How to treat a cut finger

[CWS4322]

I haven't read all the posts--but I keep liquid bandage spray in my dog first aid kit (which consists of SIX plastic shoe boxes--gauze, vet wrap, caths, scalpel blades, all kinds of stuff). That is also the "human" first aid kit. Each shoe box is labeled--if only I could be so organized in all areas of my life. I did read the post on salt. I have used sugar for paper cuts and for cuts that start to get infected.

Isabelle, one of the Saints, had her legs brutally bitten (3 drains) in a dog fight. I could see the bone on one of the gashes. Anyway, after the drains were put in, I had to clean her legs 2x a day and re-wrap them. How did I clean them? With Hydrogen Peroxide and then the wounds were packed with sugar. The molecular properties of sugar breaks down bacteria. My vet uses this all the time. Honey works just as well. Isabelle did not get infections and the wounds healed. And, she wasn't put on antibiotics. Sugar definitely works for paper cuts--the cut heals in about 4 hours.

 

[Timothy]

I haven't read all the posts--but I keep liquid bandage spray in my dog first aid kit (which consists of SIX plastic shoe boxes--gauze, vet wrap, caths, scalpel blades, all kinds of stuff). That is also the "human" first aid kit. Each shoe box is labeled--if only I could be so organized in all areas of my life. I did read the post on salt. I have used sugar for paper cuts and for cuts that start to get infected.

Isabelle, one of the Saints, had her legs brutally bitten (3 drains) in a dog fight. I could see the bone on one of the gashes. Anyway, after the drains were put in, I had to clean her legs 2x a day and re-wrap them. How did I clean them? With Hydrogen Peroxide and then the wounds were packed with sugar. The molecular properties of sugar breaks down bacteria. My vet uses this all the time. Honey works just as well. Isabelle did not get infections and the wounds healed. And, she wasn't put on antibiotics. Sugar definitely works for paper cuts--the cut heals in about 4 hours.

Very interesting, CWS, Thank youi!

 

[CWS4322]

Very interesting, CWS, Thank youi!

I have packed sugar on many a spay/neuter incision or other surgical incisions on dogs when the incision started to get red...the dogs never needed antibiotics. The only thing is, I had to cover the incision (I use children's t-shirts or boxer shorts) so the dog would not lick the sugar off...And, one little witch girl had to have two t-shirts, front and back, duct-taped in the middle. She started licking before the drugs wore off!

 

[CWS4322]

Totally off topic--witch hazel (applied topically) works great for getting rid of bruises. A friend is an ICU nurse and they apply witch hazel to ortho patients. I bruise easily (or else I'm just a klutz). Anyway, I always have witch hazel on hand. When my mom broke her hip, she had a bruise from the top of her thigh down her leg. The homecare nurse said it would probably spread to her ankle. I applied witch hazel 2x/day. When the homecare nurse came back the next week, she wanted to see the bruise..."where did the bruise go!" I told her I treated my mom as if she were a horse with a chest hematoma from banging against the stall board...it works. I've heard white vinegar does the same thing. What happens is as you "rub a cotton ball or piece of gauze soaked in witch hazel gently on the bruise" it expands and turns pink/red. So the pooled blood moves and the bruise goes away. It is almost as if you are washing it away. It is quite interesting. This is an "old fashioned" way of treating bruises according to a book I have on herbal remedies. If anyone's dog/cat gets a hematoma in the ear, you can do the same thing. I've done it 7 times...sure beats the surgery bill and having to "glue" the ear on top of the dog's head so it will drain (that "liquid sew" stuff works great for glueing the ear on top of the dog's head, btw). I'm not a doctor or a vet, but I have done this, and it worked, and no adverse results.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Interesting CWS, I would like to try that on our old folks who have a fall and get a black eye from it. They get very tired of people asking them who hit them. Of course, I would have to get an MD order to do this. Maybe I'll just save it for the next time it takes 4 different nurses to do a blood draw on me. I looked like I had tracks for at least a week!

 

[CWS4322]

PF--try it on yourself (obviously, you don't want to try it on your patients without MD support), it works (unless a person is allergic to witch hazel). Because my mom is on blood thinners, she bruises very easily--and has to have blood work done every two weeks. She now puts witch hazel on her "spot" and the bruise goes away within about 48 hours. I whacked my head on the door of the van last year--had a goose egg on my forehead. I put witch hazel on it--the bruise went away, but I still had a bump.

You'd need an MD who is "open" to alternative medicine remedies. But if you can use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide without a doctor's order, you should be able to use witch hazel. Just make sure you don't get it in the patient's eye!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_hazel_(astringent)

It doesn't hurt--and I've used it for rashes--it also takes the itch out.

My vet is sold on it for treating ear hematomas. She did surgery on Kelly's first ear hematoma. Then I heard about witch hazel...the next time one of my dogs had an ear hematoma, we tried witch hazel. It reabsorbed within 7 days. Now she recommends that first before surgery (although she'd make more money if she did the procedure to drain the pocket).

I learn so much from my friends who are veterinarians!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Thanks so much CWS, I'm going to talk to our medical director and see if he will allow it. Things are so restricted in nursing homes that I have to have an MD order to apply chapstick, even if I know it's best for the patient.

 

[CWS4322]

Good luck. It really did get rid of my mom's broken hip bruise...and it didn't hurt her. I really don't know if people are allergic to witch hazel...I'm not, and I'm allergic to lots of things. My mom's a retired surgical RN--she was amazed that the bruise went away. When she had her heart valve implanted, she had a horrible bruise on her leg. It took forever to go away (I didn't know about witch hazel then).

I figure if my friend who is an ICU nurse at one of the biggest hospitals in the area has approval to use witch hazel on ortho patients, it can't hurt.

 

[purple.alien.giraffe]

I haven't read all the posts--but I keep liquid bandage spray in my dog first aid kit (which consists of SIX plastic shoe boxes--gauze, vet wrap, caths, scalpel blades, all kinds of stuff). That is also the "human" first aid kit. Each shoe box is labeled--if only I could be so organized in all areas of my life. I did read the post on salt. I have used sugar for paper cuts and for cuts that start to get infected.

Isabelle, one of the Saints, had her legs brutally bitten (3 drains) in a dog fight. I could see the bone on one of the gashes. Anyway, after the drains were put in, I had to clean her legs 2x a day and re-wrap them. How did I clean them? With Hydrogen Peroxide and then the wounds were packed with sugar. The molecular properties of sugar breaks down bacteria. My vet uses this all the time. Honey works just as well. Isabelle did not get infections and the wounds healed. And, she wasn't put on antibiotics. Sugar definitely works for paper cuts--the cut heals in about 4 hours.

Honey is a great antiseptic! It's a super saturated solution, extremely hydrophilic (sugar and salt are also hydrophilic btw). The laws of osmosis are a wonderful tool against bacteria. It also has an enzyme in it that destroys the cell walls of many types of bacteria. There have been several cases lately where doctors have used it to treat mrsa infections when nothing else was working and I believe there are a couple of studies being conducted on its effectiveness against various types of bacteria. It only works on open/weaping wounds or infections covered by only a thing layer of skin (like and infected hang nail). It has to be able to get to where the infection is.

 

[Oswald Luis]

I recommend you to go to the doctor!
It is very important that you go to see if you got a problem or something similar.