Online Gallery: A Look at Basic Wounds

Necrotic wound in a dog with extensive deep pyoderma. Within 24 hours after presentation, the patient is lost to sepsis secondary to methicillin-resistant Staphyloccal infection. Evaluating the entire animal is critical in developing a treatment plan and predicting prognosis.

This necrotic bite wound (initially found to be infested with maggots) would be classified as a dirty wound. Recommendations for treatment include surgical debridement and open-wound management with vacuum-assisted closure or a honey bandage.

The wound on the back of this cat is beginning to granulate. Options for treatment include continued open-wound management with application of a silver-coated foam pad, vacuum-assisted closure to speed granulation tissue development and encourage wound shrinkage, or wound closure with local random skin flaps(s) or an axial pattern flap.

This wound has a good granulation bed and evidence of new epithelium along the margins. Treatment options include continued open-wound management with nonadherent dressing coated with a thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment or application of a free (mesh, pinch, punch) skin graft.

Note: Figures 4, 5, and 6 are wounds on one dog.

This wound is closing by contraction and epithelialization. It can be protected with a thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment on nonadherent dressing, which will also maintain granulation bed moisture.

Note: Figures 4, 5, and 6 are wounds on one dog.

This maturing wound is covered by a thin, fragile layer of epithelium and needs to be protected from trauma.

Note: Figures 4, 5, and 6 are wounds on one dog.

The necrotic wound along the caudal stifle in this dog was thought to have resulted from a spider bite. Because the dog was unstable at the time of presentation, medical maggots were used for initial debridement.

After initial debridement with medical maggots, this caudal stifle wound was subsequently treated with a honey dressing, tie over bandage, and occlusive drape.

This severely effusive, infected median sternotomy site was treated with vacuum-assisted closure.

Bite wounds to this greyhound’s shoulder resulted in tissue necrosis, resistant infection, and severe limb edema. Because of financial constraints, the owners elected amputation in order to turn this chronic, dirty wound into a fresh wound suitable for primary closure. Owners should be warned that the new surgical site may become infected with resistant bacteria even if adequate precautions are taken.