# Dog with bleeding neck wound won't stop scratching



## cris123 (Jul 15, 2010)

I have a Bichon with a neck wound from scratching. She's been to the vet who said it's infected and has had pain relief and antibiotics.

However she won't stop scratching it. She has a horrible gaping blood red wound on her neck and blood surrounding it. It must be painful but I'm at the end of my tether, I don't know what to do to stop her scratching so it can heal.

The vet has advised not to use a neck cone as that will be too painful for her. I'm to clean the wound with hibiscrub mix from tomorrow (the vet cleaned it properly yesterday).

But nothing is going to help if she won't stop scratching. Is there a gentler neck cone I could use? The one I have is fabric on her neck. Or tape up her foot or something so it doesn't have the sharp edges. I'm desperate here, I feel like I'm going to lose her. She is very down, sleeps most of the time but does eat and drink a small amount.

Thanks for any help you can give.


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Are there no stitches in the wound? Cos I was thinking gauze covered by a strip of soft clean fabric that can be tied at the top of her neck where she can't reach. But that most likely wouldn't work on a gaping wound. I'm very surprised the vet has left it open like that.


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## cris123 (Jul 15, 2010)

No, vet advised us to not put anything on it, to let it dry out I suppose. It had stopped bleeding after the vet cleaned it but overnight and at various times in the day she opens the wound again by scratching. Thanks for your reply.


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Ah, I see. Tricky one. Bichons have relatively long necks, don't they? For a small dog?

ETA: Would she put up with wearing bootees?


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Have you asked your vet for advice?

Steroids could help reduce the itchiness, but might not be compatible with the pain relief.

You could try a soft dressing on her feet, and maybe something like a snood around her neck.

No point letting it air if all she is going to do is irritate it further; you'll get stuck in a vicious circle.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

I was just going to suggest the same as @Nonnie - my current rottie had horrendous clipper rash after orthopaedic surgery which drove her bonkers with scratching and trying to rub it. I put a t shirt on her and those lace up boots on her paws so that she couldn't scratch with them. She was also given a steroid injection followed by a tapering off course of oral steroids to take the irritation away so that she gradually gave up scratching. I used dermacton cream too which did sooth it

http://www.aromesse.com/skin-problem/Dermacton_Cream_for_itchy_dogs.html


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## cris123 (Jul 15, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. I've just looked up dog boots / bootees on Amazon. I didn't know such a thing existed. It might be an idea to order some for quick delivery if they're not easy to get off. Also I could see if I can get a small sock or something to cover her feet for now and tape it on with bandage tape.

Snood is a good idea as well if she'd keep it on. We originally had gauze and bandage on but she always got it off.

She looks like an extra from a horror movie with the mess she's made of the front of her neck. I can't see how to fix this, it is a huge worry. Vet said steroids would be incompatible with the antibiotics.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

cris123 said:


> Thanks for the replies. I've just looked up dog boots / bootees on Amazon. I didn't know such a thing existed. It might be an idea to order some for quick delivery if they're not easy to get off. Also I could see if I can get a small sock or something to cover her feet for now and tape it on with bandage tape.
> 
> Snood is a good idea as well if she'd keep it on. We originally had gauze and bandage on but she always got it off.
> 
> She looks like an extra from a horror movie with the mess she's made of the front of her neck. I can't see how to fix this, it is a huge worry. Vet said steroids would be incompatible with the antibiotics.


Are you sure it wasn't that steroids are incompatible with the pain relief? they often give an anti inflammatory for pain relief (NSAID) - with my girl they didn't stop her throwing herself about trying to scratch/rub so after 24 or 48 hrs (sorry can't remember exactly) they changed her over to steroids which had an almost instant effect in reducing the irritation.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

cris123 said:


> I have a Bichon with a neck wound from scratching. She's been to the vet who said it's infected and has had pain relief and antibiotics.
> 
> However she won't stop scratching it. She has a horrible gaping blood red wound on her neck and blood surrounding it. It must be painful but I'm at the end of my tether, I don't know what to do to stop her scratching so it can heal.
> 
> ...


Putting on something like baby socks secured with micropore tape on her feet may help stop doing some damage with the scratching. If you do tape on socks though you must ensure that the tape is not too tight as too tight bandaging will cur off the blood supply and cause swelling and problems.

You can get soft recovery collars instead of the ridged plastic jobs.
http://www.vetuk.co.uk/veterinary-s...r-an-alternative-to-elizabethan-collar-p-4111
There is also this one
http://www.vetuk.co.uk/veterinary-s...r-an-alternative-to-elizabethan-collar-p-2535


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## cris123 (Jul 15, 2010)

Thanks, Rottie, yes you're right, it was the pain relief the steroids were incompatible with now I think about it. I don't want to change to steroids yet though as she's obviously still in pain, maybe in a day or two if the vet allows it.

Sled dogs, I thought about the idea of baby socks but couldn't find any at the shops just now. I'm searching around the house for something to cover that paw for tonight, maybe the thumb of a glove or something.

