Post by CampGreyhound on Oct 3, 2010 10:28:17 GMT -5
Your greyhound is found with a skin tear and it looks pretty nasty. Now what?
These skin tears are common enough that it's a good idea to learn how to care for them at home, especially if surgery is not an option at the present time, for whatever reason.
The first thing you need to do is flush that wound right out. Don't be afraid to do this; if you aren't getting stitches then you will be caring for this wound for the better part of 30 days, so you might as well try to get comfortable.
We've had the best success for an initial flush with sterile saline that has some iodine in it, or 1/2 3% hydrogen peroxide with 1/2 distilled water. Colloidal silver is also good, but whatever you use, pour it liberally over the area so you can be sure that you've gotten any dirt out.
If you have exposed tissue under the tear, it's a good idea to scrub the area 2 or 3x a day to help encourage granulation. We use gauze soaked in colloidal silver but you could also use sterile saline with iodine as well.
Covering the wound is sometimes necessary, but if your greyhound is cooperating, or is unable to reach it, leave it open to the air as much as possible, this will speed healing. If you have to cover it, you can clean it once or twice a day and scrub the underlying skin before re-dressing the wound.
With some tears, especially the bigger ones, we've found it useful to tack the skin together in spots with surgical glue so that you end up with 2 smaller holes rather than one large one. It's very important not to glue the wound shut, but just to use a dot of glue to hold the skin together and provide a covering of sorts while the wound heals. You must continue to flush the wound even when it's tacked, or you can get a nasty infection. Some or all of the tacked skin may yet fall off, but as the wound starts to granulate it will be easier to deal with.
Another tip, from a vet, suggests putting preparation H on the wound to help pull the sides of the wound in and shrink the size of the hole.
There is also a product called Dermagel which really helps wounds to granulate; but you must be sure the wound is finished draining before using it, or you can get an abscess. An abscess is not the end of the world, and can also be dealt with at home, but it will extend the time you are spending dealing with the wound.
We use colloidal silver in a syringe to flush wounds.
You will find this process pretty straight forward and effective; we don't do stitches with our pack any more at all, we treat all cuts and lacerations at home.
Properly taken care of, there is no risk of infection hence no need for antibiotics - colloidal silver is much more effective at eliminating bacteria, and actually has healing properties as well. You'll see a lot less scar tissue as well if you use CS. This method also works for bite wounds, so long as there is no underlying damage to muscles or organs.
Always stay alert for any swelling or odor, this would indicate infection, which means you've not been thorough enough.
As the wound starts to granulate and close up, you can switch to spraying the wound with colloidal silver rather than flushing it.
There are several homeopathic remedies that work well to heal skin tears, in conjunction with the above process. Having a Homeopathic First Aid Kit handy will be a big support. We carry one in our webstore, and they are available online in many webstores. Remedies to consider would be: Arnica (usually used first to help deal with any shock, bleeding, or trauma) and after the initial dose or two, depending on the nature of the wound and the symptom picture you might use Ledum, Hypericum, or Calendula.
These skin tears are common enough that it's a good idea to learn how to care for them at home, especially if surgery is not an option at the present time, for whatever reason.
The first thing you need to do is flush that wound right out. Don't be afraid to do this; if you aren't getting stitches then you will be caring for this wound for the better part of 30 days, so you might as well try to get comfortable.
We've had the best success for an initial flush with sterile saline that has some iodine in it, or 1/2 3% hydrogen peroxide with 1/2 distilled water. Colloidal silver is also good, but whatever you use, pour it liberally over the area so you can be sure that you've gotten any dirt out.
If you have exposed tissue under the tear, it's a good idea to scrub the area 2 or 3x a day to help encourage granulation. We use gauze soaked in colloidal silver but you could also use sterile saline with iodine as well.
Covering the wound is sometimes necessary, but if your greyhound is cooperating, or is unable to reach it, leave it open to the air as much as possible, this will speed healing. If you have to cover it, you can clean it once or twice a day and scrub the underlying skin before re-dressing the wound.
With some tears, especially the bigger ones, we've found it useful to tack the skin together in spots with surgical glue so that you end up with 2 smaller holes rather than one large one. It's very important not to glue the wound shut, but just to use a dot of glue to hold the skin together and provide a covering of sorts while the wound heals. You must continue to flush the wound even when it's tacked, or you can get a nasty infection. Some or all of the tacked skin may yet fall off, but as the wound starts to granulate it will be easier to deal with.
Another tip, from a vet, suggests putting preparation H on the wound to help pull the sides of the wound in and shrink the size of the hole.
There is also a product called Dermagel which really helps wounds to granulate; but you must be sure the wound is finished draining before using it, or you can get an abscess. An abscess is not the end of the world, and can also be dealt with at home, but it will extend the time you are spending dealing with the wound.
We use colloidal silver in a syringe to flush wounds.
You will find this process pretty straight forward and effective; we don't do stitches with our pack any more at all, we treat all cuts and lacerations at home.
Properly taken care of, there is no risk of infection hence no need for antibiotics - colloidal silver is much more effective at eliminating bacteria, and actually has healing properties as well. You'll see a lot less scar tissue as well if you use CS. This method also works for bite wounds, so long as there is no underlying damage to muscles or organs.
Always stay alert for any swelling or odor, this would indicate infection, which means you've not been thorough enough.
As the wound starts to granulate and close up, you can switch to spraying the wound with colloidal silver rather than flushing it.
There are several homeopathic remedies that work well to heal skin tears, in conjunction with the above process. Having a Homeopathic First Aid Kit handy will be a big support. We carry one in our webstore, and they are available online in many webstores. Remedies to consider would be: Arnica (usually used first to help deal with any shock, bleeding, or trauma) and after the initial dose or two, depending on the nature of the wound and the symptom picture you might use Ledum, Hypericum, or Calendula.