We are delighted to announce the winners of the Andover Healthcare/Milliken Bandaging Art Competition (supported by VWL) which took place during November and December 2019. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit their entry and for participating in the competition promoting best practice in bandaging. The entries were all of a very high standard with much thought and effort put in, making it a great success. Congratulations to all of the above winners who each receive some great Petflex products!

Jennifer Parker, Senior Editor of the Veterinary Practice magazine, recently interviewed Georgie Hollis to gain her thoughts on the latest advancements within veterinary wound care.

​To read the full article providing an insight into Georgie's thoughts from telemedicine ​to tilapia
 click here

Now's your chance to get creative with your bandaging skills for your chance to win some Andover Healthcare/Milliken Pet Flex products.

Georgie Hollis BSc, The Veterinary Wound Library & Bandaging Angels Founder, will be presenting a FREE live webinar on Bandaging Techniques on Tuesday 19 November at 12.30pm to illustrate the correct way to apply a bandage. Don't worry if you're not available at this time as the webinar will be free to view until the end of November.

In order to register for and access the webinar all you need to do is sign up to receive our Newsletter (opposite) and we will email you with all the log in details.

Further details of the competition along with the terms and conditions and online entry form can be found at: https://www.vetwoundlibrary.com/bandaging-art-competition-2019.html

You have until midnight (GMT) on 15 December 2019 to submit your entry - GOOD LUCK!

On the 23rd of November 2019 we will host our 2nd Exotics Wound Management Event at Twycross Zoo, East Midlands UK. This year we have chosen to cover the practical skills to help first opinion and wildlife clinicians better approach the needs of the avian casualty. The day will be headed up by Dr Neil Forbes BVetMed, DipECZM(Avian), FRCVS  loyally supported by Matthew Rendle RVN, Samantha Ashfield RVN C&G VNES,  and Georgie Hollis BSc 

Delegates will begin the day with insight into the fundamentals of avian wound management, tissue repair and challenges, followed by a practical lab to get hands on experience including the technique of Imping,  management of sternal and carpal injuries, and beak repair. 

We are delighted to have had a fantastic response to this event with only 5 places left with 2 months still to go!
This is a one off event so please book now to avoid missing out. Registration is £225 (+vat) for non-members and £175 (+vat) for VWL members. 

For the full agenda visit: https://www.vetwoundlibrary.com/events--cpd.html

Georgie Hollis, Founder of the Vet Wound Library is delivering 2 FREE Webinars at the end of August to open the Webinar programme that will continue through 2020. The following webinars are FREE to members and Non-Members and will be recorded live on the 27th and 30th of August. 

For those Veterinary Surgeons who were unable to join us earlier
in the year, we are repeating this invaluable day for any
clinician who has faced prolonged healing post lumpectomy, frustrating wounds over joints, and those unsure if they 
should refer or give it a go.

If your practice is a member of The Veterinary Wound Library
then you can attend for the reduced fee of just £245 (+ vat).

Spaces are limited due to the practical nature of the session 
​so book now to avoid disappointment! 
​
​BOOK ONLINE HERE!

​Image showing delegates at our Advanced Surgical Skills CPD on 20th March 2019 watching a practical demonstration by Laura Owen

Following the success of our first Exotics Wound Management CPD day last year which featured Bumblefoot and Chelonian shell injuries, we have decided to spread our wings for 2019 by dedicating a full day to avian wound care. 

Agenda: 
8.30    Arrival, registration & refreshments
09.15  Why did dinosaurs become extinct and birds didn’t? How birds heal | Neil Forbes
10.05  Managing the avian skin trauma case. Triage and First Aid | Matthew Rendle  
10.30  Coffee/Tea Break
10.45  Managing bird wounds; Site, species, life style and size - it all matters | Neil Forbes
11.45  The 5 essentials skills of wound management;
The 3 P’s, what to use to wash, prepare, dress, wounds with | Matthew Rendle
12.15  Wound interference management beyond the cone of shame! | Sam Ashfield
13.00  Lunch 
14.00  Imping Practical
15.00  Sternal Injuries & Carpal Injuries Practical 
15.45  Tea/Coffee Break 
16.15  Beak Management Demonstration | Neil Forbes 
16.45  Case Studies 
17.30  Questions & Close

Avoid getting into a flap with your feathered friends by taking up our early bird offer and REGISTER HERE before the 31 August for just £175 (+vat) 

Put your fears behind you this Autumn by banishing your bandaging demons and wound worries with practical CPD from our Bandaging Angels. CPD days will be held at 6 different venues around the UK and are open to Vets and veterinary nurses and we still have some spaces available. Don't forget, if you are a Vet Wound Library Member you have a FREE place! Don't worry if you are not currently a member,  you can join today and benefit from the FREE place! Its quick & simple, just visit our website to find out more about membership and it's benefits! https://www.vetwoundlibrary.com/how-it-works.html
 

One of the most frequently asked questions The Veterinary Wound Library receives through our online Chat Bot is from pet owners asking if they can use over the counter creams for their pet's wound. 

