Well, my dog is still with us (see the Dobe could use jingles thread for background if interested) and the seroma (fluid buildup) between the skin and the abdominal wall led to dehiscence. All but three of the staples are removed at this point. I am dealing with a 4" wide by 6" long 1.5-2" deep gaping wound.
The surgeon saw it Tuesday (said it looked “good, gross, but good”) and our regular vet had her Monday. They both said the tissue is granulating and basically it is going to heal from the inside out.
We wrap 3 x a day (flush wound, clean edges, dry, wrap), she’s on 3 different antibiotics (and I’m checking her temp every 12 hours). She gobbles everything I set in front of her like she’s starving. She is feeling REALLY good, seems not to need the pain meds at all anymore (I’m giving her half a pill to make me feel better–2 would be her weight size dose) and I’m having a heck of a time trying to restain her exuberance.
Anyway, I take a picture every day, just so I can track it (if someone is really interested in wounds let me know–my husband thinks I’m weird, but I think it is fascinating) but I’m wondering if anyone has delt with wounds like this before and has any insight into how long they take to heal? I had a wound like this on a mare’s hock and that took months, but it was on the joint (it also wasn’t nearly this big or deep either).
I should add she had her last tiny dose of predinsone last night, so this is her first day steroid-free (steriods are probably what led to the dehiscence in the first place–we have been weaning her off since last week–she crashed after surgery when she hadn’t had them in 6 days–she was on a long acting steriod previously, Vetalog). I realize anyone who responds probably won’t have the steriod issue to, but I’m curious what you have to say!
