Active physical activity can significantly improve your dog's health. However, during physical exercise the pet is not immune from bruises.
There are a number of causes for this injury.
There are some symptoms that can help you detect a bruise in your dog.
If necessary, the use of painkillers is allowed.
In order to prevent bruises in dogs, it is necessary to take some preventive measures.
Bruises in dogs are a fairly common occurrence. However, the lack of proper treatment and careful care of your pet can cause serious consequences!
Such damage is closed, and can be caused by impact, squeezing or shaking. At the most severe degrees diseases can damage blood vessels and bronchi. Hemorrhages appear very often.
There are times when lung contusion causes the formation of cavities filled with air or blood. In this case, the membrane itself covering the lungs is not damaged at all.
The very first sign that patients focus on is severe pain in the lung area. When you take a deep breath, this pain intensifies many times over. Extremely discomfort may appear when bending over or in any other body position.
If bloody expectoration is noticed, then a lung contusion is possible. Symptoms that are not as common are tachycardia and bluish skin.
If the injuries were severe, the injured person may experience rapid breathing and shock. Very often the body lacks oxygen.
On the outside chest Bleeding, bruising and swelling are often noticeable.
A lung contusion may not be immediately detected. Especially if the ribs are also damaged. Therefore, the patient may not even understand the extent of the damage.
Cases of pneumonia due to lung injury have been reported. It can be either focal or lobar.
According to medical information, severe pulmonary contusion is a consequence of closed chest injuries. This injury can occur by falling from a very high height or hitting the steering wheel of a car during a traffic accident. Explosions and knife wounds cannot be ruled out. Usually, along with a contusion of the lungs, the heart, ribs and the chest itself also suffer.
A lung contusion can be diagnosed in several ways:
1) During a superficial inspection. This procedure involves examining the chest. If hemorrhage is noticed on it, the lungs may be injured.
2) Using ultrasound. If there is a damaged area, an echo-positive shadow will appear on the screen.
3) Severe bruise lung can be determined while listening to the organ. This can be done by simply leaning your ear or using a stethoscope.
4) Using X-ray, you can determine the bruise due to polymorphic darkening of the lung in the injured area.
5) Examination of the lungs using a bronchoscope. It is a hollow tube with a light source at the end. Thus, swelling of the bronchi or accumulation of blood can be seen.
If the victim is diagnosed with a lung contusion at first glance, treatment should be provided immediately. First urgent Care will help relieve pain, minimize consequences and alleviate symptoms.
To do this, please attach cold compress to the bruised place. You can use a frozen bottle or ice pack for this purpose. Apply this compress periodically for a few minutes.
There is no need to keep the compress on for too long. This can cause frostbite on the skin or colds.
Provide the victim with complete rest. It is advisable to place it in a horizontal position and ensure that the patient moves as little as possible. For the first time after an injury, it is best to keep the injured person in a semi-sitting position. Before the doctor arrives, you should not use any medical supplies. This can only make things worse.
During a chest injury, a patient may experience two severe conditions. These include pneumothorax and hemothorax.
A lung contusion (symptoms and treatment are determined during diagnosis) is a rather complex injury that requires urgent attention from a specialist.
Pneumothorax is the accumulation of air in the pleural area. This type of damage most often occurs when stabbed in the chest or during chest trauma. With a complex degree of the disease, a wound appears that large number air. In this case, the damaged part of the lung becomes inoperable. The most difficult case It is considered that Air enters, but cannot come back out. Thus, with each breath, the pressure in the cavity increases.
This condition can cause severe shock. Without urgent surgery, the victim may die.
If a person has an open wound in the chest, then first of all you need to seal it with improvised means. You can use a bag, oilcloth or film. Secure the sides with bandages, plaster or tape and wait for the ambulance to arrive.
Of course, such extreme measures are not strong, but they can save a person’s life before the doctors arrive. If possible, blood-absorbing materials should be placed in front of the airtight ones. Fabric is suitable for this.
Already in a hospital setting the following treatment is carried out:
The chest is made airtight again and the disease is transferred to a closed form.
An electric vacuum is used to suck out the air bubble from the pleura.
The pressure returns to normal due to drainage of the cavity.
Carrying out puncture of the cavity with air.
This condition is characterized by hemorrhage in pleural cavity. This phenomenon can cause a serious threat to human life.
