Burns and Scalds in Dogs

Burns and scalds in dogs

Burns are usually caused by household items such as chemicals and electrical equipment. You can treat light burns at home while more serious burns may require immediate medical attention. Severe burns can cause severe shock and deep damage, sometimes a few hours after the incident.

What you should watch for

Dogs that have first-degree burns often show signs of pain while the skin still remains intact. On the other hand, second-degree burns, are more severe since the skin is completely burned. Before you take your dog to the vet, you should check for any signs of body shock or burn damage.

What is the primary cause? 

In most cases, burns are mainly caused by three things: electricity, chemicals, or heat from hot objects. You should ascertain what has caused the burn to ensure it is properly treated.

Immediate treatment   

As a rule of thumb with burns, you should never put creams, ointment, margarine, or butter on them as it will not help. When the skin is still intact, treatment will be done the following ways.

1. Burns from hot objects

You need to restrain your dog and try to cool the affected area as fast as possible. Use cold water from your shower attachment or make a bath. When you quickly cool the burned area, you minimize the damage. After you flush the burned area with cold water, you should use a cold compress on the burn about twenty minutes, and then use a non-stick dressing to cover the wound.

2. How to treat chemical burns

You should wear rubber gloves when you treat chemical burns to ensure you don’t burn your hands. Remove the harness and any contaminated clothing, and then use cold water to flush that burned area for 15 minutes. Ensure the burn and chemicals don’t spread to other areas.

3. Electrical burns

Before you treat electrical burns, you should unplug all electrical equipment. Similar to treating burns caused by liquids and hot objects, flush the burned area with cold water and then dress the wound with a non-stick dressing. For severe burns, when the skin is fully burned, follow the guidelines below:

Apply dry pressing on the affected area. Ensure you avoid using fabrics with loose textiles such as cotton as they can easily stick on the wound and lead to more problems.

Conclusion

If the burns are less severe, you can get instructions from your vet on how to proceed with immediate treatment. However, if the burn is severe, you should take your dog to the veterinary immediately.

References: Petmd, Vets-now, Wagwalking