CLEANSING A WOUND

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18352, 24 August 1929, Page 10

CLEANSING A WOUND

IMPORTANCE OF TREATMENT. In cleaning a wound the first treatment is the most important, especially if the animal is attended to immediately after the accident, as proper care and attention then will prevent the wound becoming septie of festering. If it is a large one it is often advisable to have two lots of solution, a bucket containing weak hot phenyle solution, with a sponge or clean rag, and another with hot lysol solution, and in it pieces of clean cotton-wool. Before tearing the wool off the original roll, one should make sure that one's own hands have been thoroughly scrubbed with hot water and soap, and then soaked for a few minutes in the lysol solution. First cover the wound with a pad of cotton-wool wrung out in the lysol solution, and hold this in position, while the rest of the surrounding skin is properly cleaned with the phenyle. As soon as everything around about Is clean the pad can be wound properly cleaned up with* fresh pieces of cottonwool and lysol, at first using them moist, but finally using them wrung dry. Once the wound area is dry it may be painted with tincture of iodine (painful), and an antiseptic powder may be used, the most useful being iodoform one part and boracic acid four parts. The wound should be covered with some kind of dressing to keep off flies, dust and dirt. In an old wound where pus is present the wound will require free drainage and syringing with lotions; first use a hot lysol solution of one part hydrogen peroxide and four parts warm water. Septic wounds require frequent dressing and looking after, so that it undoubtedly pays to treat all wounds as soon as possible.