If the size of the hematoma is too large, the injured lung begins to compress the healthy one. That is, an injury to even one lung will disable both. A symptom of such injury is frequent but shallow breathing and sometimes loss of consciousness.
IN extreme conditions at open wound the patient needs to put a blood-absorbent bandage and seal the wound. If the wound is closed, a cold compress is ideal. It will narrow the blood vessels, and the amount of blood released will be much less.
In a hospital setting, the clotted blood in the cavity is drained and the lung is released.
A lung contusion (symptoms and consequences are discussed by us) must be treated immediately. At home, this can be a cold compress.
If the injury is minor, then complete rest and painkillers will be enough. Pain and shortness of breath may be present for a few days before subsiding.
For bruises more strong character anti-inflammatory treatment is prescribed. Antibiotics are often used to prevent pneumonia.
The bronchoscopy procedure is prescribed for suction excess liquid from the lung cavity. A few days after the injury, physiotherapeutic procedures are prescribed to speed up the healing process.
Please note that in the next few days after injury, do not apply heat to the damaged area. It will only increase swelling and inflammation.
To avoid complications and strengthen respiratory system specialists have developed a complex of special breathing exercises. Such exercises should be performed when the treatment of the disease is nearing completion. Walking has a good effect on fresh air. This is especially true for walks in a coniferous forest. Find an opportunity and go to such a place for a few days.
Whatever the degree of injury, it cannot be ignored, since the consequences of the disease can be extremely dangerous. The most common complication of a common lung contusion is this. This disease is very dangerous and quite often leads to death.
To prevent this from happening, urgently go to the hospital and get diagnosed. Timely medical assistance will be the key to further happy life. Most often, with the right medical care any complications can be avoided.
Chest injuries in dogs and cats can be penetrating (open) or closed. In case open injury– wounds, punctures, open fractures of ribs, etc. a situation called open pneumothorax occurs. Normally, there is negative pressure in the chest cavity, which prevents the lungs from collapsing. With a penetrating wound to the chest, the pressure inside the chest cavity is compared with atmospheric pressure, which prevents the lungs from expanding normally and acute respiratory failure occurs. If this type of injury occurs, the animal must be treated immediately. veterinary clinic for surgical treatment.
During the operation, under artificial ventilation lungs, an audit of the chest organs is carried out: bleeding is eliminated, possible injuries lungs, which also need to be sutured or, in the case of total damage to an area or lobe of the lung, to perform a resection of the affected part; in case of infection of the chest cavity, the possibility of diffuse bleeding or the risk of repeated pneumothorax, the doctor decides to drain the chest cavity, and as a result, hermetically sealed suturing of the chest wound is performed.
Closed chest injuries can also lead to the development of pneumothorax - accumulation of free air in the chest cavity, due to rupture of the tissue of the lungs and airways - bronchi. This type of pneumothorax is called closed. The course of this type of pneumothorax is also acute with injury to a large bronchus or significant damage to the alveolar tissue of the lungs. A significant amount of free air in the chest cavity prevents the normal expansion of the lungs and causes acute respiratory failure. Helps diagnose this condition radiographic examination patient, based on X-ray data and clinical condition For the patient, a decision is made on further treatment tactics: from surgical (thoracotomy with revision of damaged areas, drainage of the chest cavity) to conservative - aspiration of free air by thoracocentesis (puncture).
TO closed injuries chest in cats and dogs also include lung contusions, closed fractures ribs, sternum, hemothorax. Injury lung tissue inevitably leads to traumatic edema and decreased airiness, i.e. disruption of the normal gas exchange process in the damaged area. Such pathologies are diagnosed by x-ray; their treatment is usually conservative, aimed at eliminating swelling, preventing bleeding and infection of the affected part of the lung.
Fractures of the ribs and sternum can lead to injuries lung tissue and airways, thereby causing pneumothorax, as well as injury to the blood and lymphatic vessels of the chest cavity. With trauma to the vessels of the chest and, as a result, bleeding, the condition of hemothorax develops - accumulation of blood and lymph in the chest cavity. Free fluid in significant quantities, as well as free air, interferes with the normal functioning of the lungs due to compression.
