This was a different wound from the usual we found out, as the way the skin was dying, but not normal. It was as if the epidermis died but the subcutaneous layer was slower (as the photo of tissue by itself shows). The dog lost weight and had poor appetite at first, but week by week the appetite, weight, and attitude improved. After 3 weeks of slowly being able to peel off the dead tissue, we decided to attempt to close the holes in an attempt to speed up the healing process and make it more manageable at home. In surgery I freshened the edges and removed some of the odd bumps in the wound. A drain was placed, and tension reducing sutures were placed. Post surgically, in the following week, the crafty dog was able to chew out the drain and scratch out half of the sututes. The owner was able to make a nifty combination of a neck doughnut, tshirt, and scarf in order to keep him off of it. Finally after 4 weeks, the wound was to a point that was similar to a typical wound, and the typical 2nd intention healing and wound contraction started.
The first picture was June 7th, the final picture is 8 weeks later August 6th. Approximately 20 laser therapy sessions in all. After talking with another colleague we believe that this was a toxin induced trauma, possibly due to the bite of a BROWN RECLUSE spider! This dog and his owners were troopers and very dedicated.
June 8th
June 10
June 20
June 29
July 13th
July 22
August 6th
