Newman is an old, toothless pug with a few minor issues. He came to Pug Hollow after being dumped in a rural area in the hottest part of summer. Someone gave Newman a head injury in the past which occasionally causes him to have seizures. He's got a few small skin tags that the vet doesn't believe are worth risking putting him out to remove since they aren't changing.
He also has allergies, which sometimes manifest themselves as pyotraumatic dermatitis (also known as lick abrasions or hot spots). Because they happen relatively regularly, even with allergy medication, we've established a protocol with our vet for treating them so that he only has to go in if something goes wrong. Typically they clear up within a few days with no problems.
Unfortunately old dogs are like old humans... their immune system doesn't always work as well as it should.
On Thursday evening we noticed that Newms had one of his little spots on his hip. It was about the size of a quarter, and we immediately began the typical round of wound care... Shave the area, cleanse it thoroughly with chlorhexadine scrub and cool water, wipe with betadine, let dry and finish the job with a spritz of Blu-Kote.
Newman's wound Thursday Evening.
Friday evening the wound had grown, but the area around the wound was not inflamed or swollen. We assumed he'd been licking at it again and swapped Blu-Kote in place of the Granulex because it deters him from licking.
Saturday the area was warm to the touch but the wound appeared to be drying out as it should. We thoroughly cleaned and medicated the wound again
Sunday morning Newman's leg was visibly swelling and pressing on the scab produced pus. We debrided the wound, cleansed it with additional Chlorhexidine.
Monday morning, we called the vet for the first available appointment. He was running a fever and his poor leg is quite swollen. He's now on antibiotics, and has had a cortisone shot.
48 hours ago his leg showed no signs any problems beyond the abrasion. It was just another hot spot, and it appeared to be responding to treatment. The vet even pointed out that the wound itself is properly dried out and already starting to heal.
It serves as a reminder that even when it's a small thing we need to keep a close eye on our old dogs. Something that should be simple can complicate very very fast. Hopefully Newms will heal quickly now, but there's the possibility that he'll need additional care.
It also highlighted the fact that our vet fund is getting critically low, so I'm going to wrap up this post with a request for donations.
If you can please help us replenish our vet fund. All donations go into our account to cover the cost of veterinary care for our old dogs. Aside from Newman and his acute care, we have multiple dogs who are on medications on a day to day basis, and we really need your help.
You can donate by paypal to pughollow@gmail.com, or by mail to Pug Hollow Sanctuary, PO Box 244, Prague, OK 74864.
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