My dog has a stubborn cut on her face... What are my options?

I have a german shepherd/chow mix- weighs about 50lbs - 13 years old and has no medical conditions. She has a cut on her face that measures about ½ in. – ¾ in. in length, Didn’t notice a bit of a gap in the cut until later. I’ve tried cleaning with hydrogen peroxide and then putting Neosporin on it afterwards and even had her wear an Elizabethan collar. It’s cutting close to a month now, but I’m not really seeing any improvement with the healing progress. Should I continue the regimen? Or will she most likely need sedation/stitches? And if so, does anyone know around what the average cost may be? I’ve recently been struggling a bit financially, but I really do care about my dog. I’d really appreciate any tips/help in what my options may be... thank you!

[Cliff Redford, DVM]

Good question, I hope I can help. Treating the small laceration the way you did was perfect. You cleaned it with peroxide then kept it clean with an ointment. Incidentally, the moisture from the ointment will speed healing like the commercials say. Skin cells divide to cover the wound (a process called epithelialization) and then cross over the gap (called bridging) and the ointment helps with the division and bridging. Assuming your dog is not bothered by it and it is definitely a cut (did you see it happen?) and not some other lesion, I dont think a visit to the vet is necessary. At this stage she will have a scar but it likely looks really cool. If you were to get it stitched, because the scar has already formed the vet would have to heavily sedate her and actually cut away at the scar tissue (debriding) and then stitch the fresh wound.
Good luck,
Dr. Cliff
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