29
Feb
Is It Okay To Let My Dog Lick My Wounds. It can be harmful for dogs and cats to lick their wounds. While wound licking is often completely condemned by vets and at the same time almost ritualized by many natural healers there is no simple answer to the question Is wound licking in dogs good or bad Why Dogs Lick Their Wounds. Follow these tips for caring for your pets wound at home and know when to visit the vet. These may be necessary if you are not right there to observe your dog closely at all times and in the case of surgical wounds.
Even if nature is wise and you believe a dog licking himself is an instinct for him to heal himself then that means you can also say that he does it because its the only tool available for him to alleviate his discomfort or pain. Research suggests that dogs lick their wounds to. Licking and chewing can also slow healing by reopening wounds. Although a dogs saliva has mild healing properties it is not enough to heal an open wound. There are also other reasons a dog may lick your wound. I thought an e-collar was a big plastic gaurd around the dogs head to prevent them from being able to reach stitches on their belly etc.
It is rare for dog saliva to cause serious injury but it has in more than one case.
For those reasons its a good idea not to let your dog lick his own wounds and the wounds of other dogs and people especially when it comes to children. Dogs have an enzyme that speeds up the healing process. It is important to prevent the skin from healing over the wound too quickly. Yes you should let your dog lick his wounds unless he is licking exessively. Unfortunately although dog saliva does have some healing properties the risks carried by allowing dogs to lick wounds are simply too high to warrant licking as a healing tool. If your dog has licked his incision a skin infection is likely.