How to Render First Aid to a Stray Dog?

[Debater Slayer]

I was walking on a nearby street and saw a motorcycle hit a dog that was crossing the road, wounding its leg. The guy on the motorcycle just drove away as if nothing had happened.

The dog was slightly favoring that leg, so I got closer to check the injury. The wound was small enough to be dressed if I had been able to provide first aid, but I had no idea how to approach a stray dog to do that or how to dress a dog's wound in the first place.

If anyone here has rendered first aid to a stray dog before, I'd appreciate some tips. I felt awful when I noticed the dog slightly limping after the motorcyclist had nonchalantly driven away, and I also felt bad for not knowing how to help the dog. I want to be prepared if I see anything like that happen again and I'm near a pharmacy from which I can get first-aid supplies (which I was when that happened).

 

[SalixIncendium]

I was walking on a nearby street and saw a motorcycle hit a dog that was crossing the road, wounding its leg. The guy on the motorcycle just drove away as if nothing had happened.

The dog was slightly favoring that leg, so I got closer to check the injury. The wound was small enough to be dressed if I had been able to provide first aid, but I had no idea how to approach a stray dog to do that or how to dress a dog's wound in the first place.

If anyone here has rendered first aid to a stray dog before, I'd appreciate some tips. I felt awful when I noticed the dog slightly limping after the motorcyclist had nonchalantly driven away, and I also felt bad for not knowing how to help the dog. I want to be prepared if I see anything like that happen again and I'm near a pharmacy from which I can get first-aid supplies (which I was when that happened).

First priority is your own safety. An injured stray dog is likely to be more aggressive than one that isn't injured, because their instinct is self-preservation and it might not understand that you're trying to help it. So the approach has to be one that the dog won't take a predatory...such as approaching the dog from their own height, offering treats, etc.

Once you have made it clear that you're there to help it by spending time with it and petting it, pain may still make the dog snap or bit, so it's still important to be careful when examining the room. Since the dog is favoring the leg, there may likely be musculoskeletal damage, in which case an x-ray at a veterinary clinic would be ideal, but if there is an open wound, you will want to treat that as you would an open wound on a person...cleaning the would and wrapping it in gauze to keep it clean. If at all possible, though, the best course of action would be to have the dog checked and treated at a veterinary clinic.

 

[Debater Slayer]

First priority is your own safety. An injured stray dog is likely to be more aggressive than one that isn't injured, because their instinct is self-preservation and it might not understand that you're trying to help it. So the approach has to be one that the dog won't take a predatory...such as approaching the dog from their own height, offering treats, etc.

Once you have made it clear that you're there to help it by spending time with it and petting it, pain may still make the dog snap or bit, so it's still important to be careful when examining the room. Since the dog is favoring the leg, there may likely be musculoskeletal damage, in which case an x-ray at a veterinary clinic would be ideal, but if there is an open wound, you will want to treat that as you would an open wound on a person...cleaning the would and wrapping it in gauze to keep it clean. If at all possible, though, the best course of action would be to have the dog checked and treated at a veterinary clinic.

Thanks a lot! I appreciate that you've covered so many details.

Unfortunately, a veterinary clinic would rarely be an option, although I do believe it would be the preferable option when it was available.

If I treated the dog and wrapped the wound in gauze, could that cause any problems for the dog considering that I wouldn't be around to later remove the gauze?

 

[SalixIncendium]

If I treated the dog and wrapped the wound in gauze, could that cause any problems for the dog considering that I wouldn't be around to later remove the gauze?

What's the animal welfare climate for strays in your neck of the woods? Particularly, what are the chances of someone else seeing old bandaging on a stray dog and removing it?

 

[Debater Slayer]

What's the animal welfare climate for strays in your neck of the woods?

It depends on whether we're talking about facilities or regular people. Many people are kind to strays and feed them, provide them with shelter (e.g., inside stores), make sure they're safe, etc. There are also some who are abusive to animals or simply don't care, though.

On the other hand, when it comed to facilities, there are few animal shelters, most of which are run by volunteers and are underfunded and overcrowded. Animal rescue services are the same, and if you wanted to treat a stray in a veterinary clinic, you would most likely need to pay for that yourself unless you went to a clinic that did pro bono treatment (and I'm not aware of many of those, but I hope there are more of them than I'm aware of).

Particularly, what are the chances of someone else seeing old bandaging on a stray dog and removing it?

It depends on which city and neighborhood the stray was in, mainly. In many neighborhoods in my city, the chances of that are pretty high, while some others may not care much or at all.

In my neighborhood, I've seen people adopt stray dogs at least twice before. The dog I talked about in the OP was in a dark and fairly empty side street, though, so the chances are probably low that one of the already low number of people who walk through there would go out of their way to dress up its wound or remove the bandage.

 

[SalixIncendium]

It depends on whether we're talking about facilities or regular people. Many people are kind to strays and feed them, provide them with shelter (e.g., inside stores), make sure they're safe, etc. There are also some who are abusive to animals or simply don't care, though.

On the other hand, when it comed to facilities, there are few animal shelters, most of which are run by volunteers and are underfunded and overcrowded. Animal rescue services are the same, and if you wanted to treat a stray in a veterinary clinic, you would most likely need to pay for that yourself unless you went to a clinic that did pro bono treatment (and I'm not aware of many of those, but I hope there are more of them than I'm aware of).



It depends on which city and neighborhood the stray was in, mainly. In many neighborhoods in my city, the chances of that are pretty high, while some others may not care much or at all.

In my neighborhood, I've seen people adopt stray dogs at least twice before. The dog I talked about in the OP was in a dark and fairly empty side street, though, so the chances are probably low that one of the already low number of people who walk through there would go out of their way to dress up its wound or remove the bandage.

Probably best to just clean the wound and leave it unbandaged then, because once the bandage is old and dirty, it could reinfect the would. Chances are the dog will keep the wound clean and disinfected on his own anyway, as dog saliva does have antibacterial properties.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Probably best to just clean the wound and leave it unbandaged then, because once the bandage is old and dirty, it could reinfect the would. Chances are the dog will keep the wound clean and disinfected on his own anyway, as dog saliva does have antibacterial properties.

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.