We have a clear position on this subject based on the physiology of wound healing, and feel that there really does need to be greater awareness of the ingredients of such creams and that not all of them will be beneficial to healing, especially when used on animals. 

First things first: As a service the Veterinary Wound Library was set up to  support veterinary professionals with challenging cases, to support their decision making and product choices. We certainly don't mind the odd request for help from owners looking for answers, and we get some really great questions. However, we can't advise on individual cases directly to owners. This is because we would be making a decision based on a patient we have not seen in person (all patients usually require a full check over to ensure there are no other complications or factors that may delay healing) and more importantly, we could contradict your own Vet's advice which could get us all into a muddle over the care of patient.
So, for that reason we encourage owners who contact us to seek advice from their Vet and we can certainly help their Vet if they need it.

We appreciate that all owners seeking our help are looking for answers and just care about the welfare of their pet. We are very glad that so many people do. We didn't want to leave you with no advice if you have come here searching for answers, so we have included the advice we usually give in terms of basic wound care below. 

Our basic wound management advice (as we teach the veterinary profession) is that wounds require 3 things to heal well;
1. Good preparation of the wound before anything else- to wash the wound thoroughly using lots of warm water or saline (you can make saline using 1 tsp salt to 1 pint/500mls of warm boiled water).
2. Promotion of healthy healing environment - Promotion of wound healing means keeping the wound clean and covered if possible. We advocate the use of water based hydrogels (you can ask your chemist for brands of wound hydrogels, some are sold over the counter). Hydrogels provide a better environment for healing than oil based products. Any oil based products can not be dissolved naturally by the body and actually inhibit cell migration and may lock debris into the wound. Sudocrem, Bepanthen and Vaseline are all Oil based products and in our opinion should not be used on open wounds. Further more, if you have washed the wound well there will be no need for the antiseptics in creams or ointments. Many of the off the shelf nappy creams have some of form of antiseptic (cetrimide, chlorhexidine, iodine, phenol) and these can be sensitising (cause reactions) or can actually inhibit healing and may even be toxic to animals. Yes antiseptics may kill bacteria, but they may also damage the healing process in a healthy wound. 
3. Protect - protect the area from interference, contamination from soil, urine, and scratching. This can be challenging and if your pet is scratching and has an itching area it's likely that a dermatological issue is present and that the wound is secondary. You really do need to seek veterinary attention if this is the case. 

Whatever the size of the wound, and even with Veterinary support its important to monitor your pet to be sure they are not irritated by the wound or that there are complications arising from a bandage or treatment. Infection is a complication in wounds when they have been contaminated or become dirty and signs include inflammation, redness, swelling, pain and production of pus or slough. If this is the case it is very important to seek help from your Vet as antibiotics may be required sooner rather than later. Some wounds such as bite wounds or puncture wounds can become infected and deteriorate very quickly, so a trip to the vet should be your first priority. 

If the wound is healing well, and the edges are closing together nicely without inflammation or signs of infection it will seem all is progressing well. Your vet will advise to keep the wound clean and we suggest regularly washing any scurf and debris away from the wound edges with warm salt water. This shouldn't be done too often if the wound is healing well as it may disturb new cells - once daily to every other day may be all that is needed once a wound is very close to healed. Be sure not to scrub these healing wounds, just gently pat dry with clean toilet paper or clean cloth.

If in doubt for any reason contact your Vet or vet nurse immediately. A call to the vet nurse and a photograph of the wound will be all you need for them to help you. There is a misconception that Vets will look for an excuse to charge owners for care and wounds can become expensive if they start to deteriorate. The reality is, that with smart phones available to be able to send a photo and some detail to your Vet or Vet nurse they will usually be honest about the need for you to visit. If money is tight they will advise accordingly, but be aware that some tiny wounds can become very serious very quickly. Your Vet is the best person to advise and they can always contact us for specialist help if they need it. 

We hope this helps, if in doubt please don't be afraid to ask your Vet for advice.