#Bullet fragments meaning how to
#Bullet fragments meaning full

Just because an entrance would appear small or the bullet completely exited your dog’s body does not mean there wasn’t any internal damage. Because bullets drag outside contamination into your dog’s body, it is very important to get it cleaned as soon as possible and continue applying any dressings to the area as recommended by your veterinarian. Drains may be used if needed to allow the wound to continue healing. The wound to outside of your dog’s body will most likely be left open as it will heal better this way and allows for unhealthy tissue to be removed. The wound itself will then be cleaned and any debris removed including hair, dirt, skin, bullet or bullet fragments.

#Bullet fragments meaning full

Once this is done the hair around the gun wound may be trimmed to ensure full access to the site. This will be done by cleaning the area surrounding the wound and treating any injuries there. Once your dog is stabilized, the next step will be to treat the wound superficially. This may be achieved via medications for pain management or putting him under anesthesia to be able to move on to the next steps in treatment. This may be stopping blood loss, lowering high heart rate, and getting him comfortable. The goal here is to ensure your dog’s immediate safety.

#Bullet fragments meaning how to

Once he is stable the team will move on to cleaning his wound and finally to determining how to treat his deeper injuries. Initially the veterinarian’s main concern will be stabilizing your dog and ensuring he is safe to move forward with treatment. Treatment will be broken up into stabilization, cleaning of the wounds, and deeper wound treatment. These tests will be performed under anesthesia typically to ensure the safety of your dog and the veterinarian. X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans and more imaging techniques may be used to see underlying and deep tissues damage, these imaging tools may also be used to see any broken bones or other injuries. Once our dog has been put under anesthesia your veterinarian may want to explore the wound to see any further damage that he was unable to determine by physical exam.Ī culture may be taken from the wound as well to identify what, if any infections may be a concern. A full physical examination will be done on your dog to see any concerns that your veterinarian may notice without further testing. Your veterinarian will want to perform a few tests to ensure he is completely aware of the entire situation. It will also be important to share with your veterinarian if you know for a fact that your dog was injured via gunfire or if you suspect it. Some information that will best help your veterinarian diagnose and treat him correctly will be if you know what type of gun he was shot with, if you have a sample of the type of bullet, and the distance your dog was from the gun. If you suspect your dog was injured by gunfire it will be very important to bring him to the veterinarian immediately. While you may be able to identify that your dog was in fact shot at, you will not necessarily be able to determine the extent of the damage done when he was shot.