Wound Closure

When taking care of any substantial wound, emergency closing of the wound is an important procedure. Wound closure will protect the tissue from sepsis (bacterial infection) by preventing dirt and contaminants from entering. It will also allow for quicker healing and less scar formation. As with all other wound care procedures there is a right time to close the wound, and a wrong time, and this can make all the difference between a clean or infected wound. The most common methods of wound closure are by using sutures or staples. Cuts of 1 cm. or less do not require wound closure.

Wounds Requiring Closure

• Any cut longer than 1.25 cm, or half inch
• Long cuts on the body, legs or tail
• Small v-shaped cuts
• Fresh cuts on face, lips, eyelids

Closure of Contaminated Wounds

A wound must be irrigated before it can be closed (sutured). Without irrigation the wound contains dirt and other contaminants which can lead to bacterial infections of the wound. Preferably, wounds that are contaminated at all should be left open until they can be cleansed properly.

Wound Closure with Drainage

If a wound must be closed while it is infected or contaminated, it should be closed (sutured) with a space left for drainage. The drain is used for irrigation (cleansing). Wounds older than 12 hours also need to include drainage when sutured.

Delayed Primary Closure

This is the safe closing of old healing wounds. Your veterinarian will check for growth of clean tissue in the wound before suturing it closed. Such wounds will not get infected. Infected wounds that are red, swollen or have discharge (pus) will not be closed initially. They need to be treated for the infection first, and then will undergo delayed primary closure once the infection has been treated.

Period of Wound Closure

Sutures are generally removed 10 to 14 days after they have been placed. The duration can be less or more depending on the wound site and the speed of recovery.