Bandaging is a daily thing in the veterinary practice. If your pet is going to need to visit the veterinary practice every couple of days, you could find this difficult with other commitments you have. You might consider or think about if you could possibly do the dressings at home. This is a bit of a tricky one because you may think how hard is it to place a dressing? I would save money placing the dressing at home? It’s less travelling? These are all good points but don’t be shocked if your vet’s advise that you don’t replace the dressing at home and insists that you keep visiting the practice. Let’s have a look at the reasons as to why they are likely to say no to this. 

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What is the point of a bandage?

There are several different reasons as to why we would place a bandage. So, the reasons as to why we would place a bandage are: 

  • Wounds. If your pet has an open wound that cannot be sutured and/or we need to keep it clean and prevent patient interference, then placing a bandage would be the ideal treatment. If a wound has become infected, then we can place dressings that will aid with drawing out the infection and promote healing.
  • Surgery. Some patients have surgery for example a suture wound, a lump removal on a limb which then needs protecting, so again we would ideally place a bandage for support. 
  • Fracture. Some fractures are better supported with a bandage and splint, this could be pre surgery, whilst their waiting or post-surgery. 
  • Head bandage. These aren’t as commonly placed but are equally necessary. We may place a head bandage after surgery or if the patient had cut its ear, as it adds some protection. We also use these for situations where the dog has a bleed inside the ear, as it puts pressure on and stops it getting worse!
  • Tail bandage. These are normally placed to provide protection if there is trauma and for post-surgery. 

Are there different types of bandage material?

There are various types of bandage materials and dressings, and they are all there to do a different job. Of course, different situations require different approaches. When placing a bandage, we place several layers of different materials. The first layer is known as the contact layer. This would typically be a sterile dressing that is used to cover a wound. The next layer is the absorbent layer. This is like cotton wool but in practice we have nice sized rolls to suit different sized patients. 

The next layer is a non-elastic conforming bandage, so this just helps hold the absorbent layer in place and provides some support. Finally, the last part of the dressing (that is sometimes left off, depending on the situation) is a self-adhering dressing; some may have heard of it being called vet wrap. Each one of these dressings are carefully placed with the right tension, so as not to cause any damage. 

How will it need to be bandaged?

The areas of our pets that are most bandaged are limbs, tails and we place the occasional head bandage. Of course, they all need different types of bandage. In practice, then, we have several different bandaging techniques depending on the problem. Is it a wound that we need to cover or is it a support dressing for a fracture? How long will it need to stay on? Where on the body is it, and how does that impact the drainage and contamination issues?

There is no “one size fits all” for bandaging pets!

What problems can occur with bandaging?

Whilst bandages are used to help support and protect we can often run into some problems with them. Vets and nurses will always make you aware of what to look out for. Let’s have a look at what to look out for: 

  • A bandage placed on a limb should never be allowed to get wet or dirty. A wet or dirty bandage will soak through to the wound, prevent healing and cause infection.
  • A pet should always be stopped chewing a bandage, they could cause trauma and pull the dressing off. 
  • Often bandages slip, if this is noticed then the bandage should be replaced straight away, depending on the situation it could cause more trauma. A slipping bandage can rub and cause sores. 
  • Tightness. If a bandage is placed too tight it can restrict the blood flow and this would be painful and cause a lot more problems – potentially even including amputation.. 

Why can’t I place my own dressing?

Some owners may have attended animal first aid courses or read about animal first aid, which is great for a first aid situation. If your pet had a wound that wouldn’t stop bleeding and you have dressings at home that may help, then it’s good to use this knowledge and materials to potentially help stop any further damage. But this is only good until you can see a vet. 

When a dressing has been placed at a veterinary practice it is always in your pet’s best interests to take them back for further dressings. I know it may seem a pain and frustrating – because how hard can it be right? But placing a bandage at home can cause some problems. 

Let’s use, for example, a wound on a leg

When dressing wounds on legs we need to have a clean environment, we need to keep that wound sterile to prevent further infection, we need to be applying dressings in a sterile manner. Now can we all do that at home? At the veterinary practice we know wounds will be cleaned properly and in a sterile manner. 

Another problem we can run into is the applying of dressings. There are normally three or four layers to a dressing, it is paramount that these are in the correct order and placed under the right tension. In the wrong order could cause a  lot of problems but also under the wrong tension the bandage could slip or be too tight which again leads to problems. 

Another problem you may not notice at home is infection: even though a wound is covered it doesn’t mean the wound cant get infected which then leads to it breaking down,or at best simply not healing. Having a vet or nurse replacing a bandage means it is placed properly and any change, be it good or bad, is noticed more quickly.

The moral of the story. 

Always take your pets to the veterinary practice for bandaging. It’s in your pet’s best interests, and we all want quick healing to get them out and about again as soon as possible!

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