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Vets use experimental fish skin graft to save a dog suffering from severe burns after house fire – Daily Mail


Vets use experimental fish skin graft to save a dog suffering from severe burns after house fire

  • A family pet was helped by experimental skin grafts from descaled cod skin 
  • The grafts shielded the dog, Stella, against infection and helped grow new skin
  • Methods will be presented next month as a new way to help animals in need

Researchers say grafting a dog with fish skin may have helped save her life and could help illuminate the benefit of a new method of animal care.

After narrowly escaping a deadly house fire, veterinarians at Michigan State University (MSU) Veterinary Medical Center say Stella, a 1-year-old Rottweiler, was left fighting for her life.

The family pet was left with second and third-degree burns over 10 percent of her body and was fighting off severe respiratory problems due to smoke inhalation and her eyes were covered in ulcers and scarred do to heat exposure, they say.

Stella's results may help other veterinarians in treating injured animals which is why the team at MSU will present their results next month

Stella’s results may help other veterinarians in treating injured animals which is why the team at MSU will present their results next month

As doctors worked to stabilize here by providing her with oxygen and stabilizing burns in her trachea and lungs, a soft tissue team at MSU went to work in trying to repair Stella’s skin. 

Ordinarily, skin grafts would require anesthesia, but for Stella, that wasn’t an option. 

‘We had to get creative with her burns because of the significant trauma to Stella’s lungs,’ said Brea Sandness, a veterinarian and surgical resident at MSU in a statement. 

‘She wasn’t a great candidate for anesthesia because of her respiratory injuries.’

There was, however, a procedure that Stella could undergo, the veterinarians decided — a new experimental skin graft using descaled cod skin.

The tissue, according to scientists, provides several benefits. 

Cod skin goes beyond other grafts which come from Tilapia. Instead of just protecting the burned area, Cod skin facilitates new skin cell growth

Cod skin goes beyond other grafts which come from Tilapia. Instead of just protecting the burned area, Cod skin facilitates new skin cell growth

For one, due to the high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, the tissue works as both an anti-inflammatory and an antibiotic, helping skin heal and protect itself from infection.

Secondly, the researchers say the grafts don’t require sedation which strains the respiratory systems in animals and humans.

Stella was saved by vets who used cod skin to help regenerate tissue and guard against infection an burns

Stella was saved by vets who used cod skin to help regenerate tissue and guard against infection an burns

‘We were able to place them on her with minimal sedation, which not only allowed us to heal her without additional stress to her lungs, but improved the way her burns healed,’ Sandness said. 

The use of cod skin also have an edge of other similar grafts used from fish skin like Tilapia.

While Tilapia can be applied over burns, protecting the skin underneath as it heals, Cod skin helps to shield burns while also forming new skin cells. 

Stella’s grafts, say the veterinarians, were absorbed to form new skin.

Researchers hope the method could help future veterinarians to help animals and will present their results at the Society of Veterinary Soft Tissue Surgery convention in June.

‘Stella’s case is an inspiration, and her grafts have the potential to be a new and highly effective treatment tool in the veterinary profession,’ Sandness said. 

‘She’s a living example that the fire within her burned stronger than the fire that injured her.’

WHAT ARE BURNS?

Burns are damage to the skin caused by dry heat, such as an iron or a fire.

This is different to scalds, which occur due to wet heat like hot water or steam.

Burns can be very painful and may cause:

  • Red or peeling skin
  • Blisters
  • Swelling
  • White or charred skin

But the amount of pain a person feels is not always related to how serious the burn is.

Even a very serious burn can be painless.

To treat a burn:

  • Remove the heat source
  • Cool with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 minutes. Do not use ice
  • Remove any nearby clothing or jewellery unless it is stuck to the skin
  • Keep the person warm with a blanket
  • Cover the burn with clingfilm
  • Use painkillers like paracetamol if necessary
  • If the face or eyes are burnt, keep sitting up to reduce swelling

Burns that require immediate A&E treatment are:

  • Chemical or electrical
  • Large or deep – bigger than the injured person’s hand
  • Those that cause white or charred skin
  • Those on the face, hands, limbs, feet or genitals that blister

Pregnant women, children under five, the elderly, those with a weak immune system and people suffering from a medical condition, like diabetes, should also go to hospital.

Treatment depends on what layers of the skin are affected. 

In severe cases, a skin graft may be required.

Source: NHS Choices  

 



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