Wound care for dogs and cats
Wound care for dogs and cats
When your dog or cat has a wound, this means that the continuity of the tissue has been broken. Most minor wounds do not need to be treated by a veterinarian. These are superficial wounds. You can treat them yourself; you can find a step-by-step guide in our article: applying a bandage to dogs. If the wound is open and deep, you will need to consult a veterinarian.
Treating superficial wounds
When your dog or cat has a small, shallow wound or abrasion, cleaning the wound is sufficient. This can be done twice a day with a disinfecting and skin-care solution, ointment, or spray.
Treating open wounds
If your dog has a larger or deeper wound, you must contact the veterinarian. Do not touch the wound until you are sure whether or not it needs to be stitched. You can cover the wound with a sterile gauze dressing and go to the veterinarian. If necessary, a bandage can also be applied. If the wound is bleeding heavily, apply a pressure bandage using a cotton gauze roll. There are two types of bleeding. Venous bleeding can be recognized by a steady flow of dark red blood (this is not life-threatening). Bright red blood spurting intermittently indicates that an artery has been hit; you must act immediately. It is important to make a tourniquet above the wound using, for example, a tie. Tourniquets may only remain in place for a limited time. After approximately 10 minutes, loosen the tourniquet slightly so that blood can flow through again and prevent tissue from dying.
After treatment by the veterinarian, a protective bandage may be applied, which must be replaced every three days. If the wound is old (6 to 8 hours), or tissue has been lost or the wound is infected, it cannot be closed immediately.
Your dog or cat must not lick the wound ‘clean’, as this often causes further damage. A collar or bandage can prevent this.
