following things.

If there are any stitches or other wound closures your dog s licking can break down the stitches and cause the wound to reopen. It is a good idea to stop a dog from licking a wound of any sort because licking and chewing can slow healing by reopening wounds. When it comes to an alternative to an ecollar for protecting a wound on your dog s body we feel that the surgi snuggly is the best route to take. Keeping a wound covered with a basic wrapped bandage may be enough to break the.

A cone or collar is the traditional way to keep a dog from licking a wound. In such cases if the wound or stitches was near back legs rump tail or genital area and the dog could not be seen that same day we recommended letting the dog wear a pair of men s boxers. Although we feel that the grannick s bitter apple spray covered above is the best general ecollar alternative available we feel the surgi snuggly is a close second when it comes to protecting. Unfortunately licking can reopen the wound and lead to infection.

Since then vets have battled to convince owners that licking is likely to harm wounds rather than help. The easiest way to prevent wound licking is to use bandages. However the licking will delay the wound s healing process. There are several products that were created to protect the wound the wound s location determines which product is right for your dog s needs.

How to stop dogs from licking their wounds the discovery years ago that dog saliva had limited antibacterial properties has transformed into a myth that licking is good for wounds. At times dog owners were calling our veterinarian hospital asking for desperate tips to stop a dog from licking its wounds. If your dog has an open wound whether from surgery or a recent accident it will want to lick the wound by instinct.