Acute respiratory failure is diagnosed by clinical examination (auscultation) and methods visual diagnostics– X-ray, ultrasound. If free fluid is detected in the chest cavity, the doctor makes a decision on further treatment tactics for the patient: puncture of the chest cavity for the purpose of aspiration of fluid and conservative treatment with minor hydrothorax, surgical elimination of bleeding, chest drainage with a significant volume of fluid in the cavity.
The extent of the lesion and methods of treatment for animals with chest injuries can only be determined by a veterinarian in a veterinary clinic equipped with the necessary diagnostic and therapeutic equipment. Patients who have developed acute respiratory failure Oxygen therapy is indicated as a result of chest trauma ( oxygen chamber) and urgent intensive care, and sometimes emergency surgical care. Therefore, such animals must be urgently taken to a veterinary clinic for adequate diagnosis and treatment.
Article prepared by doctors surgical department"MEDVET"
© 2014 SEC "MEDVET"
No dog is immune from injury. Our article will tell you how to help your pet in a critical situation.
Any dog can get injured, even a tiny one that never leaves the apartment. Most often, dogs get injured in fights. In the city, many animal injuries, ranging from minor to fatal, are caused by cars. Ligaments and tendons often suffer in icy conditions, especially in large and giant breed dogs.
For small decorative dogs, sometimes it is enough to jump off the sofa or escape from the owner’s hands to get injured. Therefore, owners should prepare for unpleasant surprises and get a first aid kit containing dressing, antiseptics, healing drugs and pain relievers. Dogs are active animals and often suffer various injuries. Most often these are bruises, sprains, wounds, broken bones, and dislocated joints.
Two-thirds of all injuries in dogs occur to the limbs. The owner can cure simple injuries himself; for complex injuries, professional assistance is required. veterinary care. But in case of any damage, the owner must be able to provide his pet with first aid.
They can be cut, stabbed, torn, bitten, and so on. They are characterized by a violation of the integrity of the skin, muscles, blood vessels, in dogs, wounds are often contaminated with soil and saliva. You can handle simple cases on your own, but if the wound large size, severe bleeding, severe contamination, then after providing first aid you should contact a veterinarian as soon as possible.
It is necessary to clean the wound, stop the bleeding, treat it with antiseptic and apply a bandage. Remove from the wound foreign objects: wood chips, wire, glass fragments, trim or shave the hair at the edges of the wound, after covering it with a tampon to prevent hair from getting inside. Then wash the wound with hydrogen peroxide or spit, lubricate the edges with a 5% iodine solution or other antiseptic.
At heavy bleeding A tourniquet can be applied to the injured limb above the wound site, but for no more than 30-60 minutes. You can give your pet hemostatic drugs: etamzilate (1 tablet of 0.25 per 15 kg of weight) and vikasol (1 tablet of 0.03 per 30 kg).
In case of moderate bleeding, place a piece of hemostatic sponge at the bottom of the wound, and tightly close it on top with tampons moistened with hydrogen peroxide or andraxon. For mild bleeding, it is enough to apply pressure bandage, bringing the edges of the wound as close as possible. Use a bandage for the bandage as the bandage does not adhere to the dog's fur.
In case of extensive injuries, after first aid is provided, the dog is immediately taken to a veterinary institution for surgical treatment wounds.
Ligaments are most often affected by unsuccessful jumps or falls. The dog begins to limp, the injured joint hurts, and sometimes swells. The animal does not bend or straighten it completely; it protects its paw when walking, although sometimes it carefully leans on it. Soreness and lameness are most pronounced after waking up, then the dog “paces.”
Bruises occur when struck by blunt objects. The bruised area hurts, swells, and redness or hemorrhage may occur. The dog may limp. In most cases, you can manage sprains and bruises on your own. On the first day, apply cold to the damaged area for 30 minutes, with breaks of 1-2 hours: a bottle of cold water and ice, a heating pad with ice.
Over the next few days, the injured area is heated with a blue lamp or a warm heating pad, a bandage with heated salt or sand is applied for 20-30 minutes several times a day. The bruised areas can be lubricated with troxevasin twice a day. If the joint is sprained, fix it with an elastic bandage and make sure that the dog does not play, does not jump, and does not walk up the stairs. If necessary, in the first days a painkiller is given - analgin (1 tablet 2 times a day).
When dislocations occur, the limbs take an incorrect, unnatural position, the bones protrude from the joint, but the integrity of the skin is not compromised. The joint swells and hurts, and the dog cannot rest on the injured paw. To avoid ligament tears and bone fractures, only a veterinarian should adjust sprains. Bone fractures can be open, when bone fragments come out, or closed.
