A degloving injury is a wound where the skin is torn away from the tissue below it, the way a glove is pulled off a hand. Wound specialists class it as a kind of avulsion: tissue is ripped from the point where it was attached, and on a leg this often strips the skin off like a sleeve [1]. It is a serious injury, most often from being hit by a car or attacked by another animal, and it can leave deep tissue exposed [2][3].
A degloving injury is an emergency. Take your pet to a vet or an emergency clinic straight away.
For smaller wounds, see minor wound care for dogs and cats.
How it happens
These wounds come from a shearing force. Shear force means the skin is dragged one way while the body underneath moves another, for example when a paw is caught under a turning wheel. In a long review of dogs with shearing wounds of the legs, most of the injuries came from an encounter with a car, and most were on the lower part of the limbs [3]. In a newer study of dogs with degloving of the chest or belly, the causes were car accidents and attacks by other animals [2].
What it looks like
In an open degloving wound, skin is missing and some of the deeper tissue may be gone too. In the review of leg wounds, every dog had tissue under the skin exposed, and in many of them bone or a joint showed through as well [3].
Sometimes the skin is still in place but has come loose from the layer below. Vets call this a physiologic or closed degloving injury. The skin and the fat under it are pulled off the deep fascia, which is the tough layer of tissue over the muscles, and fluid and dead fat can collect in the pocket that forms [4]. A wound like this can look less severe at first. Skin whose blood supply has been damaged can die over the following days, so the wound may look worse before it looks better [5].
First aid on the way to the vet
Keep yourself safe first. A pet in pain may bite, even one that is normally gentle, so handle it calmly and carefully.
For bleeding, the first steps are to press on the wound to slow the bleeding and to cover it with a clean, dry bandage, which also keeps dirt out [1]. If blood comes through, keep the pressure on and add more padding on top rather than removing the first layer.
Then go to the vet. Leave the cleaning of the wound to your vet.
How vets treat it
Your vet will first make sure your pet is stable. Many pets with these wounds have other injuries as well, and some need intensive hospital care [2].
- Removing dead tissue: vets clean the wound and cut away dead or badly damaged tissue. This is called debridement [1][3]. Because it is not always clear at first which skin will live, this may need to be repeated as the wound changes [5].
- Infection: infection is a real risk, and in one study some of the bacteria found in these wounds were resistant to several common medicines [2]. Your vet decides which medicines your pet needs.
- Open wound care: the vet chooses between closing the wound with stitches and letting it heal on its own, based on its size, how dirty it is and how it happened [1]. Many of these wounds are left partly or fully open and managed with bandages for some time [2][3]. For why vets close some wounds and leave others open, see stitched or left open wounds.
- Surgery: some wounds need surgery, and skin flaps or grafts can be used to cover areas where skin is missing [1].
At home, as directed by a vet:
- keep the bandage clean and dry, and care for it only in the way your vet shows you;
- before your pet comes home, ask your vet to show you exactly what you need to do, and whether you should change any bandage yourself;
- go back for every bandage change and recheck. In the review of leg wounds, dogs went back for several rechecks after leaving the hospital [3].
Outlook
This is a severe injury. In the review of dogs with leg shearing wounds, most healed well and were normal or close to normal afterwards [3]. In the smaller study of dogs with physiologic degloving of the body, about one dog in three did not survive, but the dogs that did survive generally did well [2]. Your vet can tell you what to expect for your pet.
These are statements about groups of animals. They cannot predict how one pet will do. Your vet can explain what this means for your pet.
When to see your vet
See your vet straight away if your dog or cat:
- has skin torn away or hanging loose [1];
- has been hit by a car, run over, crushed or attacked by another animal, even if the wound looks small [2][3][4];
- is bleeding and the bandage soaks through [1].
FAQ
Why did my vet say more skin may die?
Skin that has lost its blood supply can die in the days after the injury [5]. That is why dead tissue may need to be removed more than once [3][5].
Will my pet need surgery?
Your vet will decide. Some wounds need surgery, such as skin flaps or grafts, and most need removal of dead tissue [1][3].
Can I clean the wound at home first?
Leave that to your vet. The first steps are pressure to slow bleeding and a clean, dry bandage [1]; then go to the vet.
The bottom line
A degloving injury is a severe wound in which skin is torn off or pulled loose from the tissue below, often after a car accident or an animal attack. It is an emergency. Keep yourself safe, press on any bleeding, cover the wound with a clean bandage and go to a vet. Some skin may die later, so vets may need to remove dead tissue more than once, guard against infection and manage the wound with repeated bandage changes or surgery.
This article is for general information only and does not replace advice from your veterinarian. If your pet has a serious wound, go to a vet or an emergency clinic straight away.
Sources
- Santos JKVRS, Costa EDS, Fernandes CCL, et al. Integrative Therapies in Wound Healing in Small Animals: An Approach Beyond Traditional Medicine. Veterinary Sciences. 2026;13(5):418. Open access, CC BY. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13050418
- Beard MC, Cooper L, Grimes JA, et al. High rates of morbidity and mortality in dogs with physiologic degloving injuries. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 2026;264(10):1-9. PubMed abstract. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42269667/
- Beardsley SL, Schrader SC. Treatment of dogs with wounds of the limbs caused by shearing forces: 98 cases (1975-1993). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 1995;207(8):1071-1075. PubMed abstract. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7559049/
- McGhie JA, Gibson ID, Herndon AM. Morel-Lavallée lesions: a phenomenon in cats? Case report and review of the literature. JFMS Open Reports. 2018;4(1):2055116918774469. PubMed abstract. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29854414/
- Rodríguez-Aguilar SE, Ocampo-López J, Hernández-Aco RS, et al. Multimodal Management of a Large Postsurgical Wound Secondary to Nodulectomy in a Dog. Case Reports in Veterinary Medicine. 2026;2026:6722904. Open access, CC BY. https://doi.org/10.1155/crve/6722904