Something typical and instinctive of dogs is to lick their wounds. The first thing we must take into account is the Why does he lick himself? We have animals that do so due to physiological problems such as dermatitis, allergies or skin irritation caused by agents external; we also have those who do it out of boredom or stress. Finally, and as the title indicates, due to the presence of a wound, accidental or surgical.
Physiologically we must say that there is a reason why they lick their wounds, regardless of their origin or what we put on top of them to relieve them. It is the ascorbic acid of the saliva that reacts with the nitrates of the skin, resulting in nitrogen monoxide, this is known as sialotherapy, sincepromotes healing Unfortunately, it also promotes the proliferation of germs and enlargement of wounds. But we must not forget that saliva has a certain amount of microbes that live and proliferate, peacefully, in the mouth of our animal but, finding themselves in a new and labile terrain, begin colonization.
Let's see in this new article on our site how prevent our dog from licking a wound, what consequences it can have and how we can help it.
Dog language and the causes of licking
To understand our four-legged companions a little better, we must say that canines that live in nature, when they have a wound, the only way to clean themselves is by licking There is no disinfection or healing ointment to help them. So in this case, we should say that the major pollutants are normally removed. But this should only be accepted in cases where they live in their natural habitat and without access to disinfection with soap and water.
As we mentioned in the introduction, dogs can lick their wounds for different reasons. It is often their way of communicating with others, asking for food, and interacting with the world around them. But many times we observe that our dog has generated the wound himself After excessive licking, mainly on the front legs and punctually between the fingers, we will see a lack of hairs in the area, redness and often even bleeding. When we discover this we run to the vet and they inform us, in most cases, that they are caused by stress or boredom; so we return home more disappointed than at the beginning since they inform us that our animal is suffering. Many times, our furry friend gives us signs that we unintentionally overlook and ends up with this mark on his skin. We are talking about acral lick dermatitis.
There are several ways to prevent your dog from licking a wound. To do this, we can resort to physical elements that prevent the dog from licking itself or to spend more time doing longer walks, intense games and a lot of pampering, which is generally what they are asking us.
Basically, it should be noted that an animal that licks itself also generates endorphins that calm the burning or itching of the wound creating relief. The best thing we can do is to be attentive to our dog in order to help him if he needs us.
How to stop a dog from licking a wound? - 5 suggestions
The ideal is to try to find out correctly what is the cause of the licking If it was due to a wound due to a surgical intervention, we already have the answer. But in cases where we navigate in a nebula and each member of the family has a different opinion, we will go to the veterinary to listen to a specialist's diagnosis. It is essential.
Once we receive the diagnosis we must pay attention to wound care Sometimes it may require the use of painkillers and even sedation, especially if we talk about a process that involves a lot of pain. The treatment indicated by the veterinarian must be followed, for example the application of a cream.
In addition, there are several tricks we can use to prevent the dog from licking a wound:
- The Elizabethan collar: whether it is made of rigid plastic, fabric or EVA foam, the collar is undoubtedly one of the most more useful when it comes to preventing the dog from licking its wounds. However, some become depressed, try to remove it or do not carry out their daily routine in a normal way. It is advisable to remove it from time to time and, while we remove it, supervise it to prevent it from licking.
- Rigid cervical collar: this collar is much more effective than the previous one, however, its price is higher and we can only find it in specialized sites or in certain veterinary clinics.
- Paw socks: if our dog's wound is on a leg, we can use a sock to prevent it from being injured. bite. We can fix it with a bandage.
- Cohesive bandage: these types of bandages can be found in any pharmacy and they are very useful, since they adhere to themselves, never on the fur. We can cover the wound on a leg, tail, neck…
- Body: to finish, we suggest the use of a body for dogs or, in its absence, a body for babies or for Small children. Although putting it on can be very cumbersome, completely covering your body is an excellent way to prevent licking, especially if the wound is in an area that cannot be covered. Obviously we must remove it during walks.
Now you know different ways to prevent a dog from licking a wound. Of course, if you have any ideas, suggestions or doubts that we can add, don't forget to comment!
