When is Wound Care Right?
Take urgent action if your dog is bleeding, or has an open cut or puncture wound. Stopping the bleeding, cleaning, and then dressing the wound to avoid infection are absolute priorities. If there is heavy bleeding, take your dog to the vet.
For first aid and recovering wounds, keep a dog first aid kit and bandages to hand.
Once a wound is healing, or after surgery, wound protection covers keep the wound site clean and stop the dog from licking or gnawing at it.
For musculoskeletal injuries, cold compression bandages provide comfort and reduce swelling and are good as part of your first aid kit. PEMF and LED Light Therapy stimulate cellular repair and speed up wound healing.
How Will Wound Care Help?
A first aid kit will help you manage an emergency if your dog has cut or punctured themselves and there’s bleeding. You’ll be able to rinse out the wound, use the bandages to slow or halt the bleeding and then dress the wound to keep it clean.
Apart from wound care, cohesive bandages can also be used to give a dog’s joints some light support or protect paws.
Medical protection covers give you peace of mind that your dog can’t gnaw at healing scabs or stitches, and that the area is being kept clean. The covers allow your dog to move freely. Advised for dogs who find Elizabethan collars challenging.
PEMF and Light Therapy both reduce healing time and pain significantly.
How to Pick Wound Care for Your Dog?
Having a properly equipped first aid kit is best practice. Some owners have one in their car and one in their home. If your dog has a wound or injury that needs dressing, self adhesive cohesive bandages that stick to themselves, are convenient for securing the dressing. There are also versions that are anti-lick, good for deterring those dogs who won’t stop chewing.
Dog medical protection covers are available for front or rear legs. If you know your dog is having surgery, eg arthrodesis or TPLO, it’s recommended to get one in advance of their return from the vet’s.
For dogs who are athletic or enter agility competitions, it’s advisable to have these self adhesive cold compression bandages to hand in case of a muscle, tendon or ligament strain. They can be torn so you have the length you need, and the rest re-sealed and kept fresh in the packet.
Read more about Wound Care first aid