It was my second day at clinic today, although I could have gone on outreach due to many of the vets being ill. I arrived just in time to see a dog having a wound on its elbow cleaned and sutured. First it was given a local aesthetic and then the area was shaved using a blade - it would have been a lot quicker with a razor. The area was then scrapped clean using a scalpel to make the wound fresh and remove any dead or infected skin. Suturing occurred next in a broken pattern. It was sutured in two layers, one under the skin and one on the skin. Just before the suturing was complete an antibiotic - penstrip - was added under the skin to stop any infection. The area was then sprayed with antibiotic and iodine was added. In the dogs hind leg, it was given antibiotics and vitamins intramuscular. I was surprised to see that the dog was not given a collar to wear so there was nothing from stopping it licking the wound. In England, the dog would have been given a collar.
The dog with ear ache that I had seen previous in the week was brought back in for a check up. It was on a three day course of treatment and today was the last day. The ear looked much better and the vet was happy with how it was healing.
The day at the clinic was very slow as there were only two patients in the afternoon. One dog was coming in for an anti-rabies injection, whilst the other was a small puppy that appeared dead other than a slight breathe. I couldn't understand what the people were talking about as it was in twi (the local language of the Ashanti region), but a short while later the owner took the puppy away without any treatment. It is just like England in that the cost comes first before the treatment.
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