What should I do for an infected wound (smells) on my dogs leg when she has already had antibiotics?

My 11 year old lab mix has a large open wound on a tumor on her hind leg. We had to take her to the Emergency vet about 2 weeks ago and went through a treatment of antibiotics. We continually re-wrap the wound, but it smells horribly and is most likely still infected. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

She also has been wearing an Elizabethian collar to keep her from licking it and reopening the wound. How do we get rid of the infection and keep her comfortable?

Contact your vet and let them know of the smell, they may want to do another round of antibiotics. Do they have you cleaning the wound and putting topical ointment on it?

Also, if the wound is covered, you can put Ben Gay around the bandaging to prevent her from bothering it, and take off the e-collar. The first time you do this, I'd sit and watch her and make sure she doesn't bother it, it works for most dogs, but some just don't care how bad the Ben Gay smells or tastes. We do this with the puppies at the shelter I work at when they have their dew claws removed, so they don't have to use the e-collars, and 9 1/2 times out of 10, it works.

Didn't the vet want to recheck her? She obviously still has the infection. Back to the vet. Don't wait. Please call first thing in the morning.

Wishing your girl well!

Go back to the Vet and explain how you are wrapping the wound. Your dog will likely need more anti-biotics or it may be that there is another reason for the smell. Your Vet can tell you.
I knew some people that were dressing their dogs wound and did it too tight and the dog's wound worsened significantly. IN fact the dog got gangrene.
Hope all goes well and that your dog will be okay.

Why don't they just remove the tumor,and thus the source of the infection? Other than that,she may need a different antibiotic.You can also flush the wound out with Betadine solution and warm water in a 50/50 mix,dry and apply a solution of 1 part honey to 1 part Betadine ointment or cream.Honey is a wonderful antibacterial agent and it's safe to use indefinitely.Of course it is messy,so you'll want to keep it wrapped,but I would see about having the tumor removed.I had a dog with a recurring cancer on her front leg,and she had surgery 8 times,from the age of 9 up until she was 13,when she died of complications of an infected elbow callous,of all things.She always did fine in surgery,although she was an epileptic and a very large dog ( almost 100 lbs.) When her tumor would get infected,I would use the honey/Betadine with great success.It's worth a try.Good luck.

You need to get her back to the vet for another round of antibiotics...You may also want to keep the wound open to "air out" since she has the collar to keep her from licking...But you seriously need to at LEAST call the vet and explain that it's still infected..Please don't let it go any longer or it will lead to blood poisoning and a slow death...Good luck !

First off, I would call my regular vet and explain the situation. Hopefully they will be able to see her the same day.

Perhaps it is an abcess that is draining; because of the tumor it may not be visible. It may have to be flushed out. Have they ever mentioned removal of the tumor?

We have been seeing an increase in antibiotic resistant infections at our clinic, so perhaps the antibiotics originally prescribed didn't work. They may have to take a swab of the wound and send it to a lab for a culture and sensitivity test. That would tell them exactly what sort of bacteria they're dealing with and what antibiotics would work on it.

I wish I knew a better answer for you. Best of luck to you and your dog--I hope she recovers soon.

i would get her back to the vet. asap. if the wound is smelling then she has dead tissue and needs to have dead tissue removed and go on some more antibiotics.

I wouldn't take the collar off the head. I wouldn't use Ben Gay the ingredient is methyl salicylate. This is toxic if ingested, I won't have any idea how much a puppy would have to ingest to die. Call your vet and see if you can use hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound. The only bad thing about peroxide is it's a sluffer, it helps the wound dry, I'm not sure your vet wants this used on a tumor. It's questionable but doesn't hurt to ask. We use it sometimes in the clinic I work in to help wounds dry. And I'd also check to see if at times during someone being around if you can leave the bandage off to let it dry out.
If a tumor stay wrapped all the time it stays moist, but if you let air get to it, it will dry up some. That goes for any wound air needs to get to it.
I'd also tell the vet it is smelly and needs a different topical antibiotic to go directly on the wound. If the dog just finished an antibiotic by mouth, I'd ask for a topical this time to treat the source. There are plenty topical ones out there to use.
Good luck to you

Because it is a cancer, you may not be able to stop the infection. The leg itself may need to be amputated or the lesion removed if it hasn't affected the bone yet. A surgical solution is probably your best alternative. Your vet would have to determine how extensive the procedure would have to be.

Ahh bless her, sounds uncomfortable to say the least. You are doing everything right, vet check, anti's. For a wound that is still oozing - keep it open with daily wipes of the salt solution ( a tablespoon of salt to half a medium bowl of warm water), don't allow it to scab over because a scab will keep the infection inside and that will cause major damage! You'll have to keep cleaning the wound with the salt solution throughout the day so as to keep it scrupulously clean. Don't cover the wound except for when she's being walked so as to save debris entering the wound site. The smell is a worry though, that indicates a more serious infection than can be dealt with by home remedies. She may need to undergo a small operation whereby the leg is opened and washed out with a kind of 'jet wash'. Ask your vet about it, it will really clear out all the 'gunk' still in there and thoroughly clean the wound site. I hope everything goes well for her, she's obviously a much loved and valued family member.

If you have any proxide or achol put that in its wound for about 5 min.6 times a day! it should heal! ONLY IF ITS NOT A FRESH WOUND!In the care of wounds, the two most important objectives are first to stop the bleeding, and then to prevent infection. Since wounds are painful to the dog, be prepared to restrain or muzzle before you treat the wound.

Control of Bleeding

Bleeding may he arterial (the spurting of bright red blood), or venous (oozing of dark red blood), or sometimes both. Do not wipe a wound that has stopped bleeding. This will dislodge the clot. Don't pour hydrogen peroxide on a fresh wound. Bleeding then will he difficult to control.

The two methods used to control bleeding are the pressure dressing and the tourniquet:

The Pressure Dressing: Take several pieces of clean or sterile gauze, place them over the wound and bandage snugly. Watch for swelling of the limb below the pressure pack. This indicates impaired circulation. The bandage must be loosened or removed.


- Apply pressure over the artery in the groin to control arterial bleeding in the leg.

An alternate method to control bleeding is to apply pressure over the artery in the groin or axilla. (See CIRCULATORY SYSTEM: Pulse). Often this will control bleeding long enough to permit an assistant to apply a pressure dressing.

Go to the nearest pet store near you,or go to tractor supply co or co-op and they will have sprays and creams that you can treat the dog with.These should help.Where I live,there are animals dropped off every week.One time a entire herd of horses were dumped off here,but anyways one time a poodle found its way to my house and I gave it a bath because I had noticed it stunk like a dead animal.After I gave it a bath,I got to lookin and she had got injured somehow and there was a hole about the size of a quarter on the poodles neck.The hole was about 2 inches deep and maggots had infested the poor dogs neck.I got tweezers and pulled out hundreds of maggots big and small.The poodle was scared to peices and didnt even bother to bite at all.She had a collar on with a tag and her home was in virginia.I live in east tennessee.The poodle had traveled a long way to find its way to my house.I called the number and explained everything.I used creams and sprays and had to take the dog to the vet to get stitches.I hope this helps you.

Just keep cleaning it. Dont wrap it up too much because it needs to get air.

this site offers home remedies for dogs that you could probably use in combination with your antibiotics to ease your dog's discomfort and aid in healing. http://thepounce.com