Minor Injury? Vetzyme Time! (Vetzyme Veterinary Disinfectant Lotion)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	Vetzyme Veterinary Disinfectant Lotion
Date:	27/04/09 (295 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Effectively kills germs, prevents infection and assists in the healing of minor wounds

Disadvantages: Bright green liquid can stain light coated animals, strong medical smell

*What is the Vetzyme Veterinary Disinfectant Lotion?*
This animal first aid product is produced by the Vetzyme company who are well known in the pet care industry for producing a wide range of veterinary standard first aid equipment for home use including lotions, creams, antibacterial powders, shampoos and eye and ear drops.

*The product itself*
I'm sure all owners of boisterous dogs out there are more than familiar with all the little knocks and scraps their pets can get into whilst out on walks and also how costly it can be to keep having all those very minor cuts and grazes treated at the veterinary practice each time they occur when really they can be treated effectively at home with very little effort required.

Grace and Benson are absolutely bonkers, there is no other way to describe them. Every time we go out for a walk, they charge around the fields as if it is the first time they have ever experienced freedom in their life! They dash in and out of the long grass, through the undergrowth, splash through streams, dive about in lakes and rivers and generally just dash around after each other as if they have never been taken out on a walk before. Because of this, they unavoidably pick up a few scratches from time to time. Grace seems to be the worst as she is the nuttiest out of the pair of them and also because she doesn't have a lovely thick coat of fur to protect her like Benson has and she is forever suffering very minor, easily treatable scratches and grazes.

Working as a Veterinary Nurse, the dogs both come to work with me each day and my fiancé is a Vet, so Grace and Benson are in fairly good hands but contrary to what most people may think, I still need to pay for their vet treatment! Whilst me and my fiancé are both obviously happy enough to treat other peoples animals, there is something very different when it is one of your own, so when vet treatment is required both the dogs go to a different surgery for it. Strange as that may sound, neither of us can bare to treat our own pets. Much like if you were a doctor I doubt you could treat your own child. Anyway, back to the matter in hand. For this reason, it is handy to have a good medical disinfectant at home to help treat minor cuts and wounds which do not require proper veterinary attention yet need a simple seeing to by one of us.

The product I have found best for this task is the multi-use Vetzyme Veterinary Disinfectant Lotion which is part of Vetzyme's range of veterinary standard animal first aid products, available over the counter in pet shops, for domestic home use. The lotion can be used on most pets including dogs, cats and small animals and helps to treat a number of different complaints.

The lotion is both antiseptic and antibacterial, aswell as antifungal and can be used neat on insect bites, minor cuts, grazes and small wounds and also diluted on teeth and gums and will help to disinfect and clean the wound aswell as reducing the risk of infection and helping to create optimum conditions for healing. So it really is a great all round product and an essential part of your pet first aid kit. Because the lotion is concentrated, you also only need to use a very small amount to work effectively which in turn makes the product very cost efficient and great value for money!

*Packaging*
The lotion comes supplied in a clear plastic bottle with a white child proof cap, similar in appearance to that of a mouth wash bottle. The packaging looks quite dated in my opinion but it serves its purpose very well- full instructions for use are clearly stated on the label as well as a few warnings about using the product only for intended use aswell as contact details for Vetzyme, should you have any questions and comments.

*Price & Availability*
Although graded at veterinary standard (meaning the product is similar to those used in veterinary surgeries), Vetzyme products are widely available in most of the larger pet shops and online stores. The product is very reasonably priced, with a 100ml bottle costing just £2.99.

*My opinion*
If I was to pay out for a vet appointment everytime Grace or Benson suffered a small scratch, cut or graze, I'm pretty sure I'd be bankrupt rather quickly! Having a product like this Disinfectant Lotion to hand at home not only saves me a massive amount of money, it also enables me, and any other dog owner, to quickly and effectively treat a wide range of minor wounds and conditions at home, without the need for upsetting your pet with a trip to the vet or spending all your hard earned money on a job you could quite easily do yourself!

Although it goes without saying that you should never attempt to treat anything unless you know what you are doing and major/urgent injuries should always been seen immediately by a vet, it is very simple to treat a minor wound such as a small scratch or graze and is something every dog owner can do. Firstly, you'll need to wash the wound with either a wound wash if you have some or some saline water to flush out the majority of dirt and debris and then you can apply this lotion. It is very easy to dispense from the bottle, you simply need to tip the bottle with a cotton ball held to the end and then dab gently at the wound site, making sure to wipe away from the wound to prevent any more dirt getting in and that's it. The lotion will sink into the graze or cut, without hurting your pet although it may sting slightly at first and work its magic at helping to kill all germs, prevent infection and condition the skin helping to create the best possible healing conditions.

I've been using this lotion for years now and have never been let down by it. It gets regular use with my accident prone dogs and it performs excellently everytime. I've used it on paws, cuts and scrapes on the body, tail and around the face and also on gums, although slightly more care is needed here. I tend to mix 5ml of the lotion with 20ml warm water and then use cotton buds to clean around the cut on the gum, or if a tooth is the problem, I soak a cotton ball in the diluted solution and wipe over the tooth with it and the solution helps fight infection and also eases pain. The product is safe to use in your pets mouth but should be diluted first and never used around the eyes or directly inside the ear, although it may be used to clean wounds on the outer ear.

The dogs always seem quite keen to lick at the area where the lotion has been applied if they can get to it but I'm not fond of them doing this. The bottle doesn't state that you should prevent your pet licking the area and seeing as it is safe to use inside your pets mouth, it shouldn't do them any harm, I just prefer to stop Grace and Benson doing it as much as possible as I am not keen on them swallowing chemicals that they don't need to. Giving them a chew to keep them busy normally solves the problem, if not, a bandage wrapped loosely around the treated body part puts stop to it straight away.

I've also used it a couple of times on my eldest cat. Jet is a typical moggie, loves going out hunting, climbing trees and scrambling up fences and also gets into the occasional scrape with my younger cat. Although I use the lotion neat on the dogs, I tend to dilute it slightly (5ml lotion, 3ml water) when using it on one of the cats and it works just as well, it does a brilliant job at keeping the cuts clean, very rarely does an infection develop and they tend to heal very quickly. Diluted, I've also used it many of my other pets including Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Parrots and even on my Iguanas all with the same very pleasing results. It claims to be suitable for use on small animals, although I don't think I would be happy to use it on very small ones such as Hamsters, just personal preference though.

I do however have two small complaints about the product. Firstly, it is bright green! Which isn't great when using it on a white animal. Benson has parts of white on his body as does my youngest cat and when I use the lotion on these white parts, it does tinge the coat green around the area of application. It washes off very easily once the wound has healed but a pain all the same, especially as trying to wash a cat (even only damping down with a wet clothe) is no easy task! And secondly, it has a very strong chemical/medical smell to it which is quite off putting as it tends to linger for a fair while and the animals don't seem very keen on it either, it is obviously even stronger for them as they have more sensitive noses than we do.

But to conclude, a really great product which represents excellent value for money- only a little bit is needed per use so a bottle last ages and it has visible results, helping to clean wounds, prevent infection and help them heal quicker too. Obviously, it isn't a substitute for proper veterinary attention should your pet require it but for treating minor wounds, its an absolute god send which can be used by any pet owner, no matter how novice.

Summary: A must have, versatile product vital for all pet owners, dog owners in particular!