The American Beagler Forum

A few days ago I took my dog out hunting and she went over the hill running a rabbit but she never came back. I looked for her almost 5 days I went back a hour ago to the place I had lost her a she was laying there she got up and started toward me but she wasn't walking right I picked her up and she had been shot with a .22 right above the tail. I believe that the bullet went through her I gave her some infection medicine. any help would be appreciated on what else I could do. I havn't got any way to take her to the vet. Also her tail is broken will part of it fall off or will it grow back together crooked.

At the least, your hound will need some basic first-aid. the wound cleaned throughly. Hydrogen peroxide should bubble a lot of the gunk out. Bandage what you can, and then put on a good strong antibiotic. Some antibiotics are interchangeable between humans and dogs. Amoxycillin is one. I've seen straight penicillin 250 mg. 2x's daily used for dogs, too. Cephalexin often for wounds.

Perhaps a vet or vet tech will get on here and advise you. As far as the tail falling off - I couldn't tell you. Not seeing the wound it would be hard to say. If that tail gets infected to the point of gangrene, it can cause systemic poisoning and the normal antibiotics won't help. I'm not a vet or anything close to one, so I hope you get some better advice.

Let us know how your dog gets along.

I go and ask mom does she has any of the medicine. Thanks alot for your help.

Bev, it is my opinion that hydrogen peroxide should be taken off the shelf and thrown away. It does more damage to the skin that it does good. It actually eats away good tissue as it "cleans". It is something that I will never use on myself or my dogs.


Emery

I can tell you that peroxide in nursing isnt used where I work anymore. I was told that they were not going to use it because it had been found that the bubbles actually isnt taking the infection out as we all thought, that instead it takes the oxygen out of the blood, and tissue. I personally dont use it. Good luck.

Thanks for the update, folks. What is being used these days, just sterile water flushes?

My wife says Hib-Clens or Sure Clens (sp) is what they use at the hospital. I don't know if it is readily available to the general public or not. Maybe a quick check at a medical supply store would be in order. I don't know if the vet world has an animal version or if they use the same thing. I have found that in most cases, medicines used on animals is less expensive than ones used on humans. I don't know if it is a quality deal or maybe a more sterile environment during the manufacture process or what the cause is. Could be that people just won't pay that much for their pets so they can't charge as much. Maybe Doc S. would have a better answer.


Emery