Use of an external skin-stretching device for wound closure in dogs and cats.

Use of an externally applied, noninvasive skin-stretching device in 24 dogs and cats is described. The device uses adhesive-coated pads that are applied to the skin of an animal; pads are positioned on opposite sides of a surgical site and are connected by means of adjustable elastic cables. The cables maintain continuous tension, and cable tension is adjusted and progressively increased at intervals of 6 to 8 hours to promote skin recruitment (stretching), using the cutaneous viscoelastic properties of mechanical creep and stress relaxation. Consequently, skin adjacent and distant to the surgical site can be recruited to facilitate wound closure, typically within 72 to 96 hours after application of the device. The skin-stretching device has been used effectively in dogs and cats to stretch skin prior to elective surgical procedures, stretch skin during management of open wounds prior to suturing, and alleviate incisional tension after surgery.