Whippet Skin Care & First Aid: How to Treat Cuts, Scrapes, and Irritations

Hey! You’re here because you own a whippet or another sighthound - which means you already know how thin and delicate their skin can be. With very little fur and hardly any fat for protection, even minor scrapes, scratches, or bites can become a real concern.

I've had a whippet (Seymour) for over 8 years now and I’ve experienced more than my fair share of “wish I had that on hand” moments. With fragile skin whippets tend to injure themselves doing things they love, like chasing squirrels or zooming through the underbrush!

Over the years, I’ve learned that being prepared with a well-stocked first aid kit can make all the difference in recovery. This blog shares the items I now keep in Seymour’s First Aid Kit - a collection built on real-life situations.

It goes without saying that I am not a vet nor can I give specialist advice on your whippets health but these are suggestions based on my real lived experience as a whippet owner.

Whats in Seymours First Aid Kit?

Here’s what I always keep on hand - many of these can be found at your local pharmacy, pet store, or vet (although the latter may be more expensive). If your whippet gets bitten by another animal you should seek veterinary support immediately as they'll need antibiotics.

• Hibi Scrub - This is the best thing to clean any wound with (human & dog). Dilute heavily in boiled water, leave to cool before use.
• Medical Grade Manuka Honey - great for small scrapes and scratches. Warning! Whippets love the taste of this stuff but it is safe to consume.
• Rescue Remedy - I took rescue remedy when I passed my driving test so I owe this little yellow bottle my freedom as a rural country kid. Rescue remedy now comes in pet form! I've given this to Seymour after high adrenaline situations and whilst he can't tell me for certain if it's made a difference or not I think it helped.
• Vet Salve - Made from Norwegian spruce, a natural resin that creates a waterproof barrier with healing properties. This was advised by my vet for pretty nasty wounds.
• Arnica - Arnica is homeopathic remedy with anti-inflammatory properties. It's brilliant at reducing swelling and bruising in both dogs and humans.
  
• Dressing for small wounds - These are the bees knees for covering a nasty scratch or scrape and keeping your whippet from licking!
• Cocounut oil - fantastic for cracked pawpads and totally safe for licking!

If you read my blogs or are signed up to my newsletter you'll know my whippet Seymour was attacked by another dog recently. He was very badly bitten on his side and we are very lucky none of his vital organs were punctured. Seymour has a heart condition so I didn't want to put him under for stitches and so we healed his wounds over the course of a few weeks / months using the above remedies (plus antibiotics, heavy pain killers and regular progress visits at our vets)

I had to keep Seymours wounds covered to stop him from licking and so I started to make him little crop tops. He wore these crop tops 24/7 on rotation under the instruction of our vets. This helped keep his wounds clean without the use of the dreaded cone of shame.

One day on our walk I realised that if Seymour had been wearing this crop top when the off lead dog appeared out of nowhere his vital organs would have been covered and the bites would possibly been less severe.

This lead me to design a new product for Occam - Seymours Safety Vest! Seymours Safety Vest was a lightbulb moment for me, it's multifunctional in so many ways. It's skin protection, its visibility, it's a UV barrier! You can shop Seymours Safety Vest here.

If you have any other helpful suggestions or remedies for whippets please pop them in the comments section below! We're always interested to hear your advice!