Weiner, a 15 year-old Dachshund, came to the clinic one morning after getting in a
tussle with the family Yorkie. Weiner sustained multiple lacerations, including a serious puncture wound on his right inguinal (groin) area, and injury to the upper palate of his mouth. When we first saw Weiner, things were not looking good. He was very lethargic and could not stand on his own. His parents were very worried about him, as he has been a part of the family since he was just a puppy. They wanted to make sure Weiner had the best shot at a full recovery, so he was taken into surgery right away.
Dr. Sappington stitched up some of the more superficial lacerations on his flank, then got to work on the wound in his inguinal region. She cleaned the wound thoroughly and removed some necrotic, or dying, tissue. Because this area of the body is prone to movement and moisture, Dr. Sappington did not simply just close the wound, but instead placed a Penrose Drain to allow any excess fluids produced to drain out of the body.
When it came to Weiner’s mouth, three upper incisors and one upper canine tooth
had to be extracted. The teeth were very loose and just barely attached to the gums. The surgery ended up going well; however, this was not the end of the road for Weiner quite yet.
Following the initial surgery, Weiner had to return to the clinic for numerous rechecks. The large puncture wound ended up opening further due to infection. Dr. Sappington decided to leave the wound open until the infection 
was cleared up. This meant Weiner had to come back every day for several days and be sedated for a bandage change each time. We were finally able to close the wound completely with sutures. A few weeks later, all of Weiner’s sutures have been removed and he has gone back to living a normal, happy life. However, Weiner’s parents have now made it a point to keep him away from their Yorkie!
