Pressure sores, hygromas or decubital ulcers are wounds that are caused when the bony part of the body such as the elbows, hocks or hips rest for an extended amount of time on a hard surface which restricts blood flow to that area resulting in dead tissue and/or calluses. Often this happens to dog who are seriously ill or injured and are confined for long periods of time.
Pressure sores can be seen in any breed of dog but large and giant dogs seem to be more at risk for developing them.
Pressure sores can often be difficult to treat and can lead to infection if they become deep and are not treated properly. The most common form of treatment is to relieve the pressure from the sore and provide the dog with a soft surface to lay on, such as a padded dog bed or blankets. Pressure sores should be kept clean and in some cases may need to have an antibiotic ointment applied. Pressure sores that form on a dog’s elbow or hock may need to be wrapped with a non-stick bandage to prevent infection and provide a cushion.
Leroy developed pressure sores when he was hospitalized for 4 days. They got worse when he came home because he was pushing off his hocks in order to stand to up.
With guidance from our veterinarian we’ve been able to get the pressure sore on his right hock to almost heal with applying triple antibiotic ointment and wrapping the area with vet wrap.
Keeping the pressure sores covered are a pain in the butt because they are located by a joint that bends constantly. Sometimes I get a good wrap to stay in position and sometimes I don’t.
Even though we’ve been doing the same treatment on the pressure sore on the left hock, it is not being as cooperative.
**GROSS ALERT PHOTO BELOW**
The good news is that the vet took a look at both pressure sores last week and neither are infected. The sore on the right hock is almost all callused over and closed up so we’ve been able to stop bandaging it.
The left pressure sore is not getting any better so we are taking a different approach and using a product called the Assisi Loop.
The Assisi Loop™ features tPEMF™ technology, (targeted pulsed electromagnetic field) which uses electrical currents to improve health and healing.
The simple law from physics allows currents to be induced in tissue from outside the body, without anything touching the skin! The magnetic fields can penetrate through bandages, casts and fur!
Are you guys as excited about this as I am?
No.
Just me?
Fine.
But I bet you can’t wait to see if it works or not!
Me too!
I started using the Assisi Loop on Leroy Sunday.
We are doing (3-4) 15 minute session a day since Leroy’s pressure sore is pretty bad and I will be sure to give you updates on how it’s going and I’ll also be explaining a lot more about what conditions the Assisi Loop™ can treat, such as arthritis, inflammation, pain management and post surgical healing.
I also will be talking a lot more about how the Assisi Loop works.
The Loop requires a prescription from your veterinarian which means I just can’t go and give one away.
**Leroy’s veterinarian did NOT initially prescribe the Assisi Loop. I was contacted by Assisi Animal Health to see if I would be interested in reviewing the Loop and then I took the prescription and information to Leroy’s vet and the prescription for the Loop was approved.
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Bailey says
November 19, 2014 at 7:01 amI am very interested in the updates. Keep us posted.
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:14 pmWill do. I can’t wait to do the updates:)
CATHY BENNETT says
November 19, 2014 at 10:25 amFascinating. Please keep us posted – I want to follow along with his progress.
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:15 pmIsn’t it fascinating? I will be sure to update!
Michelle says
November 19, 2014 at 11:05 amVery interested to see how well this works. That looks like a very deep wound….is that bone visible? I know that another dog I follow that has chronic pain issues uses the loop as well. I sure hope this works for Leroy.
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:17 pmI am also very interested Michelle:) It is not bone-more ulcerated tissue but it is deep. His other one on the other leg looked exactly the same but was able to heal.
jan says
November 19, 2014 at 12:46 pmI get a lot of great information from you before I need it. We’ll be following the progress of the loop.
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:17 pmThanks Jan!
Emma says
November 19, 2014 at 1:06 pmThat does look nasty! Hope it heals up finally!
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:22 pmThanks Emma! I hope so too!
