Greenbriar Animal Hospital

If your pet has a wound or major surgical incision, it will need special care. You may need to deal with bloody drainage, compresses, oral medications, and more, as well as repeated follow-up hospital visits. Always make sure you are following your veterinarian’s specific directions for your pet. Take into consideration that your pet is painful and may not react like he/she usually does! Go slowly and carefully, especially at first.

Major tips for caring for a wound or major surgical incision:

Your pet should be confined in an easily cleaned area (there may be bloody drainage) for at least the first few days. This helps with cleanup and also limits the exposure of other pets and humans to potential infections.

You may be told to clean the area daily with hydrogen peroxide or other disinfectant solution. Wear gloves! Unless you are told to do this by your veterinarian, check with them before proceeding! Soak paper towels or cotton with peroxide, then gently blot the area dry with paper towel. If peroxide drips, or your pet rubs against anything when wet, it will bleach anything! Carefully discard any material left from cleaning your pet’s wounds.

Most pets with wounds and surgical incisions will really benefit from warm compresses twice daily for 3 to 5 days. Exceptions: pet who won’t hold still for this, and the pet who may injure you if you do this! Always wear gloves. Put hot tap water in a bowl (it should be uncomfortable for you to leave your hand in it for 10 seconds). Use a washcloth or several paper towels, and soak them in the hot water. Using gentle pressure, hold the warm compress over the area; it should just contact the skin. When the compress cools, put it back in the bowl to renew the heat, and repeat. Do compresses for about 5 minutes at a time. When you are done, gently rub off any scabs and any drainage on the skin IF directed to by your veterinarian. If you are applying a topical medication, this is the time to do so (again, only if told to do so by your veterinarian). Carefully discard any materials used in compressing your pet’s wounds, and disinfect the container you use with very hot soapy water each time.

Miscellaneous tips for wound and/or major surgical incision care:

After cleaning and/or compressing, applying Neosporin-type (over the counter) antibiotic ointment may be helpful, especially at and around any sutures and/or surgical drain openings. However, some pets need prescription ointment while others need a water-soluble solution applied, or nothing at all. Don’t use anything topical without your veterinarian’s specific directions to do so. In general, always use ointment rather than cream or gel (ointment is protective as well as getting absorbed into the skin).

If your pet has anything covering the damaged area, please take special care to be sure the bandaging stays in place and is not damaged or removed by your pet (if this happens, let your veterinarian know ASAP). If you need to secure a loose or unraveling bandage, use stretchy material that can breathe – for example, NOT masking tape, paper tape, scotch tape, duct tape, plastic wrap, etc. Rather, use a t-shirt, sweatshirt, or sweatpants to cover the area (if this is a small pet, try a sleeve). If your pet’s bandage covering has shifted enough to expose the wound or incision, it should be removed and/or replaced by your veterinarian.

If outdoor temperatures are over 80 degrees, your pet could get maggots if he goes outside during daylight hours (with an uncovered, open wound or not-yet healed surgical incision). To help prevent this, apply an extra coat of ointment (to any wounds and/or unhealed sutured incisions) before he goes out, or do an extra cleaning with peroxide when he comes in. continue to do this until the area is well scabbed over. If your pet has a secure bandage covering the entire area, maggots are not a concern. However, do not allow pets with open wounds or unhealed incisions to linger outdoors without direct supervision – maggot flies are not the only hazard for unobserved pets outside – they can get the bandage caught in something, damage the area, get dirt or mud into it, cause a huge amount of damage by getting the area wet (especially if in dirty water), and more.