Happy Pets

Wounds are injuries which disrupt or destroy tissues, usually the skin. Severe wounds may also affect underlying structures such as bones or internal organs and gun shot wounds, in particular, can cause massive damage to adjacent structures.

Wounds vary enormously, from small and superficial to extensive and deep, and can sometimes be very deceptive in appearance. For example, bite puncture wounds are often much more serious than large but superficial skin tears, yet a puncture wound may be so small as to be hardly noticeable on the cat’s hairy body. Initial impressions might be that the gaping shallow skin wound is the worse injury, it certainly looks more dramatic. However it is often the small but deep bite injury, combined with the crushing effect on surrounding tissue that causes the most pain and carries most risk of serious complications. (more…)

In a case of serious accident, when professional attention is urgently required, do not stop to clean up a wound, unless a piece of glass or other object is easily removed, but concentrate instead on stemming bleeding. Scratches and minor lacerations should be cleaned with a salt solution or dilute hydrogen peroxide, never with strong antiseptics made for humans; they could irritate the tissues and actually delay healing and may interfere with any antibiotics. If you can get a wound treated by the vet within a day it is probably better not to cover it.

Bleeding

Pressure directly on a wound, either with the hand or using a pad of cloth, will help stem bleeding. On a limb the wound could be covered with a layer of lint or gauze, then a pad of cotton wool, and tightly bandaged from the foot upwards. (more…)