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Wounds

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Wound healing process

The wound process if divided into 4 stages.

1) in inflammation stage the body attempts to protect against the threats of the open wound: such as blood loss, access of foreign particels

2) in debridement stage the body attempts to clean dead tissue and foreign particles,

3) in repair stage, the body activates to repair the damage area,

4) in maturation stage, the body finalizes the repaired new tissue patch. The stage, location and severity of the wound has impact on its’ treatment, which is best evaluated by veterinarian.

The large fleeing animals such as horses, are prone to accidents. There are different kind of wounds. Stab, incision, bite and large wounds usually require a consult from veterinarian. A veterinarian should always be consulted if/when you are uncertain of the treatment. First aid in accidents is to stop the bleeding by compression. The wound should be cleaned thoroughly. Rinsing the wound with water is an efficient way in cleaning the external dirt from the wound.

Wounds are vulnerable to infections. The good wound management is based on keeping the wound clean, preventing infections and supporting the tissue regeneration. Disinfection and antimicrobic compounds are used in the prevention of infection. Povidone iodine, hexetidine, chlorhexetidine and ethanol based products are typical synthetic antimicrobic compounds, which destroy/kill wide range of various microbes. The side effect of these compounds is that they can cause skin irritation and inhibit the tissue regeneration. Ethanol based products usually cause stinging resulting animals to resist the treatment due to the discomfort. Tissue regeneration can be supported by providing moisture on the wound. Many natural compounds e.g. pure essential oils: lavender, mint, lemongrass, thyme, oregano and many others have antimicrobic properties.