Helping healing with the right topical dressings

Equine wound therapy is an important part of most practices. Due to the nature of traumatic equine wounds, a proportion of those encountered will require management as open wounds, which must heal by second intention. Following debridement of the initial wound, management with topical dressings is an important part of optimising the healing process. The aim of that management process is to assist in further debridement of devitalised tissue, to keep the wound bed suitably moist and the surrounding skin dry. The wound changes as it heals and as such the requirements for its management varies also. It is generally accepted that in most instances the majority of devitalised tissue and contamination is best removed by sharp resection. Where possible the process of removal should not be left to debridement by dressings or chemicals ...