Question About Stitches

[♥Bruno♥]

Hi everyone,

I never post in this section (never needed to) but am after some advice.

Bruno got his leg caught in some barbed wire 8 days ago, and had 3 stitches put in that same day. The vet bandaged it up and gave me a weeks worth of antibiotics.

I took the bandage off today, and the wound looks like a big wet scab sort of thing. Should I keep it covered, or will it being exposed help it to heal quicker?

Bruno will lick it, I'm sure, is this going to be harmful? I just dont know wether to bandage it up again or leave it exposed.

Thanks

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I usually take bandages off a few days before stitches are due out (normally 10 days or so), I let the air get to them for a bit, sounds like these need air anyhow.

[puggy_puggy]

A big wet scab doesn't sounds very good at all. The area shouldn't have even looked like that after the surgery. Has the dressing been changed since the surgery?

Could you put an elizabethan collar on Bruno so that he does not lick the stitches?

I've had a pug that had a cast on over two rows of stitches on her leg and the incissions healed up fine without being exposed to air. Normally I would think that exposing the stitches and incission to air would be the optimum choice for healing.

[Bullbreedlover]

wounds like that need to be looked at and monitored at least daily or every second day.

I dont believe they should be covered for the whole time.

sounds like a combination of sweat and just general moisture from weeping may have caused the wound to be infected even though the dog has been on antibiotics. what colour is the wound. does it look red and nasty.

vitamin e cream if you can get it on.

is the skin growing over the wound. are there any open parts which have not healed.