Prevent a Dog From Licking a Wound

If a dog licks, chews or bites a wound or incision after surgery, this can lead to infection or further injury. Some dogs have even removed stitches from an incision!

Caring for a dog after surgery or following an injury can be nerve-wracking for the concerned pet owner, and many dog owners get concerned if a dog starts licking or chewing at an incision or wound site.

Why is My Dog Licking the Wound/Incision?

Dogs are naturally inclined to lick their wounds; wound licking is rooted in instinct.

According to Dr. Michael Levine, laboratory testing performed by numerous scientists has uncovered evidence to suggest that components of dog saliva possess some mild antiseptic abilities. The act of licking the wounds on a more occasional basis can remove dead skin cells, thereby promoting healing. Based on these findings, it's likely that wild dogs evolved an instinctual drive for wound licking; a drive that still exists in domestic dogs.

The "Cone of Shame": A Necessary Evil

The figure of speech "going off to lick your wounds" is okay in the metaphorical sense, but not when we're talking about dogs and cats after surgery.

Veterinarians cringe when well-meaning owners proudly announce that Fido has been licking a surgical wound in order to heal it. Dog saliva may indeed contain compounds that numb the wound and neutralize some microorganisms. However, doggie drool and kitty spit also has potentially harmful bacteria in it, and the act of licking itself can ruin a good surgical closure.

Dogs and cats routinely create serious infection in their skin from over-licking an area due to allergies, injury or post-surgical discomfort. That's why veterinarians regularly dispense an Elizabethan collar (e.g., e-collar) following spays, neuters and other surgeries. The "cone of shame" prevents the dog or cat from licking the incision, allowing the wound to heal faster and without complication.

Sometimes, however, the e-collar is an inadequate deterrent. I have met Houdini-like dogs who escape from their e-collars no matter how they are fastened. Some dogs figure out a way to chew through the plastic rendering the cone useless, while others ram it into things until it cracks, bends or (especially in Wisconsin winters) shatters. Many dogs act so demoralized initially that sympathetic owners can't bear to keep the cone on them at all. Most recently, I had a canine patient whose long nose poked over the edge of her cone just far enough that she managed to lick her spay wound to the point of infection and dehiscence.

Dehiscence is a fancy medical word for the splitting open of a wound. A dehiscence may be minor, involving a tiny part of the skin incision and requiring no special treatment. Or maybe a few skin staples will be placed to hold the wound edges closer together for faster healing. The worst kind of dehiscence, the kind that keeps veterinary students up all night and biting their nails following their first spay, is an opening completely downthrough the abdominal wall so that the animal's abdominal fat or even intestines protrude through the wound. Dogs have been known to chew on their own insides when this happens! Yikes! Thankfully, this is exceedingly uncommon.

Maddie's abdominal skin dehiscence looked a lot like this

Even Maddie, the long-snouted Springer Spaniel who managed to ferociously lick outside the cone, presented with just a partial dehiscence. While I could peer down through her subcutaneous tissue and fat to the sutures holding her abdominal wall together, thankfully the abdominal closure remained intact and her guts stayed in. Maddie's dehiscence was so severe, however, that she required general anesthesia so the dead, infected wound edges could be trimmed away, or debrided. I resutured the wound, placed Maddie on a course of oral antibiotics and gave her a larger e-collar. I expect the wound to heal normally after this, but I won't be surprised if she develops a seroma, or pocket of fluid under the skin, from bouncing around too much before the area completely heals.

Don't assume if your pet isn't licking their incision immediately after surgery that they won't. Some animals leave their surgery site alone during the early phase of healing, but attack it just as the skin finally starts to mend. If you have ever experienced insanely itchy skin as a surgical incision or even a minor cut begins healing you'll understand why dogs and cats suddenly notice their surgical wound a week after the fact!

The "cone of shame" is obnoxious, humiliating and completely necessary in most cases. Even with the cone on, however, pets can develop complications in their surgical wounds that require follow-up care by their veterinarian. Please follow your veterinarian's post-op instructions closely regarding exercise restrictions, wound care and medications. And most of all, don't let Fido lick!

Comfortable Dog Cone Alternatives

Alternatives to classic “Elizabethan” collars are more comfortable and just as effective for your dog.

My mother once phoned me to tell me that one of our family dogs, an oversized German Shepherd, had required surgery for an embedded foxtail in one of his back paws. She told me that the vet sent her home with a gigantic plastic disc that she understood was to be put on the dog, to prevent him from licking or chewing his bandage or paw. Giggling, my mother told me, “Your father put it together . . . but how do I put it on the dog? I mean, is he supposed to look like a tulip or a prince?”

The classic veterinarian-supplied Elizabethan collar: Effective, but heavy, stiff, opaque (your dog can’t see through it), wide, unwieldy, and uncomfortable.

I could understand her confusion. The dog was so leggy that he actually could wear the Elizabethan collar either way; wearing a conventional “cone” like a “prince” would render dogs with shorter legs immobile. In contrast, most dogs have to wear these protective cones the way in which they were designed to be worn – like a dejected, bumbling tulip. Most dogs are miserable while wearing a classic, veterinary-supplied cone. Lacking peripheral visibility, they crash into furniture and doorways. With the wide, flaring cone, they get stuck in tight spots in the house.

Can dogs see ghosts?

A howling dog on a rainy moonless night is a common scene in horror and mystery movies. A dog that stares at nothing and then barks, whines and cowers would certainly make your hair stand on ends and for chill to run up your spine especially if you are alone. Dogs are commonly believed to have the ability to see the unseen. Can dogs really see ghosts? Many dog owning individuals have their own stories about unexplainable paranormal situations that involved the pet. Although it is hard to believe something that is never seen, most people believe that dogs can see ghosts.