Might be a stupid idea but would something like the buster collar or a soft cone work if put around her waist? Or would she just wriggle out of it do you think?

Picture below of what it looks like - WARNING, don't look if squeamish ****** I will remove if it offends anyone. Thanks for your ideas so far.


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Oh bless her! It is just in the wrong place for a collar, isn't it?


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Theres a little part of me that thinks you'd be sensible to seek a second opinion.

That looks like it needs a good clip and clean, maybe a debride.

If she has done that simply by scratching then you need to find the cause of her irritation and treat for that too, which is where steroids come in.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Poor love. You would need to put socks on all 4 feet I would think. Do you have a pets at home near you? they sell the boots. I agree I would be asking for a referral to a specialist (dermatology) to try to get to the bottom of why she is scratching unless you already have some idea of the cause.


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## cris123 (Jul 15, 2010)

Miranda, yes it won't work for any collar I've looked at. But without a collar it won't heal, I'm stuck!

Nonnie, I did think about trying another vet. This vet seemed very knowledgeable but said he wouldn't try to shave her fur as she tried to bite him. They take one look at my terrier mix and reach for the muzzle, maybe they can't use a muzzle on a bichon as they're short nosed? They said they would shave her with sedation if it didn't heal but I'm not sure how much that would help.

The scratching is a long standing thing which we thought we'd cured as she stopped for 8 or 9 months. However the crazy hot weather a few weeks ago had her attacking her legs again. Possibly she'd already started on her neck and we didn't notice at first.

I so wish we could give her pain relief again this evening but the vet said once a day.

Do you think it might be worth trying another vet tomorrow? But what could they do differently though?


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## cris123 (Jul 15, 2010)

Would these boots be suitable do you think? I could get them tomorrow: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vibrant-Fe...=UTF8&qid=1501694355&sr=8-7&keywords=dog+boot


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

cris123 said:


> Would these boots be suitable do you think? I could get them tomorrow: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vibrant-Fe...=UTF8&qid=1501694355&sr=8-7&keywords=dog+boot


Can't see why not.


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

cris123 said:


> Miranda, yes it won't work for any collar I've looked at. But without a collar it won't heal, I'm stuck!
> 
> Nonnie, I did think about trying another vet. This vet seemed very knowledgeable but said he wouldn't try to shave her fur as she tried to bite him. They take one look at my terrier mix and reach for the muzzle, maybe they can't use a muzzle on a bichon as they're short nosed? They said they would shave her with sedation if it didn't heal but I'm not sure how much that would help.
> 
> ...


If it hasnt been clipped and cleaned, then it hasnt been examined and treated properly.

I would take her back if she were mine and have it sorted properly. Could be something going on underneath all that fur that has been missed.


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Is there any way that you could hold her head so that she doesn't get the chance to bite the vet? That needs clipping and cleaning properly. 

As for the boots they look fine.


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## cris123 (Jul 15, 2010)

Thanks for the replies, I've ordered the boots. Now I have to stop her scratching tonight somehow.

She had an antibiotic injection at the vets so I want to see if that helps at all before taking her back to the same vet. She was in extreme pain when they were cleaning it up (they took her to a back room and I could hear her squealing and yelping) so I don't want to put her through that again too soon if I can help it. It's likely it's fresh blood from scratching again since she went to the vet yesterday anyway and it looked reasonably cleaned up yesterday.


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Ah, that explains the blood around it. If you have surgical tape and very small socks, it could be worth using them tonight, just until you get the boots.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

cris123 said:


> Thanks for the replies, I've ordered the boots. Now I have to stop her scratching tonight somehow.
> 
> She had an antibiotic injection at the vets so I want to see if that helps at all before taking her back to the same vet. She was in extreme pain when they were cleaning it up (they took her to a back room and I could hear her squealing and yelping) so I don't want to put her through that again too soon if I can help it. It's likely it's fresh blood from scratching again since she went to the vet yesterday anyway and it looked reasonably cleaned up yesterday.


Is there any reason you don't want her sedated so they can do a proper job? I was lucky (or unlucky as the case may be) with my girl as she had already been clipped for surgery so the mess was evident to see. I'm afraid with her antibiotics and pain killers made no difference to the overwhelming irritation, I can't describe how distressed she was by it, panting & collapsed with exhaustion one minute, throwing herself around the next. I had to sleep downstairs on the sofa next to her pen (she was in the pen for 6 weeks following surgery) and get in the pen and hold her some of the time. The only thing that relieved the irritation was steroids - I think we took her in for injections a couple of days running then she had tablets for a few more days. Covering the sore area with a loose t shirt and covering her feet helped but it was the steroids that stopped the irritation.


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## cris123 (Jul 15, 2010)

I don't mind if they have to sedate her to clean the wound but the vet thought it probably wouldn't be necessary as it was mostly clean yesterday and to see how it goes. I'm pleased the steroids worked for your girl, if the scratching doesn't get better I'll ask the vet if we can try those instead of the pain relief.

