Bon has a puncture wound on his chest

[anna_66]

I have absolutely no idea what or when it happened, but it had to be sometime yesterday afternoon.

As usual they had been going in and out all morning and right before Mark got home (maybe 11:30am) I noticed Huney sniffing him on the chest. Then when I was letting them in she was licking his chest. I just thought he must have rolled in something she liked and went about my canning.

Shortly after that I heard Bon growl and yelled "HEY!" Of course he stopped what he was doing--whatever it was. I assumed he growled at Huney for licking his chest again.

I told Mark about what Huney had been doing so he looked at him and noticed a good sized puncture wound. It was clean, no bleeding and it didn't seem to hurt in in the least. I put some peroxide on it then (he didn't flinch) and twice last night while I was at work Mark washed it out with a wound was solution. He said it had an odor but there was no swelling.

So this morning I read up on it and it says to wash the wound, apply a dressing with some antibacterial ointment and change several times a day. If it's not getting any better within a few days, take him to the vet. Of course I can't find a tape that wants to stick to his hair so I'm just going to try and keep him laying down as much as possible.
I'm going to wait till Tuesday although I just want to rush him to the vet now (don't we always want to do that when our babies are hurt?)

I took a couple pictures, they're not gross but just in case...I'm just going to attach them.
I thought it was a bite at first, but it's an awful big hole and there's only one place. I swear it looks like he's been shot. Mark checked the whole yard to see if there was anything that could have done it, but of course couldn't find anything. As usual when they get hurt, it's a big mystery.

Please say a prayer that it doesn't get infected and heals up well.

[ChrisH]

Gosh, that is worrying Anna. Odd too. Please let us know what the vet thinks is the cause.
Prayers and positive thoughts going out for good and speedy healing, and please give that big 'ol boy a kiss and hug from me. (Bon not Mark )

[Cinder & Smoke]

> GASP <

I swear it looks like he's been shot.

Mark checked the whole yard to see if there was anything that could have done it,
but of course couldn't find anything.
As usual when they get hurt, it's a big mystery.

Your "he got shot" theory is a possibility.

Does he play and run with sticks in his mouth?
Could he have *poked* himself wth a stick?

Not knowing just how DEEP the wound is would worry me.

Prayers for a Quick Heal!

[MonicanHonda]

Just because it doesn't look bad outside, it might be inside... so I would probably get it checked out. It looks pretty deep to me, and it's a perfect circle!!!! That's so weird.... It looks clean though :-D Good job

[Daisy and Delilah]

Poor Bon!! I'm so sorry, Anna!! It does look pretty clean. I hate to think about it but it does look like he might have been shot. I will hope and pray for a good outcome.

[king2005]

Botfly maybe? Well the hole they leave after they crawl out... Maybe it was smaller & with the other dogs licking it, could have made it bigger

I would say a gun shot, a pellet shot maybe.. if it was a gun shot it would be worse then that & there would be blood. But a pellet shot would make a hole & might not cause much bleeding as they don't always go very deep IF they manage to go through the skin.

[lizbud]

Wow, that is strange. It looks like a beebee shot or buckshot wound.
I'm glad it doesn't seem to bother him. If it is a pellet wound, it could move
around inside him.

[Karen]

I am glad you'll be taking him to the vet on Tuesday. just in case.

I have a scar on one leg from a deep puncture wound I once got, took seemingly forever to heal. In my case, I was stabbed by a rooster claw (Insane rooster, ended up as rooster-and-dumplings not long after). But I cannot imagine a rooster getting that close to Bon's mouth and coming away unscathed ...

[Randi]

Oh poor Bon! I have never seen a gun shot for real, but I would still say it could be - or some other kind of shot. I really hope it's not!

It does look clean now, but could easily get infected. Can you wrap some gaze around him?

It may be a good idea to take him to the vet to get an X-ray. Hope you'll get it cleared up and he'll get better soon!

[Andie]

I have no idea about the wound but the care I might have a solution.

Duke is sometimes just one big walking injury & I found this self adhesive wrap that works great by pure accident. (I got it to help stabilize a sprained wrist.) I don't know how well it would work wrapped around his chest because if the muscle is used a lot underneath it tends to bunch and it is made to contract the longer you wear it. (I had to unwrap and rewrap every couple hours.) It might be worth a try though if you can't find anything to hold the bandage to the wound.

Prayers going out from us.

[cyber-sibes]

It looks really clean. To me it looks like a puncture wound that burst & drained, but its probably one of those mysteries you'll never know the answer to. (Bon is sworn to secrecy.) Hugs to the bib boy & all the other furries.

[cassiesmom]

Big prayers for dear Bon!

[K9karen]

As much as I would tell myself not to worry, I'd freak out. Jesh! Poor Bon! It looks kinda deep to me too, Anna. Since dogs have an amazing sense of smell, I'd put my trust in Huney's instincts. Of course I'll pray it heals. But I'd like to know the vet's opinion.

[Pam]

Wow! That is amazing. I have no idea what it could be but think it is strange that it was not bleeding. Maybe Nurse Huney licked away all of the blood. I would take him to the vet just so that no infection starts. The vet may also be able to recognize what the wound came from since they see so many injuries. Kisses for Bon's boo-boo and also to Huney for being such a good sister.

[Cincy'sMom]

Poor Bon!!! Hope everything heals up quickly.

We had a similar incident with Spot, about 4 or 5 years ago. I had let the dogs out just before I was supposed to go away for the evening on a Sunday night (Ralph was not home). As they came back in, something caught my eye. Spot had a puncture wound, almost same size and shape, on his side. Looked clean, wasn't bleeding, etc. I put some antibiotic cream on it and took him with me for the evening so I could keep an eye on him. We took him to the vet the next day, they shaved the ared, and I think gave him an antiobiotic. Otherwise, the treatment was exactly as you are doing. With his, we out some gauze over the wound, then cut the bottom off a t-shirt to wrap a ring around him to be able to tape on. He wasn't crazy about it, but it worked!