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As though my Harley hasn't had enough health issues, he was bitten by a brown recluse spider ( I think) on his back. It is really nasty looking and the vet says that the skin is sloughing off. I thought it was just a scratch when he and another of my dogs had a spat. When the vet shaved the hair I was mortified.
I have no clue how or where he ran into a brown recluse but hopefully it was outside and not inside, because he spends most of his time next to me.
I am now worried about if there is going to be a hole left on his back.
Keeper, I haven't - but that is one nasty looking bite for poor Harley. I guess the vet gave you some antibiotics and maybe cream?
I know with humans a certain amount of skin slough is expected. Here's hoping Harley gets through this with minimal discomfort...that poor guy has a lot going on to have to put up with this too. Positive thoughts to you all today.
I am now worried about if there is going to be a hole left on his back.
Hopefully the vet is wrong and it is a normal dog bite that is simply not healing property because of his other health issues you mentioned. It might be helpful to start accepting that it's likely there will be a severe scar, especially since it went untreated for so long. You couldn't help that. Dggs have hair. There is no way you would have known about it faster since treatment is best within 10 minutes of the bite. Heck, it's unlikely any of us would have noticed within hours.
My husband was biten by a tick with lyme disease in February of this year. Thankfully he doesn't have lyme disease because the antibiotics worked. But he still has a hole in his arm this many months later. Sometimes these bug bites take a long time to heal. I've read about people who still have reoccurring wounds from tick bites they got in the 1970s.
Sorry to hear you're going through this. Hang in there.
Poor Harley. I do hope it is not causing pain and that it heals.
It seems the Brown Recluse spider gets blamed for a lot of cellulitis here in humans that come in with it on a limb.. that happened to my dad and after my brother checked it out he learned that it was most likely not a brown recluse as they are not native to California so unluess someone is around stuff that came from a place that has them and one hid in the stuff it is unlikley a bite is from one.....yet that is the first thing doctors here say .So I really have no experience with such bites and am glad I don't.
We do have brown recluse spiders here although the vet did not name the spider I have seen pics of their bite and it sure looks like the pics. It could certainly have been another type of spider. He had just gotten off antibiotics from surgery.
He is on a new antibiotic and I have a spray for it. It is about the size of an egg around and is about an 1.4 th of an inch high.
No dog, but a close frient was bit and her doctor prescribed nitroglycerine patches to be used so the skin aroung the bite would not keep dying and turning black. Her bite healed very nicely with only a small scar. Ask your vet if this is a possiblily.
ive got a friend who had a serious reoccuring recluse bite...
after some searchign on the web and lots of frustration in her 3rd year (he wound would ventually ehal then a few onths later come back) she took activated charcoal, ground it up REAL fine in an old coffee griner with ecinacie, plantain leaf (the plant not the fruit) and lobelia added enough water to make a paste smushed it on the wound and covered loosely. she repeated the process with the past every 2 days for i belive it was a 2 eeks before the wound had closed copletly BUT since then it hasnt come back and the scar is nowhere neer as bad as it used to be.
the idea being the activated charcoal (the stuf used in fishtank filters) absorbs any venom still in the wound causing continual necrosis of the flesh, while plantain, ecinacea an lobelia are natural antibiots, blood purifiers and increas blood low (which in turns helps wounds heal)
she didnt tell me what measurments she used, but it definatly seemed to have worked for her. it shoudl eb 50% fine ground activate charcoal, and 50% herbal mix wiht ust enough water to make the whole thing a paste.
charcoal is amazing stuff for infections, wounds ect of all kids and certainly cant hurt either.
the wound WILL eventually heal on its own, left to its own devices the necrosing will evetually stop and itll slowly close up leaving a large scar and usually a 'Pit" underneath it...from above itll just look normla but when you touh it youll feel a divet under the skin) the risk with recluse bites is re-occurance, antibiotics dont treat the vemon just prevent infectionin the open wound, and everytime the body weakens for whatever reason it can re-occur.
these charcoal treatments suppoedly tdraw out the toxin that remains preventing re-occurance and helping the wound heal quicker thus making the scaring smaller/less noticable.
poor boy sure isnt have a good few weeks is he?! hope hes feeling better soon, and remember, that area is going to be Sore.
My spouse was bit by a brown recluse spider on his leg and it took months and months to heal. They had to keep dressing it and he was on antibiotics, creams and bandages for months. I hope your dog heals well. He should but keep an eye on it and keep it clean and free from dirt, etc. Don't let him bite on it or lick on it. It is very painful too my spouse was saying so I feel for your dog. I hope he heals well. Please keep us informed. Am anxious to hear. Brown recluse spiders are horrible.
Best of luck to you and Harley!
JMHO
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.So I really have no experience with such bites and am glad I don't.
