Wound on my dog

Question
My 5 year old rottie mix has a wound on her chest/throat area. I believe that it has been there for at least 5 days as I noticed some matting in her hair about then and today discovered that there was actually a wound. It looks like a slash, about 3/4 of an inch long and about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. I'm not sure how she did it. At first I thought it was a puncture from her and her sister playing too rough, but because of their only being one wound and it being a slash I don't believe that is the case. She doesn't seem to be ill effected by it. She has been doing all of her normal activites and eating and drinking as normal. It does not seem to hurt her when I touch it or when I apply iodine. To me this indicates that it probably isn't infected. I have shaved all of the hair off around the wound and have applied iodine 2x's. Also it seems to itch which I think, as with humans, that it is healing. I want to take her to the vet just to make sure that it is not infected. After that, I was contimplating rinsing it well with iodine and then applying a liquid bandage to seal the wound to allow it to heal. Is this something that can be done? I don't want to risk aggravating the problem but at the same time, I can't afford to pay a costly vet bill right now. I will if I have to as I love my Princess Babyhead... Any advice?

Answer
Hello Cora -

Sorry for the delayed response it seemed as though Allexperts.com was having technical difficulties.

As long as there is not sign of infection present you may dress the wound with iodine and apply a liquid bandage. Do not apply a liquid bandage if it is a deep wound or puncture.

Your veterinarian may want to perform stitches if the wound is too deep.

An additional precaution you could take is to add Garlic powder to her food. Garlic is an anti-microbial and will help fight infection and bacteria. Don't be afraid to sprinkle it with a heavy hand, dogs love Garlic and she should eat it up right away. The only draw back to adding Garlic to the food is flatulence. It may be a little stinky but the Garlic is doing its job by pushing the bacteria through the system. Just keep a couple clothes pins handy!

I hope this information has helped you and your pet.

If you would like additional information on natural and herbal remedies for human and animal concerns please contact me at wintersaurora@yahoo.com and I will be happy to send you a catalog of my natural remedies.

Thank you and best wishes to you and your pet.

Sincerely,
Sharon Hubbs, AHG
Certified Natural Health Consultant & Herbalist