She's calmed down the last couple of hours and has eaten her dinner and had a sleep. When she gets up she shakes her head occasionally but otherwise seems ok for now. See what the night brings, hopefully we'll be able to do something with covering her nails.

I'm not a fan of sedation. My other dog was supposed to have sedation for xrays on his legs. They quoted us £90. However when we took him to the appointment they said he needed a GA instead, this cost £445 and comes with a risk. He was fine but I don't think I trust vets much and would double check in future before going ahead.


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## Mgon143 (Jul 20, 2018)

cris123 said:


> Thanks, Rottie, yes you're right, it was the pain relief the steroids were incompatible with now I think about it. I don't want to change to steroids yet though as she's obviously still in pain, maybe in a day or two if the vet allows it.
> 
> Sled dogs, I thought about the idea of baby socks but couldn't find any at the shops just now. I'm searching around the house for something to cover that paw for tonight, maybe the thumb of a glove or something.
> 
> ...


I'm in the same situation with my dog. Can you please tell me what helped you stop the scratching?


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## Copperfield (Jul 29, 2018)

I’m in same position with my Bichon 
Took to vet last Monday was scratching loosing hair ( this has been going on for 2 years ) 
They took him in back shaved his chest and took blood test from jugular vein by Wednesday had to take him back as kept bleeding and was swollen he was not eating or drinking was also being sick 
They said clean with salt water and apply Sudocream twice a day 
Now today is Sunday still bleeding all he wants to do is sleep and has started scratching it looks so unwell 
Said could be Cushings ( but they have said that for 2 years ) keep giving him steroids 
Gave me a bill for £172 and another appt for tomorrow 
Don’t know what to do 
My mentally ill son lives with me he is unwell 
My daughter also very ill 
And 19 year old granddaughter heart problems 
I am 68 with PSC and cancer amongst other health issues (mental)
Don’t know what to do know dog is in pain 
Do I take him back there tomorrow 
Don’t have any faith in them 
Feel just being conned wanted £18 for tube of cream that cost me £2.50 in Asda please any views on this would be much appreciated 
Thank you


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## Copperfield (Jul 29, 2018)

Not sure if posted this in right place 
Not good at this


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## Jackie Lee (Apr 16, 2018)

I think the reason of that is due to tight collar or maybe an infection. How is she doing now? Is she okay or still the same?


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Jackie Lee said:


> I think the reason of that is due to tight collar or maybe an infection. How is she doing now? Is she okay or still the same?


But you've never even seen the collar, how can you say you think it's it's too tight? An infection? What do you know about Cushings? 
Another rash and unhelpful comment.


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Burrowzig said:


> But you've never even seen the collar, how can you say you think it's it's too tight? An infection? What do you know about Cushings?
> Another rash and unhelpful comment.


too many of these at the moment between at least 2 posters. It must be so confusing and downright dangerous for the people looking for advice.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Blitz said:


> too many of these at the moment between at least 2 posters. It must be so confusing and downright dangerous for the people looking for advice.


Please report any replies you feel inappropriate, we're trying to keep on top of them but appreciate your help.


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## Diane db (Jul 29, 2019)

Please tell the end result for your dog. I am battling a similar situation with my dog. I can’t get him to stop scratching & his neck looks like your dog’s neck in the photo.


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## Laura Miranda (Nov 28, 2019)

Hi!
My dog also is a Bichon frise, and he got a sore under his neck after grooming , he was scratching a lot until he open and start bleeding , I used a bandage around the neck, but I first washed the wound and I put some silver sulfadiazine, is a topical cream his vet prescribed for avoid get infected.the bandage around the neck help him a lot, he still wanted to scratch it but everytime he try he just scratched the bandage. I also put him a baby sock in his paw just to prevent he can broke the bandage withthe nails.


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## Laura Miranda (Nov 28, 2019)

This is him woth tha bandage around his neck


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## Xochil (Feb 4, 2020)

cris123 said:


> I have a Bichon with a neck wound from scratching. She's been to the vet who said it's infected and has had pain relief and antibiotics.
> 
> However she won't stop scratching it. She has a horrible gaping blood red wound on her neck and blood surrounding it. It must be painful but I'm at the end of my tether, I don't know what to do to stop her scratching so it can heal.
> 
> ...


I am having the same problem with my miniature poodle right now and it looks exactly like the picture you showed , he just keep scratching at it , even with the medicine, I am so stress , did you find anything that helps from stopping them from scratching their neck ?


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Read the previous 2 posts to yours


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## bombolone (Mar 20, 2017)

Okay I can see these posts are old but putting this on there in case it might help someone searching in the future. My Cavapoo has just had the same problem, with stitches in that spot. I found a solution - wouldn't work in summer. A dog coat with a high neck and line the neck with a stick on sanitary towel (yes.... I know....) - with wings for extra stick. You run the towel around the inside of neck of dog suit so it's thicker there - it is a bit loose for air but also there to soak up any blood / pus and you can change it for hygiene. The coat I have is RYDALE fleece dog coat - not pricey and has a raised neck section unlike many others. The neck section is not too tight even with a pad lining it! Hope this helps someone.


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