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First Aid for Cuts
The key to giving your dog first aid for cuts is: - determine how deep the cut is;
- stop the bleeding;
- keep the wound clean so that it won't get infected.
If your dog is young and active, chances are he will get cut or scraped once in a while. If the wound is not deep and the bleeding is not serious, it will heal itself pretty quickly. In this case, just giving first aid treatment to your dog is sufficient; you probably don't need to take her to the vet. Here is what you can do: - Wash the wound with sterile saline or, if that is not available, clean water.
- Apply calendula ointment to the wound. Calendula is a very effective herb for healing wounds, so calendula ointment is a "must have" in your dog's first aid kit.
- Be sure to keep the wound clean and well ventilated.
Alternatively, use this healing cream:
Dr. Harvey's Healing Cream for Dogs and Cats  This first aid ointment contains all natural ingredients and herbs (such as calendula, aloe, rosemary, thyme, chamomile, comfrey, etc.) - all known to promote healing. It can be used to help not only with cuts, but also rashes, hot spots and itching. A must-have for the dog first-aid kit! |
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If the cut is deeper but the bleeding is not so profuse as to render a trip to the vet, you can give the following first aid treatment to your dog:- Wash the wound with sterile saline or, if that is not available, clean water.
- Trim off long hair around the wound.
- Apply an oil infusion of echinacea or oregon grape to the wound to make sure that it does not become infected.
- Once the danger of infection is over, apply calendula ointment to the wound to help speed up the healing process.
- Be sure to keep the wound clean and well ventilated.
Top Finally, here is what you can do to give your dog first aid for cut with a lot of bleeding:- Apply a mixture of powdered cayenne and yarrow directly on to the wound. (If you don't have these in your pet's first aid kit, use the powdered cayenne in your kitchen!) Cayenne and yarrow are very effective in stopping bleeding.
- Put gauze compresses on the wound.
- Take the dog to the vet.
The key here is to try to stop or minimize the bleeding while you are getting the dog to the vet.
ReferencesD. Hamilton, Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs (North Atlantic Books, 1999).
Pitcairn & Pitcairn, Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (Rodale, 2005).
M.L. Wulff-Tilford and G.L. Tilford, Herbs for Pets (Bowtie Press, 1999).
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