Monika & Sam says
November 19, 2014 at 2:45 pmPaws are crossed that this does the trick. I like the technology and hope it helps ‘baby’ Leroy out. 🙂
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:21 pmThank you for the crossed paws!
Blueberry's human says
November 19, 2014 at 2:52 pmNote to self: if there is a gross warning, heed it; do not think to yourself that it is probably not that gross.
Hope the loop works! Looks very interesting!
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:18 pmLol. Sorry about that!
Diana Stoll says
November 19, 2014 at 4:32 pmPoor Leroy. Here’s hoping his sores are fully-healed soon.
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:19 pmThank you Diana 🙂
Jana says
November 19, 2014 at 8:34 pmBest of luck getting this heal. Jasmine came home from hospital with pressure sores also. Hers resolved once she’s got home and was resting on her cooling bed.
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:20 pmI was hoping that Leroy’s would get better when he was home also but we have been battling this one for months now despite other methods.
Gigi says
November 19, 2014 at 9:28 pmHugs to you and Leroy! I hope this new gizmo makes a big difference!
Jen says
November 19, 2014 at 11:21 pmThanks Gigi!
Sue says
November 20, 2014 at 6:43 amPoor Leory. As if there wasn’t already plenty to worry about Hope he continue to improve and looking forward to learning more about this treatment method.
Jen says
November 22, 2014 at 12:01 amI know, but we will eventually get to where he needs! Back to good health! 🙂
Nancy Krohn says
November 20, 2014 at 11:53 amIt is devastating to see the toll this health crisis has taken on Leroy! Do the doctors know why he continues to lose weight? I can’t imagine living through this nightmare with one of my beloved canine friends. My heart goes out to you for all that you do to try to help your friend!
Jen says
November 22, 2014 at 12:03 amAt this time they think he’s just not getting enough calories because his body is still trying to heal. Getting him to gain weight isn’t easy because his diet has to be low fat so we have to watch how we are adding the calories in.
Thank you for the kind words!
Mary E Haight (@dancingdogblog) says
November 20, 2014 at 11:01 pmOkay, first, ew and poor Leroy. Second, cool geeky Assisi Loop, Jen — I really look forward to the results 🙂
Jen says
November 22, 2014 at 12:05 amLol. Is it horrible that I could totally look at this type of sore on an animal all day and night and not be grossed out but if I saw it on a person I would pass out?!
I’m really looking forward to seeing how this works too Mary! Right now it’s looking pretty good 😉
Teri says
November 21, 2014 at 1:23 pmCan’t wait to hear more about this, and how it works for healing Leroy. One of my dogs has very bad arthritis in one back ankle area, and I am interested in this for him. Thank you for sharing.
Jen says
November 22, 2014 at 12:06 amI will be sure to share and update. I’m probably going to be using this on Sherman eventually. He has arthritis in his knee.
Jan K says
November 22, 2014 at 5:33 pmI am very interested in hearing more about this, and I sure hope it is working for Leroy!
I’m not good with science though, so please keep it simple? LOL
Mary @ Stale Cheerios says
November 23, 2014 at 11:55 pmPoop pup! That looks quite painful.
I’m glad to hear that one is healing nicely. I sure hope that you and your vet can find something that works for the other one.
Susan and the gang from Life with Dogs and Cats says
November 24, 2014 at 10:47 amReally interested in how this turns out. I’m very interested in how technology can help our pets. Will be following your story closely. Hope it works!
Wags (and purrs) from Life with Dogs and Cats.
Talent Hounds says
November 24, 2014 at 11:39 amOoh that does look bad. At least they are healing, and that’s great news. 🙂
Hawk aka BrownDog says
November 24, 2014 at 3:22 pmHi Y’all,
We used magnetic fields on our more arthritic performance horses back in the early 80’s. It wasn’t magic, but it did help. Don’t recall using it on raw sores.
Come on by now,
BrownDog’s Human