How to place (or not place) a belly wrap on a dog

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In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education video, we demonstrate how to (or how not to) place a duct tape belly wrap on a dog. This was a young, male neutered, mixed breed dog that presented after being hit by a car and sustaining significant trauma. The dog was diagnosed with a hemoabdomen and was initially stabilized with IV crystalloid fluid therapy and several transfusions (e.g., packed red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma). While belly wraps are controversial (VETgirl personally doesn’t use them anymore), they can be considered for medical management of hemoabdomen trauma patients to help minimize bleeding. This belly wrap was placed using towel and duct tape. A urinary catheter was placed for patient comfort in the dog. Part of the controversy of putting on a belly wrap is that it is hard to get them on tight enough to minimize bleeding, without compromising elevated intraabdominal pressure and organ perfusion. As you can see from this dog, he was able to escape his, but thankfully recovered well and was discharged 2 days later.

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    • Agreed. It’s personal preference – I generally do NOT use them anymore either unless catastrophic.

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