any tips !! need to put and keep a surgical collar round my dog

[oporhatch]

Dear Members

I am looking for some guidance and experience in the following matter 

 

I live in Thailand for 8 months of the year and have over a few years managed to get 4 dogs , effectively they go where they can get fed.  I live in a rural village and therefore when we are not there, they go to another member of the family and get fed.  But effectively they stay in my Yard.  (eg The 4 tend to run as a pack !!) - They are not aggressive in anyway to the family, but they are also 

not used to any territorial restrictions.

One of the dogs had a tumor break on his side which has left a rather nasty hole in his side, we saw the vet ,who said they could operate and completely remove the tumor  (difficult again as the dog has never been in a car)  . or we put a surgical collar on him and with a few drugs hopefully it will heal. He is not incapacitated with the issue and after  a painkiller you would not know anything was wrong. 

 

Issues

1)  Tried the collar  x 2  (he went beserk and eventually ripped it if )

2)  he stayed in the yard all day today and the wound looked better , then tonight he ran out and went in a pond nearby and licked the wound clean, to which the hole had re-appeared again.

3) When we have shut the yard gate before the dogs can get through the stainless steel gate between the bars

 

The sort of opinion round here is  , he will be alright , however the hole is about a centimeter in diameter , but is deep into his internals -  I fear it will not heal by itself.

 

Mentioned to my wife about bringing him in the house for a period, but this did not go down well, these are yard / street dogs and have been for the last 6 years.

 

Has anybody had this issue and how did they resolve it 

 

regards

Richard

 

 

 

 

 

[grollies]

Muzzle him, throw him in the back of the pick-up (legs tied) and take him to the vet. Or get the vet to visit at home.

 

This dog doesn't know what's good for it so you'll have to give it some tough love.

 

Please fix him though.

[thaibeachlovers]

As I see it you have 3 choices

1/ Get the vet to sew it up

2/ let nature take it's course

or

3/ sew it up yourself.

One of my jobs in a more exciting past involved sewing dogs up a lot, after fights, so if interested I can tell you how. It's not hard.

At least in LOS you can buy antibiotics, needles and syringes over the counter.

 

[NancyL]

Has the vet done liver function tests on this dog?  Was the tumor biopsied?  It sounds like a very common tumor that cats and dogs can get.  Often, while it appears to be a simple tumor that can be "shelled out" with a surgical procedure, once it's biopsied, it turned out to be malignant.  If it's not caught early enough, the cancer can spread to the liver and the animal should be given daily tablets and a special diet to improve liver function.

 

Often, the tumors will return, a few years after the first tumor is removed.  

 

The tumors often manifest in the leg (i.e. knee) joints or along tissue in the back.  My parents and a neighbor had a cat and dog with tumors in the legs.  We have a cat who recently had a tumor in the back, very close to the spine.  With these tumors, early detection and removal  is key before the tumor can involve the spine and nerves.  Sadly, animals with these tumors eventually have an early end, but my parent's cat -- "Tripod" as we called him lived for four happy years after the first leg amputation before the second leg tumor was found.

[Bob12345]

Let me start with what you want to hear:

- get a vet to your house and help the dog at the spot. Many vets make house calls, especially in the more rural areas. You might have to pay a travel fee but in many cases they are happy to get extra work. 

 

What you dont want to hear:

- owning dogs comes with responsibilities, one of them is training the dogs to stay in a restricted area, wear a collar, and be easily handled by a vet (collar them young in a nice way, check their teeth and ears daily, make them comfortable during it all). You have been quite irresponsible with your dogs and now you are paying the price. The price might be that this dog wont allow being helped and will die early.

[Kron]

13 hours ago, grollies said:

Muzzle him, throw him in the back of the pick-up (legs tied) and take him to the vet. Or get the vet to visit at home.

 

This dog doesn't know what's good for it so you'll have to give it some tough love.

 

Please fix him though.

Agree, muzzle him and take to the Vet. I did with a street dog who managed to scratch his ear off after a cut got infected with maggots. He is fully recovered and is now one of the family.

However even after the Op the dog may still be required to wear a surgical collar. Just persevere, they will eventually get used to it.

 

Edited December 30, 2017 by Kron

[csabo]

Sew it up. Mix antibiotic creme with something that tastes terrible (Vaseline comes to mind) and apply it repeatedly. Try some vet wrap or an old t-shirt duct taped at the waist to keep him off it. Mine is used to this because she has to wear her school uniform every day. 

Edited December 30, 2017 by csabo

[Rimmer]

Moved to Pets and Vets forum

[oporhatch]

I thank you for all these  comments

 

One issue that really does not help the situation is the other 3 active dogs around it all the while - running/chasing about

 

As I inherited the dogs by default   -  non of them as puppies,   they have effectively had no control as a puppy and it is hard to change a 5 years of bad habits  in 8 months , however I try to assist and take responsibility for any animals. Which is why I wrote to this forum.

 

I read one of the comments  which was stitch up the dog  -     how do you do this 

 

regards

Richard 

[shaurene]

Put some chicken wire across the gate. And spread some hot mustards, chilli sauce around the outside of the collar. Shout at it when he attempts to remove it.

[dick dasterdly]

You can also buy inflatable collars, which are far more comfortable for the dog - but he'd still have to be confined to the garden in case of rough play/fights.

[Bob12345]

47 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

You can also buy inflatable collars, 

Wont that be a problem with the other 3 dogs? It will take minutes before you get the first leak.

[dick dasterdly]

39 minutes ago, Bob12345 said:

Wont that be a problem with the other 3 dogs? It will take minutes before you get the first leak.

If they fight - yes .  Otherwise, my much missed dog loved her inflatable collar (used after an op.) as she found it a v comfortable pillow .

Edited December 30, 2017 by dick dasterdly

[oporhatch]

Thanks for the input  -  got him to the vets...traumatic and even worse when the vet cleaned the abscesses out..... not a tumor after all 

 

But he has 3 holes now ...................

 

Not looking forward to tomorrow , when we have to clean his wounds.......

 

They only I can say -  he seems more pain free -   but has stopped eating now ......see what happens tomorrow

 

regards

Richard

 

 

[Bob12345]

On 12/30/2017 at 6:18 PM, oporhatch said:

They only I can say -  he seems more pain free -   but has stopped eating now ......see what happens tomorrow

Dogs can do well without food for some time, no need to worry if they stop eating for a day or what.

Best of luck coming days.