Use a thickness of an inch or more of soft, clean padding to protect the leg beneath the bandage. Approved. Always use latex gloves if they're available. Wash your hands before performing the procedure and wear the disposable gloves during the wound dressing change. Gently wash away the blood with soap and water, then put petroleum jelly on the wound before bandaging it. If you don't have actual dressings and bandages available, you can improvise using any clean cloth or piece of clothing. Get the bleeding under control before cleaning and bandaging any wound. Gauze is a fabric that you can apply in many different ways and can come in many different sizes and types. Particularly dirty wounds may not be stitched in order to avoid the risk of infection. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Apply padding so it lies flat and wrinkle-free against the skin. Nonstick gauze pad. Bandaging a horse’s leg wound, wrapping for exercise or support during travel poses a few dangers if done improperly. This article has been viewed 220,813 times. Palpate at least the dorsalis pedis pulse and note the color of the leg, foot and toes. Sit or lie down and elevate your leg so that your toes are at your eye level or higher. Pulling out large debris that is entangled with blood vessels may trigger more bleeding. Most wounds that need stitches should be treated within six to eight hours after the injury to reduce the risk of infection. Seal Sucking Chest Wounds. Compression therapy (support bandages or socks) If your wound isn’t healing because of venous hypertension and there are no problems with the blood supply to your legs, then you should be offered compression therapy. Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Here, Carl Hester’s supergroom Alan Davies gives a step-by-step guide to bandaging safely and securely. Once clothes are removed to clean and bandage the wound, they may need to be used as a makeshift blanket to cover the injured person and keep them warm. However, people should clean the wound and dress it using a clean bandage. This improves blood flow and helps to heal ulcers. If the bandage is being used to stabilize a fracture, the joint above and below the fracture must be included in the bandage. An adhesive bandage is a bandage that has a piece of gauze attached to another piece that sticks to you, commonly referred to as a Band-Aid. Cover the wound before the ointment you have put on it dries. Adding a small amount of Vaseline also works well to keep the bandage pad from sticking, but be careful not to spread it too far around the wound, as it will cause the sticky part of the bandage not to stick. If you suffer from upper leg swelling or simply want to support the muscles and ligaments in the upper leg during physical activity, you may need to consider purchasing a thigh bandage. Leave shallow wounds unbandaged;keep "full-thickness" wounds covered. Carefully applied bandages are often beneficial for wounds at or below the knees or hocks. Bandaging can provide both protection and support for the horse while working, traveling, resting or recovering from an injury. Cotton (sheet or roll type) or Combine padding to wrap around the area of the leg to be bandaged in order to cushion against uneven bandage pressure Roll gauze to hold the cotton in place Elastic, self-stick bandaging material such as Elastikon or Elastiplast Gorilla tape or Duct tape to use to secure the ends of the Elastikon bandage Put the gauze pads on the wound, making sure the pads are larger than the wounds to prevent it from getting soaked inside the wound. You can use gauze that is not made of cotton. If the bandage is being used to stabilize a fracture, the joint above and below the fracture must be included in the bandage. Butterfly bandages are helpful for holding the edges of a wound together. It can be wrapped around the abdomen or neck, and the tails can then be tied together to hold it in place. Otherwise, the area of breakdown will increase in size and become a chronic leg ulcer. If the cut is very deep or continues to bleed after applying pressure for at least 15 minutes, seek medical attention. To keep it from sticking, try to stop the bleeding before applying the bandage and apply Neosporin or Polysporin fully to the wound and around the wound. Changing a bandage every day is necessary to treat wounds, check suture lines for infection and re-apply pressure to decrease swelling. Do it right and you can save yourself a lot of money and a trip to the vet when your cat has a minor wound. Get the bleeding under control before cleaning and bandaging any wound. 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