What Can I Give My Dog for Pain and Swelling Due to a Cut on the Cheek and Swollen Eye
One of the nigh common reasons dogs see their veterinarians for emergency appointments is considering of a bite wound. The bite wound may accept been caused by another family dog or by a fight with a strange or unfamiliar animal.
Why practice dogs bite? 
In puppies, biting is often part of aggressive play. In adult dogs, biting or other aggressive behaviors can have multiple underlying motives or causes. Aggressive behaviors such as growling, lunging, snarling, snapping, or biting are used every bit a ways of communication and to resolve competitive issues or perceived threats. The contest may be over food, territory, attention of an possessor, position in a pack or group, or equally a protective reaction towards another dog.
How serious are dog bite wounds?
Dog bites can cause pregnant injury to the skin and soft tissues. The dog's teeth and jaws are very powerful and the wounds they inflict can crush or tear muscles and skin, penetrate through the chest wall causing lung plummet, or cause serious or fatal harm to abdominal organs. Even a seize with teeth that does not suspension the pare can crusade crushing or bruising injuries to the underlying soft tissues.
Seize with teeth wounds are normally inflicted on the legs or around the head and cervix. Vital structures in the neck that could be hands injured include major blood vessels, numerous nerves, the esophagus (tube connecting the throat with the stomach), and the trachea (windpipe). Wounds on the face tin cause severe damage to the eyes, ears, or oral fissure. With seize with teeth wounds on the legs, at that place is a hazard that the injury tin can involve the joints.
Since the dog'due south oral cavity is full of bacteria, any bite that does puncture the skin will innovate bacteria or other infectious organisms below the skin surface, where the bacteria can multiply and spread throughout the underlying tissues. Therefore, all seize with teeth wounds are considered to be contaminated and/or infected. Left untreated, the bacteria in an infected bite wound will cause a localized abscess or more generalized cellulitis (a tissue infection) that spreads through the surrounding surface area. In rare cases, a penetrating bite wound tin can cause septic arthritis (infection of the joint), osteomyelitis (infection of the os), pyothorax (pus in the chest crenel) or septic peritonitis (pus in the abdominal cavity).
Does my dog demand to be seen by the veterinarian after it has been in a fight?
If a dog has been involved in a fight, it tin sometimes be challenging to determine the extent of the injuries, peculiarly if the wounds are located in heavily furred areas of the body. Minor puncture wounds from canine teeth tin close over quickly and can easily be missed.
Therefore, if your dog has been in a fight with another animal, y'all should take him to your veterinary for an examination as soon as possible. If you can see obvious bite wounds, you should seek immediate veterinarian attention. Wounds that appear to be minor on the surface can be deceptive and may have the potential to be life threatening, depending on the location of the injury.
What should I await for to determine how chop-chop my dog needs to see the veterinary?
There are sure signs that require firsthand emergency treatment. These include uncontrollable bleeding (bleeding that cannot exist stopped), breathing difficulty, weakness, crying or whining, limping, pale or blue gums, or collapse.
What sort of treatment volition be given to my dog?
Your veterinarian volition make up one's mind what sort of handling is necessary, based on the extent of the injuries, your domestic dog's general health, and the location of the wounds. The goal of handling is to reduce the severity of any infection that develops. This will be accomplished by cleaning the wounds, removing whatever dead or severely damaged tissue, and potentially surgically endmost the wounds if possible.
Antibiotics may exist prescribed for wounds that have penetrated the pare depending on the location of the wound and the duration between seize with teeth time and presentation to your veterinarian. For minor injuries, or for wounds that must be left open up to heal, your veterinarian may prescribe a topical antibiotic. If in that location is whatsoever doubtfulness about skin penetration, your veterinary may prescribe a broad spectrum antibiotic (such as amoxicillin-clavulanate, or for more complicated cases, enrofloxacin; brand proper name Baytril®) to lessen the chance that a serious infection will develop. The sooner antibiotics are begun subsequently a seize with teeth injury the quicker the infection will exist brought nether control. Wounds that are treated within 6 hours of the injury have the all-time chance of healing without complications. 
Nearly wounds are painful and it is more than humane for your animate being to exist given some sort of pain medication, a sedative, or anesthetic before attempting to assess the extent of the injuries. Your veterinarian will then shave the fur off of the skin that surrounds the wounds to lessen the potential for further contamination, and volition flush the wounds to remove whatever contaminants and debris. For all-encompassing wounds, severely contaminated wounds, or wounds in sensitive areas of the torso (such as about the eyes, oral fissure, or ears), it will be necessary to put your domestic dog under full general anesthetic then that the area can be safely and thoroughly cleaned and treated. Additional pain medications will exist sent domicile, most typically not-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such equally meloxicam (Rheumocam®, Metacam®), deracoxib (Deramaxx®), or carprofen (Rimadyl®).
Small puncture wounds will usually exist left open so that any infection can drain out. Lacerations volition be sutured up, and temporary drains may be placed if the damage is extensive, or if in that location is a run a risk that fluid will build up in the area. Almost lacerations will be 'debrided' (any infected or compromised peel tissue will be cutting away and the edges of the laceration will be trimmed). In many cases, skin wounds volition be enlarged to allow the underlying tissues to be thoroughly examined and cleaned.
Experts recommend that bacterial culture and sensitivity tests should be performed to determine the type of bacteria involved and the best antibiotics to treat these bacteria. However, information technology takes a couple of days for the test results to exist ready, so your veterinarian may not perform these tests unless your pet'due south wounds practise not respond appropriately to initial wide spectrum antibiotic treatment.
What sort of habitation care will be necessary? 
If your dog'south wounds take been closed with sutures, yous will need to keep the area clean and dry. He may demand to wear an E-collar (run into handout "Elizabethan Collars in Dogs), or a bandage may be applied to comprehend the site (see handout "Bandage and Splint Intendance in Dogs"). If the wound has been left open to heal, or if a drain was placed in the wound, y'all will need to clean away any draining material on a regular ground. You can use a soft washcloth or cotton balls and warm water to remove debris. In some cases, your veterinarian will prescribe a mild disinfectant cleanser to assist with keeping the expanse make clean. Use only products that are recommended by your veterinarian. Never employ hydrogen peroxide to clean a bite wound unless specifically instructed to practice then by your veterinarian, since this volition delay healing and tin worsen the problem.
If you have been instructed to clean the wounds, use extreme care since these wounds may exist painful and the pet may seize with teeth out of pain or fear. Information technology is advisable to use a cage on your dog, even if he is extremely gentle.
What tin I do to forbid bite wounds?
Practice non allow your dog to roam freely, and keep your dog on a tight leash when you are outdoors, specially if y'all are in a park. Dogs that are well-mannered are less likely to fight, and so bones obedience training is strongly recommended starting at a immature age. If you are outdoors with your dog and you lot see a devious dog that is running free, exercise non arroyo it. Even if your dog is gentle and friendly, you have no style of knowing the temperament of the other dog.
As a preventative measure out, you should always make sure your pet'south rabies vaccine is always up to appointment (run across handout "Rabies Vaccines in Dogs" for more than information).
Source: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/bite-wounds-in-dogs