Bandage care for pets

Overview

• Bandages are used to protect wounds and other injuries while they heal.
• They should always be applied by a vet or vet nurse and need regular changing.
• Keep an eye on your pet’s bandage at home to make sure it stays clean and dry.
• You may need a cone collar and/or a paw cover to protect the bandage.
• Contact your vet if your pet’s bandage gets wet, slips off, smells, or if there are signs of swelling, redness, or injury to the skin around it.

Why does my pet need a bandage?

A bandage is a strip of material that is wrapped around an area of the body to protect a wound. The outer bandage provides support and protection for the other layers of material inside. Different materials might be used depending on the reason for the bandage.

Your pet might need a bandage if they have a wound, either caused by an injury or a surgery. However, not all wounds will need bandages.

There is also a special, very thick and supportive bandage called a “Robert Jones” bandage. This can be used to keep a leg from bending, for example to support a broken bone until it can be surgically fixed.

How to care for a bandage at home

Bandages are more complicated than they look and can cause injury if they’re put on the wrong way, so should only be applied by a vet or a vet nurse. They will then let you know how often you need to come back to the vets to have the bandage changed.

In an emergency, if your pet is bleeding then you can wrap a bandage lightly to help stem the blood flow until you reach your vets.

You should check your pet’s bandage at least once a day, looking for:

• Slipping or complete loss of the bandage.
• Signs of chewing/scratching at the bandage.
• Any wet areas.
• Any bad smell or leaking fluid.
• Rubbing of the edges of the bandage on your pet’s skin.
• Swelling of the skin around the bandage, especially if the bandage is around the legs or feet.

You may need to keep your pet rested to make sure their bandage stays in place.

If you take them outside you will need to protect their bandage from getting wet and dirty, for example with a protective boot or paw cover.

You might also need to use a cone collar or other protective collar to stop your pet from chewing their bandage.

When to contact your vet

Contact your vet if your pet’s bandage is dirty or has slipped or come off. You should also contact them if you notice a smell coming from the bandage, or if the skin around the bandage looks red or swollen.

FAQs

Published: April 2023