In displaced fractures, the damaged limb usually becomes shorter than the healthy one. With fractures and dislocations, the dog raises the damaged paw high and does not lean on it at all when walking. Using a splint, the injured limb is carefully fixed without trying to straighten it or align bone fragments.
Today let's talk about injuries. Unfortunately, every dog owner has to deal with them at least once. The scale of this disaster can vary from skin damage in a dog fight to serious fractures if the animal was hit by a car. The first rule in such a situation is not to get confused. The second is to provide first aid in a timely and competent manner. Third, know which injuries require your dog to be seen by a veterinarian.
Cuts, bites, tears. The first thing you need to do with this type of injury is to thoroughly wash the area of skin damage. If thick hair grows around the wound, then it needs to be cut, or even better, shaved. It is best to wash the area around the wound with hydrogen peroxide: it not only dissolves dirt, but also serves as a disinfectant and hemostatic agent. Be careful: if you wash the dried blood directly from the wound, the bleeding may start again.
The extent of damage should then be assessed. If the wound does not exceed 1.5-2 cm in length and you are firmly convinced that it is shallow, then it does not need to be sutured. Otherwise, a visit to the surgeon is advisable, and if the wound is large, it is mandatory.
If you cannot provide your dog with immediate surgical care, then try to tighten the edges of the wound and fix the skin in this position. You can fix the edges of the wound with an adhesive plaster followed by dressing or just a tight bandage.
IN lately Tubular bandages are used for fixation. They are designed for humans, so be creative with sizing. A tubular toe bandage is quite suitable for securing the bandage on the leg of a small dog, and a "thigh" bandage is suitable for the body of a medium-sized dog. If you cut holes for the paws in such a bandage, you get a kind of “lace” jumpsuit that tightly fits the animal’s body.
During the healing process, treat the wound and the area around it with the same hydrogen peroxide or brilliant green. Large wounds are best treated with disinfecting ointments, preferably iruksol. At a later stage, you can use healing agents, such as solcoseryl. Try to make sure that the dog does not lick the wound, otherwise healing may take longer. You can use various collar-type restraints that are used after ear cropping.
Motya. Photo by Olga K.
Dislocations, sprains, bruises. If the dog begins to limp, it is recommended to check whether it has a dislocation or sprain joint capsule or joint bruise. Of course, you first need to make sure that the lameness is not caused by external damage to the limb (see previous section).
Basic external sign dislocation, the dog does not step on the injured leg. To check, you need to bend the animal’s limb alternately in different joints. A dog's painful reaction to bending a particular joint indicates a suspected injury to that joint. Another possible indication is a painful reaction to palpating the joint. Additional signs of joint injuries may include creaking or clicking sounds that the joint makes when flexed.
If a joint injury is suspected, it is necessary to show the dog to a veterinary surgeon.. Ice should only be applied to the injury site if the dog is in severe pain. The cold comes to the point that muscle and cartilage tissue around the joint are compressed, so the dislocation (if there is one) will be more difficult to reduce. Help your dog avoid putting stress on the injured limb.
Sometimes lameness is a consequence of the so-called blunt trauma, in other words, a bruise. In this case, there is a painful reaction to palpation of the bone in the interarticular area. Sometimes it is possible to feel a hematoma that occurs in soft tissues located near the surface of the bone. Blunt trauma does not require an urgent visit to the doctor. However, similar symptoms appear when there is a crack in the bone. It should not be forgotten that blunt trauma can subsequently lead to the development of a tumor. Therefore, it is better to observe the bruise site for some time after all the symptoms of the injury have disappeared.
Limb fractures. The next most severe injury can be considered a fracture of the limb. Its main symptom is an unnatural position, as well as shortening of the dog’s legs. With a fracture, as with a dislocation, the dog never leans on the injured limb. If the fracture is open, then there is a wound caused by a piece of bone “from the inside.”
In case of fractures, you should immediately consult a doctor. The dog must be transported to supine position. In order to avoid additional displacement of damaged areas of the bone, it is necessary to apply a temporary splint to the limb. To do this, you can use a variety of objects: sticks, strips of plastic, metal, etc. It is advisable to secure the splint with an elastic bandage. For an open fracture, treat the wound as recommended in the first section.
