Dog Walks and Body Knocks, A Story in Three Parts.

1. Part I

Once upon a time, there was a middle-aged woman – let’s call her Michelle – who didn’t look her age, laugh lines and love handles notwithstanding, who decided to add richness to her life by adopting a dog.

Said life had been in a bit of a holding pattern since the death of her mother a year earlier. These things take time to wade through before one returns to something resembling normalcy on both the emotional and bureaucratic levels. Grief is no small thing.

The death of her cat six months after her mother’s passing didn’t help either. But as that first year of mourning came to a close and started to feel lacking, Michelle realized that life, in fact, does go on.

Life’s annoying in that way.

Michelle researched dog ownership before narrowing her focus to German Shepherds and crosses. The Shepherd size was about what she wanted – they’re medium-large dogs – and she’d had a GS cross as a family pet when she was younger and felt her expectations regarding exercise for the GS-Collie cross she brought home from the shelter were realistic.

Her memory of the dog as a shadow, was absent, however. Michelle had been a cat owner for most of her adult life. Cats are fine with alone time. You’re more hotel than team. Dogs roll differently. The new dog – we’ll call her Suki– would happily live out her life in a sling if it meant never being separated from her pack.

Michelle would’ve liked to have talked about the care and feeding of German Shepherds with her mother. Michelle had a child’s memory of dog ownership. She hadn’t remembered the shadowing, and she didn’t remember the constant shedding either, though, in her defence, she was in elementary school when they had Louis. Her mother likely brushed and vacuumed while the kids were away.

Still, there’s a silver lining to the increased floor cleaning demands: Michelle now owns, in addition to her OG vacuum cleaner, a cordless stick vacuum that helps keep the piles of lost hair under control. It’s a ‘Keeping up with the Jones’ win.

2. Part II

Michelle is Suki’s happy place: her dog loves almost everything Michelle does, save for taking her to the vet. Even then, Suki remains a shadow with her preferred sitting place being Michelle’s lap. What she loves most, however, are trips outside. Outside is a wonderful place. There are places to go, things to hear, and odours to investigate.

Suki’s only a young teenager in dog years, so she has energy and enthusiasm for days. She and Michelle work on her training daily, but a GS can be a stubborn type of dog, and battles of will often ensue when they’re out on walks. This is why Suki mostly doesn’t go off-leash at dog parks yet: Michelle didn’t trust her recall if something happened to catch the dog’s eye.

There are alternatives between the short leash and the free run: trainers often suggest clipping your dog to long leashes that run twenty to thirty feet (some even up to one hundred). This way the dog can putter about and explore, but there’s still the possibility of keeping hold if recall fails when a squirrel runs by.

And while Suki’s recall isn’t great, she’s also hampered by an owner who struggles with anxiety. Michelle worked hard when her kids were growing to not let her anxiety interfere with their lives, but she forgot about giving roots and wings to her puppy.

You have to give them space to fail.

She was thinking about this tendency to over-protect while talking to other dog people milling about the field at the off-leash dog park near her house. A group of dogs cavorted while they talked, not really going far. Michelle had just decided to call Suki back to unclip her for an off-leash trial when the five, similarly-sized dogs were struck with a collective case of the zoomies. Inspired and enthusiastic, they decided to make Michelle their Maypole.

She kept her balance for the first few seconds as dogs raced around in delight and owners called their pets back fruitlessly, but ultimately, canine enthusiasms knocked her to her ass. Thank goodness the ground was wet from all the recent rain.

The dogs continued their antics unperturbed by Michelle’s presence on the ground, and at some point during the chaos, the long line of Suki’s leash became wrapped around Michelle’s ankle. When the dogs took off in a new direction, the leash spun around that ankle like a pull cord trying to start a lawn mower.

Good thing I wore boot socks, though Michelle. The leg did sting, however, so Suki got longer-than-planned leash-free time as Michelle waited for the brief pain to settle before they both headed home for lunch.  

3. Part III

Like most people, Michelle only changes her socks once a day. She puts them on in the morning and then takes them off at night. It usually goes well, and why not – she’s been doing it for decades. Imagine her surprise when the right sock refused removal that evening. Michelle is grateful she looked first, before tugging.

Upon closer inspection, the culprit was discovered. The sock was stuck to the leg by the blood circling it like a bracelet. It seems as though, “no injury” was a premature assumption based on no information.

Sometimes, no pain is a bad thing.

After using running water to loosen the sock, Michelle took stock of the damage. She’d not given it much thought post-injury, and that turned out to be a mistake. Sometimes injuries don’t hurt much because they’re a little bit serious. Like when you remove a strip of skin from half the circumference of your ankle due to a friction burn as a random example.

Seeing a strip of skin on her leg about three centimetres above the ankle that vaguely looked like raw hamburger surprised Michelle: it’s not what she was expecting on a rainy Wednesday.

She also noticed it had been a while since she’d shaved those legs.

A smarter person than Michelle would’ve called someone with medical knowledge or experience for advice rather than giving it a quick wash and putting on a few bandages. A smarter person would’ve looked at it closely and realized that the skin wasn’t raw, it was absent. A smarter person would’ve wondered about the complete lack of pain.

