I was bit by a dog to the bone on my finger, and the doc only used 4 stitches, saying that the deep cuts have to heal from the inside out and it's best to leave it a little "open" to heal...
To the OP:
That's alot of stitches... Take care of it...
The last time I had stitches in my finger, the doctor (a different one) told me to keep it as clean and dry as possible. I wore a rubber glove on it to keep it clean and dry when doing chores; ie. shower, dishes, driving...
So later that night, a cop pulls me over accusing me of not stopping completely at a stop sign (I'm pretty sure that I did.), then asked why I had the glove on. I told him that I just got stitches and the doc told me to keep it clean and dry, then offered to show it to him... He declined.... #-o (and let me go with a warning... - in case you wondered how that turned out...)