Although there are many products available that claim to heal, there is no scientific proof that they do. But there is one product that can be effective. It has a long name: Silver Sodium Zirconium Phosphate Polyurethane Foam Wound Dressing. That’s a mouthful and it’s shortened to SPF Dressing.
Researchers have found that while SPF allows water and gas to pass through the foam which contains antimicrobial dyes among other substances, it does help to heal open wounds.
In controlled experiments, some of the horses with open wounds were treated with SPF foam and bandaged. Bandages were changed every three days until the wounds healed. Culture swabs were taken at every bandage change.
Those wounds treated with the SPF foam had decreased wound areas as compared to the controls. Healing time was about the same for those horses treated with SPF and those who were treated otherwise.
It was noted that it is more costly to treat large open wounds with the SPF foam.
While the experiment showed improved wound healing using the SPF, more research is necessary to assess its value.
The dressing known as RID (Retro-Tech Dressing) is available through Pioneer Vet and Animal Wound Care Worldwide.
