Jim,
In regards to S.F.’s letter regarding medical kits, suture/wound closure, and use of Ipecac… 1. I would not recommend the use of Syrup of Ipecac to anyone without proper training in airway management, i.e.: intubation/suction equipment on hand .The airway problems far outweigh the gains, you have to know what can come back up without problem also, leave this to the trained and save your money for other supplies. 2. Wound closure, “to be or not to be closed,” again if you do not have the supplies or the know how ALL wounds can close from secondary intention, that is clean and let heal over time, yes the scar is worse but the associated problems of infection/drainage are overcome. 3. Cleaning wounds is a long subject, [but in brief]: pressure and copious amounts of normal saline 0.9% will clean most wounds others have to be debrided, large pieces of contamination can be removed with hemostats or tweezers that are sterile/clean for the rest of the debris use a large syringe (sterile) with a needle attached (18 ga sterile) to increase the pressure and normal saline in copious amounts until [completely] clean to the eye.Use of Betadine and hydrogen peroxide mixed 50/50 initially is an accepted process it makes for a foamy mess but kills most all bacteria in the wound. Then again flush with normal saline until clean. With can discuss wound care of wounds healing for secondary intention at a later date if anyone is interested. 4. Most supplies can be obtained from veterinary supplies in bulk much cheaper than anywhere else: needles, syringes, dressings, tape suture(fresh not surplus), normal saline solution, betadine, et cetera. Do a search for veterinary supplies get a few different catalogs and compare prices prior to ordering. I get a lot of meds from the vet but I have a ranch. Antibiotics/ointment et cetera are sometimes on the shelf–you just have to know what you want/need and the name and most vets will sell it off the shelf. Buy stainless steel bowls that can be sterilized for use in wound cleaning or use glass. These two items have been used for ages and can be cleaned sterilized in the oven or pressure cooker and reused over and over again. – John
Letter Re: S.F.’s Letter Re: Medical Kits