On the bright side, when Michelle removed the bandages twelve hours later to clean it again, she realized she might have underestimated things. Unfortunately, she decided to wait some more. Friday morning, however, the wound looked much worse. A visit with a doctor resulted in a diagnosis of a second-degree, superficial partial-thickness burn, yielding a course of antibiotics, a tetanus shot, and a brief lesson on burn care.

In her defence, Michelle hadn’t realized that friction burns could be as serious an injury as heat or other burns. She was disabused of that notion as the doctor warned about potential cellulitis complications, and the possibility of intravenous antibiotic treatment, both of which she’d already experienced in the past, neither of which was a good time.

Zero stars for IV drug therapy, in case you’re thinking of giving it a go.

This current limitations to Michelle’s mobility might’ve been a problem given the energy demands of a Shollie (German Shepherd-Collie cross), but Suki thoughtfully contracted laryngeal bronchitis (kennel cough), and is currently on antibiotics, steroids, and a regimen of reduced exercise.

This is a worrisome situation as well.

“It was not,” Michelle reflected, “the best week ever. I don’t think I’m going to be buying lottery tickets.”

Once again, a little bit of knowledge proved to be a dangerous thing. Experts are experts for a reason.

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So, You’ve (Gone For A Walk With Your Dog and) Burned Your Skin.

1. Categorizing the burn.

There are five types of burns people can experience, though the best option is to avoid them all. Should you be so unfortunate as to be afflicted, the burn will be categorized as either thermal, electrical, chemical, friction, or radiation burn. 

Burns are classified by how severely they damage (degree) and how deeply they penetrate (thickness) the skin. The degree scale runs from one to four, with higher numbers representing increased severity. The penetration labels, referencing the thickness of the skin damage the burn has caused, are superficial, partial thickness, partial full-thickness, or full-thickness depth.

First-degree burns are superficial, with only light damage to the epidermis. A mild sunburn is a good example.

Second-degree, superficial, partial-thickness burns also damage the epidermis, but the damage extends partially into the dermis as well. The site will look red, blistered, and swollen – a hot water scald that causes blisters is an example of a second-degree burn.

Third-degree or full partial-thickness burns destroy the epidermis and dermis and can leave the subcutaneous layer exposed. The skin may appear blackened, charred, or white. This kind of burn can be caused by things like fire or road rash.

Fourth-degree or full-thickness burns go through both layers of the skin, the underlying tissue, and even deeper, often involving muscles, tendons, and bone. There is no feeling in the area – the burn destroys all nerve function. Examples of this type of burn include prolonged exposure to fire and chemical or radiation burns.

Burns are also evaluated as to how much of the body they cover. The greater the surface area affected, the more serious the burn and the more likely inpatient treatment will be required.

2. When To Seek Treatment.

Michelle failed to seek prompt medical treatment for her rope burn. This was a mistake. However, like many of us, Michelle doesn’t like to make a fuss, especially over perceived nothings.

How do we know when fuss is appropriate and warranted with burn injuries?

Minor burns will heal on their own within a couple of weeks, though they may require topical ointments to help control the pain. You can usually treat minor burns at home.

More severe burns pose the risk of infection and require medical attention. Second-degree burns can usually be treated on an outpatient basis, but recovery will benefit from expert involvement. Without attention, healing will be compromised.

Third and fourth-degree burns can cause complications like infection, blood loss, and nerve damage, and a person injured in this way may also drop into shock. Burns of this severity require immediate emergency attention.

A burn may require hospital care if:

• the burn is on your face, hands, feet, or covering a joint, and is larger than seven centimetres in diameter;
• the burn is electrical, chemical, or radiation;
• pus or other fluids are leaking from the burn;
• skin was burned away, or if the skin is missing;
• pain from the burn keeps getting worse; and
• the burn smells bad.

3. Treating the Burn.

Burn treatments vary with type, and treatment is either acute or ambulatory. Determining the type of treatment protocol needed is vital for a healthy and rapid recovery.

If the choice is an outpatient treatment protocol, follow-up is important to monitor for infection, slow healing, and proper wound care. Common complications when treating burns include slow healing, scar formation and contracture (a tightening of the skin).

Keep burns cool, clean, and covered. Never treat burns with ice: this can make the burn worse. Apply soothing creams like aloe vera to the burn to keep the skin protected and moist.

OTC medications can help with pain control when it comes to burns. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen can also help with swelling.

More serious burns may require debridement (cleaning of the wound), topical antibiotics, and protective dressings. Extreme burns can require surgical interventions.

Not seeking prompt medical attention is a bad idea, but there are some other things to avoid with burns as well:

• No ice. Cool compresses are fine and soothing, but ice will further damage already damaged and fragile tissue;
• No butter. This is a long-disproved urban myth.
• No heavy or scented moisturizer, and no creams before advised. Heavy creams and ointments can make deeper burns worsen, and fragrances should be kept away from injured tissue to avoid further irritation.
• Don’t break blisters or pull off torn or damaged skin. It’s tempting, but it will make things worse for the skin and open up a new avenue for infection. Burned skin is vulnerable to infection. Be gentle and protective.

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References.

When Is A Burn Serious Enough To Go To The Hospital?

Classification of Burns.

Ambulatory Management of Burns.

Friction Burn.

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