What are ghosts and why are dogs believed to have the ability to see these “something” that go bump in the night? A ghost, as depicted by people who profess to have seen one, is an unspecific semi transparent form that resembles the form of the person it once was. Paranormal researchers believe that a ghost or an apparition is the spirit/energy of a person that has died usually from a traumatic or a highly unusual circumstance. Oftentimes, the spirits are not aware that they have died as they are stuck between the level of existence and passing over. These apparitions are perceived by humans commonly through peripheral vision. Most of the times, the presence can be sensed. The odor attributed to the departed and the voices are noticed as well. It is believed that only people with 6th sense or people with an “open” eye can see, smell, hear and feel the presence of ghosts.

Can dogs see the paranormal?

I believe that animals are able to sense energy patterns and some of these energy patterns are such that they have a visible form to them that is not visible to some human sight. Some of the ghosts have an odor that gives them away.

Animals are truly One with Nature. They know how to hunt and take care of themselves. When we domesticate them, they do not lose the ability to sense and read energy around them. Since people often do not sense these things our animal friends try to warn us of dangers and changes in the energy patterns around us. Animals can see and sense spirit more easily because they dont have what we call mind clutter to over shadow their senses.

They rely very heavily on using all their senses.

They also have no human doubt which is one of the main reasons they can see them. I hope this answers your questions.. Serious research of Animal Communications began over 100 years ago when people began taking notice of animals' reactions to ghostly apparitions. Animals are very sensitive to the presence of spirit life in our environments and will often react in very powerful ways, especially to any negative forces present...

Does My Dog Recognize Himself in a Mirror?

Many people are puzzled by the fact that dogs seem to ignore images of themselves reflected in a mirror. Young puppies encountering mirrors for the first time may treat the image as if it is another dog. They may bark at it, or give a little bow and an invitation to play as if they are encountering a real dog and engaging in a social interaction. However, after a short while they lose interest. Afterwards then often seem to treat their reflections as if they were of no consequence at all. 

When we humans look into a mirror we immediately recognize that the image that we are gazing at is our own. It seems so natural that we tend not to think about it is something special, however psychologists treat this as a major mental feat because it requires self-awareness, which is one of the most sophisticated aspects of consciousness. In effect we must be able to mentally step outside of ourselves and consider ourselves as separate entities from the rest of the world.

Can Dogs see Colors?

The question if dogs are colorblind, specifically red-green colorblind or if dogs only see shades of gray is raised among dog owners quite often. Even on the internet the question concerning dog vision is discussed controversial. But there is a simple answer to that question which I would like to share with you supported by some scientific resources.

Actually there are two distinct questions which I would like to ask, answer and set in relation hereafter: 

• Can dogs see colors? — Answer: Yes 
• Are dogs colorblind? — Answer: Yes 

Let me explain this two answers to you a bit more in detail.

Dogs can see colors

Dogs not only see in shades of gray but also can see distinct colors contrary to what most people belief. About one hundred years ago some scientific tests were made to find out more about the color vision of dogs. But these tests weren’t that scientific as they thought and the researchers concluded only that color vision doesn’t play a part in the daily life of a dog.

Can Dogs See Color? And How Do We Know?

Thursdays are always the worst day for little dogs to play fetch at my local park. That’s because mowing is Fridays and on Thursdays the grass is often over one-tennis ball tall. It was on one such Thursday after having to search for my dog’s ball for the third time, that I exclaimed, “It sure would be useful if, instead of being green, this tennis ball were blue and yellow. Then, Jonesy could more easily find it himself.” Well, a passing pet owner quickly corrected me. “That wouldn’t help. Dogs are color blind.”

For a second I thought, Duh, that’s right. Dogs don’t see color the way we do. But then I remembered that they can distinguish blue from yellow. That’s because while dogs can’t see all of the colors we can, they can perceive some differences.

While humans have three types of photoreceptors in their eyes that transmit signals about color to the brain, dogs have two types of photoreceptors. We know that these photoreceptors work to transmit information allowing dogs to perceive differences in color because dogs have told us so. Well, sort of.

Can Dogs See Colors?

Probably one of the most frequently asked questions about dog's vision is whether dogs see colors. The simple answer-namely that dogs are colorblind-has been misinterpreted by people as meaning that dogs see no color, but only shades of gray. This is wrong. Dogs do see colors, but the colors that they see are neither as rich nor as many as those seen by humans.

The eyes of both people and dogs contain special light catching cells called cones that respond to color. Dogs have fewer cones than humans which suggests that their color vision won't be as rich or intense as ours. However, the trick to seeing color is not just having cones, but having several different types of cones, each tuned to different wavelengths of light. Human beings have three different kinds of cones and the combined activity of these gives humans their full range of color vision.

Dog Separation Anxiety From Leaving Dog Alone

Dogs are very social animals, and they would like nothing more than to be by your side 24/7. But we know (even if they don’t) that dog food doesn’t buy itself, and that may entail you having to leave them home alone while you go off to bring home the bacon (and the dog treats).

We might imagine our dogs gleefully doing the Tom Cruise Risky Business slide when we shut the door behind us in the morning, but the more likely scenario is that the dog is experiencing some level of separation anxiety. This separation anxiety might manifest itself as anything from nuisance barking or whining (unpleasant for the neighbors) to stinky surprises left for you when you return home (unpleasant for you). If your dog is one to chew his feelings, you may also find some prized possessions or furniture vandalized during your absence.