nmarro

i was hunting today with my 11 month old lab..she was out after a rooster, when she tried jumping between two barb wire fences. through this process she clipt herelf on the fence, but kept on going. i checked her on the field, but didnt see any major cuts. after we got home, i noticed something on her chest. as i examened it, she had a pretty deep cut, the size of a quarter. her skin is peeled back, and she is very sencitive to that area, i was treating it with some antiseptics. i was then thinkning...the barb wire fence she hit was very old, and rusty. my question is can dogs get tetnis like we humans do from rusty metal?? should i just treat her with antiseptic every day to prevent bacteria, or should i go to the vet? the cut is pretty deep, and her skin and hair is peeled back in that quarter size area. any help would be appreciated. thanks

short-range

if you have any question, see the vet and rest easier. You probably don' t have to make a special Sunday night visit, but I personally think I' d try to make the trip tomorrow.

wvvet

Tetnis is unlikely. Dogs can get it, but it is very rare. Rather infection is your biggest concern. If the cut is deep enough that if you would go get stitches if the cut was on you, then I would do the same for your dog.