That is a real nasty skin tear. Glad to hear it is progressing well with no infection. This breed is as tough as nails.

Ouch poor girl. My girl Vegas got a very similar injury running under my daughter's trampoline (twice!). the first time we didn't realize how it happened and now the trampoline has been dog-proofed. Vegas's tear was on her show side (of course) and went from the point of her hip down into her tuck-up... about the size of my fist. Anyway, both times we tried sutures but they didn't hold as that is a "tension" area.

We had great success with product called Vet Med Zone... it was amazing how quickly it healed, barely a scar and almost total hair regrowth (small spot about the size of the end of your pinky finger with no regrowth). Check it out at http://medzonevet.com/products.php we used the wound care formula.

I keep it on hand now for all kinds of cuts and scrapes and have given some to friends with "tear injuries" one whose vet recommended skin graphs... she ended up not needing that!  Her vet couldn't believe it. My vet swears by it and now so doI!

Good luck with her healing! They are amazingly resilient.

Tina M.Parker-Craig

Mi Karma GSH Pointers

www.mikarmagsp.com

craig@mikarmagsp.com

She's on the mend............. The Tramadol (painkiller) leaves her a bit mellow- which is a good thing right now given her condition.  No need for sudden, explosive moves that could compromise sutures.

Thanks for all the kind thoughts folks!

Rob

Here's a couple of shots that were taken at the vet while Katy was getting sewn up:

Initial tacking

Tacking & some sutures

All buttoned up

Rob

I had a simular type thing happen to Cheyenne only much less serious. She bailed off into my father in laws pond on a warm day to cool off and hit a old limb of a tree tearing the upper inside of her front leg. she immediatly came out of the water and started licking the wound which was about 1 1/2 inch long. It was skin tear all the way thru also. I cleaned the wound with peroxide good put some neosprin on it and taped some gauze on it. I made her stay quiet after that.

I also saw someone say that they wished that they had some protection under them to help from this type of injury from happening. I have a protective piece I have Cheyenne wear when I hunt her called a "Skid Plate". It is made from 2 layers of 1000 denier cordura nylon and is blaze orange for some added visabality. It covers the front side of the chest and runs way back to cover their belly. She has wore it since she was a pup and does not mind it unless its a warm day. If you have it on the dog hunting for several days in a row it does make their fur look funny from the straps rubbing but I would rather have that than the injury that could have happened. The company that makes it is Mendota products. I got mine at Gander Mountain and was in there the other day and they still sell them. Honestly I should not let he even run without it because even just exercising in the nature peserves near my house she always comes back with some kind of scratch or abrasion. Its just the nature of the breed. Hard charging tough dogs not afraid to dive into anything.

Good luck with you dog healing up I'm sure she will be back at full speed in no time!

So happy she is healing and mostly, she does not have to wear a cone around her head!! Glad the wrap around garment is working.

Here's one ticked off dog............
It's snowing outside (Katy LOVES frolicking in the snow) and she's stuck in the house with this crappy elizabethian collar on! 

The look of disdain that she is throwing at my wife & I.......... words can't describe.  There's no convincing this dog that she's still injured.

Katy received some more stitches on Monday- buttoned up almost all the way now! 

Rob

Here's what the wound looked like this past Saturday when we were changing bandages & cleaning Katy up........ 12 days after the injury.

The "gap" is in the area where the inner leg meets the lower abdomen and the skin gets pulled in every direction imaginable.  As a result, the vet is slowly suturing things up while the tissue/muscle bed underneath, granularizes.

Keeping Katy low key has proven to be BRUTAL !!  She has zero idea that she's still injured.

Rob

Oh Poor Katie!! She has to wear the lamp shade collar around her head for long slow healing. So sorry for her, wound in such a tender, hard movable joint  spot to heal. Prayers of healing and patience coming your way!! We went thur similar experience with our Chese/ Lab, Snickers. Stupid mistake I made with Snickers, I took her lamp shade collar off to clean it for 1 minute. In that time Snickers licked part of the stitches leaving the wound to reopen. We had to take her back in to the Vet  for more stitches! Lesson well learned.