I took Layla to daycare today because she hadn't gotten enough exercise the last couple days and I wanted to give her a day to romp and play and tire herself out. This was the third time we have taken her to the daycare facility I chose. The previous two times there were no issues.

Today my husband picked her up and called me while I was at work because apparently the daycare staff told him Layla had been playing with a teething puppy that apparently lost some teeth because Layla has blood on her (some on a front leg and some on a back leg) that did not come from an injury. But, when my husband took Layla to the car he noticed she has a small puncture wound on her snout by her nose and another on her upper lip. He wondered if Layla may have gotten into a fight but since the daycare staff didn't specifically say that and knowing how sharp puppy teeth can be, I tried to reassure him by saying the puppy probably didn't know what it was doing and happened to nip Layla on the nose when they were playing a little rough and accidentally broke skin with its razor puppy teeth. Of course, my husband is distrusting in general and gave me the impression he thought the daycare staff was lying to him or keeping from him that there was a fight, but that's another issue ...

When I got home I took a look and snapped a few pictures. The puncture wound above her nose I'm not really worried about because it's so small. It's the one directly below her left nostril that looks a little swollen and is a little larger that concerns me. Behaviorally everything is normal and she's just exhausted from playing all day.

I tried putting a dab of Neosporin on the marks but of course she licked it off. My biggest concern at this point is the wounds becoming infected. I'm leaning toward holding off on taking her to the vet unless it gets worse, but looking at the pictures, I'd love your input. Also, if it does start to become infected, what signs/symptoms should I be looking for that do warrant a vet visit?

Small mark on snout above her nose


Slightly larger mark on her upper lip


Thanks as always, everyone!

Not much input on the daycare, it depends on how you two feel about them. Maybe ask which dog it was that was supposedly teething? I don't know if daycare places normally give that info. If the husband was sensing something, might be better to take a look at some other places.
As for the nose bites, something I'm unfortunately pretty familiar with, just clean it a few times a day with some warm (not hot) water. If it gets pussy or swollen, take her to the vet to get some antibiotics, otherwise no need. If you do, might see if you can get them to pay? Not sure what your contract/release/whatever was when you started daycare. She'll be fine

I'm not too worried about the daycare itself or about getting anyone to pay. Besides, I'm pretty certain our contract with the daycare holds them not responsible for anything that happens there. I'm certain Layla and the teething puppy were playing a little rough and the puppy's razor teeth happened to get her in an area where she doesn't have thick fur. From the looks of the bite marks it does not look to me like the result of a fight. My husband's the one who may think they were lying to him and/or hiding something, but he tends to think those kinds of things about people in general and neither he nor I were there and I really don't think the staff has any reason to hide anything from us so I really don't think that's it.

The blood elsewhere on Layla's body is also evidence that the puppy was teething, as it probably lost a tooth or two. That happened to Layla once at the dog park when she was five months old: She was playing and lost a tooth and a little blood came from her mouth onto the ground.

My biggest concern is the look of the bite marks and whether they look serious enough to take her to the vet now or when to take her if they start to get worse. Sounds like you're saying it's probably not a big deal, which is good to hear. She's sleeping now so I did get some antibiotic ointment on her without her licking it off, and tomorrow morning I'll gently dab the area with a warm cloth.

Ahh ok, as long as you're not worried about them.

I worried a lot the first couple times Korra got snapped on the nose, but they're just like kids-if they play and get nicked up a little it's not a big deal. I'm sure it's not slowing Layla down a bit

If diluted with water you could clean it with some hydrogen peroxide help prevent infection. And make an effort to keep it clean and I wouldn't worry to much. I know the daycare I work for always tells the owners if something happens because its better than them finding out on there own but you are right if they were just playing and the puppy took it to far they could have easily missed it. Sadie got a few little scrapes and scratches when Simon was teething and they were all on her neck and cheeks and after a few days it was difficult to find them. As long as it stays clean and she doesn't mess with it I don't see her having any issues.

I'm glad you responded, Elise, since you work at a daycare. I'm certain Layla's daycare is being honest with us, and truthfully the marks on her are so hard to notice I'm sure they just missed it. Now, convincing my husband of this is another challenge unto itself ...   but thanks for the reassurance!

capellalayla wrote:

I'm glad you responded, Elise, since you work at a daycare. I'm certain Layla's daycare is being honest with us, and truthfully the marks on her are so hard to notice I'm sure they just missed it. Now, convincing my husband of this is another challenge unto itself ...   but thanks for the reassurance!

Aahhh...another distrustful husband to think the worst of things. Makes life interesting, doesn't it  

amymeme wrote:

capellalayla wrote:

I'm glad you responded, Elise, since you work at a daycare. I'm certain Layla's daycare is being honest with us, and truthfully the marks on her are so hard to notice I'm sure they just missed it. Now, convincing my husband of this is another challenge unto itself ...   but thanks for the reassurance!

Aahhh...another distrustful husband to think the worst of things.  Makes life interesting, doesn't it  

Haha, you bet. Sometimes more interesting than I'd like ...