Meet Ginger! She is a sweet older Boxer that one day found herself in a serious disagreement with another dog. As a result of this scuffle, she had large open wounds on her chest, neck and all four of her limbs, the worst being on the right front and rear legs. She had lost so much blood she came to us in shock and significant pain.
We were able to stabilize her with multiple pain medications and intravenous fluids to improve her blood pressure. The trauma to her right front limb was so extensive that the nerves that supply the leg were damaged and she could not use the leg normally. The muscle was damaged so badly that underlying bone was exposed and muscular attachments were torn. Amputation of her right front leg was considered but she has arthritis and we were concerned she would not be able to use her remaining three legs well enough to get around comfortably without that leg.
Ginger's mom loves her so much and was dedicated to caring for her and helping her to heal so she could continue to lead a happy life. Often, when there is trauma from an animal bite the severity of the damage to tissue isn't seen until a few days later as blood supply is lost and bruising/ swelling develops. We started wound therapy and cleansed and bandaged the worst wounds on the right front and rear legs while we waited to see how severe the damage would be. Unfortunately, the wounds on her right front and rear legs were so large they could not be closed completely and had become infected (dog mouths are dirty!)
To surgically heal Ginger's wounds at this point she would have needed extensive reconstructive surgery to repair damaged muscle, torn tendons as well as skin grafts to close the wounds. All of this would have been done not knowing if her right front leg would ever be functional to walk on again. Instead of surgery, we began treating Ginger's wounds with a product called AVIV.
AVIV is an innovative product that promotes the rapid growth of new tissue. It prevents infection, promotes new blood vessel growth and actively cleans wounds. It is an affordable option for many minor and major wounds. It has been proven effective and safe to use. It was developed for use aborad in the missionary field and has been used in situations where surgery similar to what was needed for Ginger is not possible. It has been so effective it has eliminated the need for major surgical intervention and skin grafting in many patients. It is the closest thing to magic fairy dust we have!
Ginger's wounds were flushed daily, AVIV powder was applied and the wounds were bandaged. Over time the swelling in her legs went down as new vessels were made in the damaged tissue and she started getting some use of her right front limb back. One month after the dog fight she underwent surgery to close what was left of the largest wound on her right rear limb. All the infection had cleared up and the skin was healthy to close. The right front limb wound (the deepest with the most trauma) healed without surgical infervention and was normal 2 months after the trauma occurred.
This is the scar from Ginger's worst wound on her right front leg. Initially you could see her bone (the humerus) through the wound. The muscles in this area were torn and the nerves that provide stimulation to her leg were damaged. The wounds healed with the use of AVIV powder alone. No surgical intervention was necessary and she continues to have use of this leg.
