title: Evaluation of dressings to aid healing of mulesing wounds on sheep.
abstract: Five proprietary and one experimental dressing were compared with no treatment in their ability to aid healing of mulesing wounds in over 1900 young lambs. Healing was judged as the completeness of shrinkage of the mulesing cuts and the condition of scabs on the new skin surface. When assessed at 21 d it was found that treatment with Heriots Crown Wound Powder or Coopers Mulesing Powder offered a significant advantage over leaving the wounds untreated. Neither aqueous organophosphate washes, Defiance nor Defiance containing 0.08% chlorfenvinphos offered any healing advantage over controls. However, washing the wounds with an aqueous organophosphate solution aided healing more than the Defiance-based dressings. It was considered that the powders or the washes encouraged quick scab formation either by creating a dry covering (powders) or by washing away blood and allowing fast drying of the wound. The Defiance-type dressings slowed healing by keeping the wound moist for up to 10 d, but healing was not significantly different to the untreated group by 21 d.
authors.affiliation: Biological and Chemical Research Institute, NSW Agriculture and Fisheries, Rydalmere.
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Levot
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kaldor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001458:Bandages / Q000662:veterinary*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D012756:Sheep / Q000601:surgery*; D013623:Tail / Q000601:surgery*; D014945:Wound Healing