Emergency of the Week – Poor Little Gnocchi Got Stuck in a Fence!

Gnocchi came to Mountainside after getting her head stuck in a fence. She presented with a large wound on her left side behind her ear, as well as numerous smaller wounds and superficial grazes over her head and muzzle.

As Gnocchi’s wounds were quite painful, she was sedated in order for the veterinarian to complete a more thorough examination of the area.

The wound behind Gnocchi’s ear was approximately 4.5 centimetres long and the area was found to have subcutaneous emphysema.

Subcutaneous emphysema occurs sometimes when an animal suffers some type of trauma and an air pocket develops between the skin layer and the subcutaneous tissue below. She also had two puncture wounds on the top of her head, and one on the left side of her neck, and many superficial scratches on her muzzle.

Her left eye was found to be quite swollen, but luckily, Gnocchi’s eye did not have any significant damage.

While under sedation, Gnocchi’s wounds were clipped, and cleaned with chlorhexidine. The wounds were then flushed with sterile saline. The large wound behind her ear was locally anesthetized with lidocaine due to its size and depth.

The large wounds were then sutured closed, and the superficial grazes on the muzzle were cleaned with a sterile solution.

Gnocchi stayed at the hospital overnight where she recovered well from sedation. She was able to go home the next morning with sedatives, pain relief, antibiotics, and antibiotic eye drops.

Two weeks later her sutures were removed by her family veterinarian and she is doing great!