Disclaimer: No affiliate links are accompanied with the links in this article. We have no affiliation with any of these products. This is an unbiased opinion of our own journey of what to do when dogs lick their wounds or stiches. We are not vets, nor do we have the experience of such. Please consult your veterinarian about these products before applying. Each dog is unique and needs personalized attention and your best judgement on how to carry out their needs. ​

​You might get lucky and have one of those dogs that doesn’t like spicy or bitter tastes. If putting a collar on your dog isn’t an option, it might be best to apply a suitable cream or spray to the incision.
 
If you have a dog like Thor though, he loves spicy, and no bitter taste is going to slow him down from licking anything.
 
But the bitter taste of the cream might discourage your pup from licking and worth a try. There are many products available at your nearest grocery store that you can choose from. Common ones include Bitter Apple, Bitter Orange, and many others. We’ve used Bactine spray and Corona cream with some success. But if you look at Amazon reviews, you’ll see just as many people were unsuccessful with Bitter Apple because their dogs were driven to chew.
 
NOTE: If you’ve got a pup that won’t stop chewing, check that they aren’t teething. A vet check and $10 prescription might be the solution to that problem.
 
 
I can’t recommend putting spices like pepper or paprika to an open wound because even when applied near an incision spices burn.

​This doughnut-shaped ProCollar is one of the best alternatives to a cone. Thor found the most comfort with the inflatable core and soft, fuzzy material. But it only took one day before our lug head punctured the inflatable doughnut.
 
He also could not get in our large dog door and still found navigating our home difficult.
 
If your dog lives outside this might be a solution but be wary on what he’ll do to get rid of it. Fences, playing with other dogs, and sharp objects will permanently render this version useless.
 
But there is a fix!
 
Using the foam core version of the ProCollar prevented Thor from damaging the collar, and it is not too heavy. He snored quite loudly while sleeping in it which tells me he was uncomfortable snoozing with it on.  Because he scratches and licks in his sleep, it was inevitable he would tear out his stitches without it. Plus, we couldn’t trust him at night not to chew himself a new hole in his thigh.
 
Unfortunately, Thor trying to get through the dog door with this on was like putting a round sphere in a rectangle hole. Still, though it’s hard to find, it’s one of the ones I’d recommend.

​We did not get the opportunity to try the lightweight Soft-E-Collar (Thor was healed by that time despite his best efforts). But my reservation was it works much like an Elizabethan Collar by tying the base to Thor’s neck and using his collar to keep it in place. Again, a different version of something that didn’t work for us to begin with won’t help. But I’m willing to be proven wrong! Change my mind!
 
The Soft-E-Collar would be great for a dog that doesn’t vehemently try to remove his stitches and destroy anything that gets in his way.

​We showed Mark the Suitical Dog Suit but ultimately decided that Thor would flip the side up or chew through the cloth to get to his incision. So, while we don’t have practical experience with this solution, we thought about it.
 
Why was it a no go?
 
A thin skinned or short haired dog would be okay in this, but I don’t want my pups to over-heat.
 
We have short to long haired pooches that love cold weather in our house, and putting this on during Summer would be a no. Dogs do suffer from heat stroke and anything above a Chihuahua might be uncomfortable in warm weather.
 
But I’m seriously considering it as a light pullover for our mixed-breed ankle-biter who shivers at the mere mention of Fall.   

​Lastly, I suggest the BiteNot collar which resembles a thick necklace. While Thor’s neck is ginormous and wrapping the thin, foam rubber padding is like trying to put a sumo-wrestler in a tight dress, the Velcro fastener and nylon strap wrap around most dog’s shoulders and armpits.
 
Lucky here (our model for the BiteNot) doesn’t have a problem with it at all.
 
It effectively prevents your dog from folding himself in half to chew or scratch on himself. Plus, Lucky can get through the dog door with no problems. Of course, he tries to get the collar off, like ya do, but to no avail! So, this one has been tried, tested, and undefeated.  

This popped up in my feed one day and I thought… for $3 it’s worth a try! Plus, the model looks like Charlie, Carol's devoted German Short Hair. It’s cut pool noodles with a buckled strap. Hence, another ingenious invention due to the pool noodle! Hazzah! 

Meet Marcus. He’s complicated. Seriously complicated.

You see, once upon a time, a mage named Asmara fought again a demon called Tiecus, who wanted to possess his very own wizard. They fought. It was endless… and exhausting… particularly for the mage. The demon just went to sleep whenever he was tired.

So, at some point, Asmara decided to create a peacemaker of sorts. A creature that could contain both he and the demon and create a wall of control between them. Thus, Marcus was born and enveloped them both… making a triad. Get it?

Marcus isn’t human. He can pass for a rugged man when he pulls his slouchy hat down over his pointed ears, lets his dark hair help hide them, and keeps his glowing eyes and fang-like teeth under control. But then, the claws are a problem. Instead of fingers, he has exceptionally large… well, claws.

He stands about six-foot-five, maybe a scosche taller. He’s large and broad. Lots of muscles. His body is covered in tattoos. Each time he makes an agreement, with anyone, it inscribes itself on his body.

In his own strange way, he is handsome.

Because he contains a demon, he must feed it. And “it” drinks blood, of course. Its preference is human nectar. So, Marcus has that vampire thing going on… sort of. Except he doesn’t go to ground during the day, and he likes regular food, as does Asmara, the mage.

At times, he lets either Asmara or Tiecus come to the forefront and appear in their own forms. He does this at appropriate times when he can manage to control them. At other times, one or the other just forces their way “out” into the world, and Marcus falls to the inside.

Marcus has a temper (often fueled by Tiecus), and he is used to getting his way, often just taking what he wants. He can be arrogant (often fueled by Asmara). The object of his affection, Platt, has intrigued him from their first encounter, and he is jealous of anyone else who would possess her.

Yes… this is a story of a beauty and a beast… but this time, we can see the beast’s perspective.

Triad – The Demon of Reginhart is an unexpected paranormal romance set in the 13th Century. Join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pennscripter or consider joining our Newsletter as our story unfolds.

​The short of it is simply Penn Scripter is the mother-daughter writing team of unexpected paranormal romance.

Every good reader does. So, the long of it is Stephanie (S.N. McKibben) is a third-generation writer and author who studied under such luminaries as Les Egerton, Jane Friedman, and John Truby, and began Troll River Publishing, a boutique, service-oriented firm, in 2012. She built it to house first-time writers who have become prolific published authors, including Kris Michaels, Elizabeth SaFleur, C.M. Moore, Toya Richardson, Rachel DeLune, and yes, her mother, Carol McKibben.
​
After kicking off the careers of numerous authors, and publishing her own novels and short stories revolving around social taboos not for the weak of heart, after both short stories and novels under her belt, she looked around, and like Peggy Lee’s famous song, said, “Is that all there is?”

Her mother, Carol McKibben, had authored over a dozen paranormal fantasies, with two more in the editing process. Her books include award-winning Luke’s Tale – A Story of Unconditional Love; among others, some of which are surprising love stories.
​
Being intimately involved in the publishing of Carol’s books, both mother and daughter asked, Why not form a writing partnership to combine our areas of expertise? 

Stephanie would bring the romance, Carol the unexpected. They’d devote themselves to writing unexpected paranormal romance books together.

So, the two authors have combined their talents and interests to produce unexpected paranormal romance that will include fantasy, mythology, paranormal, dogs and horses, relationships, unusual circumstances, and, of course, romance.

Current projects from these two paranormal romance authors include a fantasy novel entitled, Triad: The Demon of Reginhart, coming this winter, and a contemporary paranormal romance, The Transformation of Charlie, available in 2021.