# Treating Burnt Skin



## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

*Treating Burned Skin*

There is a young dog, Calvin, we see at the dog park that was a rescue - adopted by his foster mother. Calvin had been used as target practice with a bb-gun, set on fire and then dumped at the Humane Society in the middle of the night. His recovery from his burns was slow and very painful. Despite such a horrifc past, he is still the happiest, cutest little guy - always smiling, loves everybody, loves to play.

The problem: He has a band of skin around his body (just behind the front legs), all of his belly and the back of his front legs where it appears the fur will not grow back (he's a little terrier mix). The skin is very leathery and occasionally sections of the skin become very scaly and then peel. His owner is looking for either a supplement to give him or an ointment to put directly on the skin. She tried fish oil capsules but he vomited them back up. I suggested she start slowly with the fish oil and work her way up to a full pill to see if he would tolerate that. My other suggestion was Vitamin E - either as a lotion or supplement. I didn't know if there was a limit to the amount of Vitamin E he should have? (He's probably about 15 pounds.)

I thought I'd throw this out there to all of you. With the combined knowledge and experience in this group there must be some ideas??? (I'll also ask Tess' dermatologist when I see him this week.)


----------



## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

That poor dog! I hope whoever did that to him was caught and punished!

Is Calvin still healing? I mean is this skin scabbed or has it been healed for awhile now?


----------



## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

No, they didn't catch whomever did this to him. Yes, the wounds are pretty well healed but are fairly recent - within the last 2 months. You can touch the skin without caushing any pain/discomfort. He was burnt over most of his body and some has grown back. Their vet said these areas will probably never grow hair - just a few tufts here and there. I'll try and take a picture of him the next time I'm at the park.


----------



## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Oh, how heartbreaking! Horrendous!! The people that do that to an innocent animal...well, there just are no words. And, you know, people are next on their list...

Check into "Bag Balm," sold at feed stores and even quilt shops. It comes in a green tin, originally used by dairy farmers on the milk cows' cracked, sore udders. The tin says "Bag Balm contains lanolin and stays on to provide moisturizing and softening. For pets, apply liberally to the affected area. This product contains no alcohol."

My mom uses it for her bad psoriasis, a neighbor is now using it for her dermatitis, and even quilters use it for sore and bleeding fingers. I use it when my skin gets real dry for whatever reason. Of course, I'm sure she should check with her vet first, but, Bag Balm is a great healing ointment. Very thick, stays on, doesn't stain, (otherwise quilters wouldn't dare use it.)

Here is their site I just found on line: http://www.bagbalm.com/


----------



## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*crazy people.*

My sister has a dog that was burned with battery acid as a puppy by some nut case. I'll ask her what she uses on Sam Bruce. She has to keep the area treated.

My sister rescues dogs that few would take. She had a three legged dal at one point, but she made his life good. She is sort of an angel in the dog world.


----------



## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Oh Jill, this makes me so sad. But happy that Calvin has landed with someone who is making him smile and taking him to the park to meet people like you and pups like Tess and Cody.

From my limited knowledge working with the nutritionist with my boys there is a limit to vitamin E- for my boys it is 200iu every day or 400iu every other day (18 and 22lbs) I might be cautious and start with 200 every other day on Calvin.

Also, She may want to check out Sea Pet Liquid fish oil. Our nutritionist says this is absolutely the best for dogs as it already has the appropriate amount of E to Fish oil Ratio all mixed in. We do not use it simply because I couldn't take the smell on the boys beards. But it was a lot easier than making them take a pill. I just put it in their food or let them lick it of a spoon. The Sea Pet Capsules do not have enough E to supplement just to preserve. This is the same for human fish oil capsules.

http://www.seapet.com/index.php?cPath=61_65

I know I can sound like a sales person for this woman. I am not. I just found her to be very helpful and the real deal. If ever there was a dog that could use some nutritional support it would be Calvin with all he has been through. If you want to pass this on, her name is Sabine [email protected] The web site is betterdogcare.com

Lastly, I wonder if one of those products for scar elimination would work that they advertise all the time for humans. Or what is it that pregnant women rub on their bellies to prevent stretch marks... Or I know, IOD has a royal jelly shampoo/conditioer that is supposed to regenerate hair growth... But not sure if it is scar tissue.

Thanks for sharing Calvin's story. What a happy survivor he is. Please keep us posted.

*Oh and I also have to say...I am so relieved that this thread was not about Cody or Tess!!!*


----------



## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

I would try to keep the skin moist. Bag balm sounds like a great idea. Because I also have Chinese Cresteds (nekkids), I know that some of the can be sensative to lanolin, so just be sure to keep an eye on his skin. I use Aveeno Daily Moisturizer on my nekkid girl, because it's also non-comedogenic. She should provide a good diet (I'm sure she does), regular bathing and moisturizing and it may take awhile but his skin should improve. It may never grow hair though if there is scarring or the hair folicles are damaged. 

Isn't it amazing how resiliant dogs can be? He went through such a terrifying ordeal and is still happy and loving. His mama found a real diamond in the rough!


----------



## Lunastar (Feb 9, 2009)

There is a special place in hell for the ones that did that to poor Calvin. 

I would say bag balm when he is indoors but he probably needs a sunscreen when outside. 

Just alittle tip for burns, if you put soy sauce on them right away there will be no blister and little pain.


----------



## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*Vitamin E Oil*

My sister uses vitamin E oil on Sammy's burned area on his back. It is kind of like rough leather, almost like elephant skin. He doesn't even care...he thinks he is a puppy and sucks on a blanket even though he is 120 lbs. In Sam Bruce's case he was injured and tossed before he was six weeks old. My sister nursed him back to health. That is the back woods of Alabama somewhere...


----------



## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Rikidaisy said:


> My sister uses vitamin E oil on Sammy's burned area on his back. It is kind of like rough leather, almost like elephant skin. He doesn't even care...he thinks he is a puppy and sucks on a blanket even though he is 120 lbs. In Sam Bruce's case he was injured and tossed before he was six weeks old. My sister nursed him back to health. That is the back woods of Alabama somewhere...


Calvin's skin is like rough leather also. Thanks to everyone, I'll pass on all of these suggestions, including Sabine's website. Calvin does have to wear a shirt or sunscreen when he's in the sun.

It's hard to imagine how any person could do something like this and even worse to imagine how many people there are out there that do things like this.


----------

