Have any of you vets used any antibacterial cleansers for wound care or for stitch removal? I'm wondering about good ole antibacterial soap vs something like Hibiclens. What about betadine? I know that it is harsh, so I was thinking about something other than that.

Some gbs patients, surgeons want them to use an antibacterial soap for a week or so before surgery. My skin is sensitive, so I use only Dove sensitive. Your thoughts? Just curious.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!
Spotz

I just used my normal bath soap, no special anti-bacterial cleansers....I took a shower before I took out my stitches and made sure I was nice and clean...sterilized my tools, and then put some vitacilia (the ointment we get in mty) afterwards. 

When I had some of my stitches taken out at Kaiser, they used betadine to scrub my incisions before and then used some wound care saline solution wash afterwards. It seemed like overkill, but hey, I felt pretty safe lol. 

Before you go under for surgery, you get a nice scrub down with betadine haha - im sure a very fond memory for most :)

I used Dial anti-bacterial soap for both my DS and before my PS for 10 days or so before hand and after for a few weeks. 

After my friend returned from MTY with MRSA - my PCP (who is also her PCP) suggested I rinse off with Hibiclens for a week prior to my plastics.  I did that last time.

Thanks!  Great info.  You guys are the bestest!

Spotz

I used Hibiclens for a week before surgery, while in MTY on my incisions, and then d/c'd at home once my thigh incisions came out.   I have sensitive skin too, but with lots of rinsing didn't have any issues.

Thanks!  I was wondering about irritation problems with the Hibiclens.  So I dilute it as per label instructions and rinse well after using it?

The bottle I had did not call for dilution before use.  Before surgery, I used full strength on my body as well as my neck and behind my ears.  After surgery I would apply full strength, gently rub/pat it on the incisions and about an inch on either side of incision, let it sit for 2 minutes, and then rinse for at least a minute.  In MTY, the Vitacilina helped moisturize and I continued to use it when I got home for about a week. ( Except for my thighs: no Vitacilina on them as they kept opening up and I had to keep them dry.)