Many minor wounds such as cuts and grazes can be managed at home, but it is important to keep these wounds clean to avoid potential infection. Wounds can be effectively cleaned with salt water \u2013 you must first boil the water before leaving it to cool. 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 pint of water is plenty and is safe to use in all species.<\/p>\n
Cotton wool can stick to wounds, so we recommend using a clean towel, thick kitchen towel or cotton pads instead.<\/p>\n
Clean the wound from the centre outwards. A new piece of kitchen towel or a new cotton pad should be used each time. This avoids dipping contaminated material into the salt water solution. Keep cleaning the wound until all dirt and debris has been removed. Do not clean so vigorously as to irritate the surrounding skin.<\/p>\n
You may need to trim some of the surrounding hair. The safest way to do this is by using hair clippers, but a razor can be used in the absence of this. Scissors should only be used with the utmost care and can potentially cause further injury. However, they may be used on long strands of hair that are contaminating the wound.<\/p>\n
If you have disposable gloves to use, it is recommended that you wear them if treating a pet\u2019s wound at home. If these aren\u2019t available, you should wash your hands thoroughly before and after treating the wound, and take extra care not to touch the wound itself.<\/p>\n
You should try to prevent your pet from licking the wound. A buster collar is ideal, if you have one available. T-shirts and baby-grows can also be effective barriers against persistent lickers!<\/p>\n
Dressings and bandages can be placed if appropriate. Full limb dressings should not be placed unless you have been shown how to do this by someone experienced. Damage can be caused to the limb if bandages are placed too tightly or incorrectly. Monitor the area around the dressing or bandage for any swelling. The dressing should be removed if swelling occurs or the pet is distressed, and veterinary advice should be sought.<\/p>\n
Animals living on bedding such as woodchips or sand should instead be housed on a substrate such as newspaper or fresh towels, until the wound has healed. This is to stop further contamination of the wound.<\/p>\n
Tips for treating minor wounds, such as cuts and grazes, at home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[139,154,201,193,167,189,173,194,138,195,155,191],"tags":[274,265,268,270,269,271,272,273,275],"class_list":["post-5770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birds","category-cats","category-dogs","category-ferrets","category-first-aid-at-home","category-guinea-pigs","category-injuries","category-rabbits","category-reptilesandamphibians","category-rodents","category-smallmammals","category-tortoises","tag-bandage","tag-buster-collar","tag-cuts","tag-dressings","tag-grazes","tag-infection","tag-saline","tag-salt-water","tag-swelling"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t