Having a pet can be such a rewarding experience. A pet can become like family and bring you so much joy. However, with that pet also comes responsibility. You need to recognize when there is a health-related issue that needs medical attention. Something as basic as a scratch can become infected. If this happens, you will need to bring your pet to the vet. A wound that becomes infected can result in a life-threatening situation. You can learn more about the dangers of infected wounds, and the important role antibiotics play, in this article. 

Antibiotics Can Save Your Pet 

If your pet has an infected wound, the infection can spread throughout its body. This can cause them to become sick, and it can be fatal. An antibiotic will fight off the infection, and the symptoms your pet has been experiencing from the infection will go away. 

Antibiotics Work By Killing Bacteria

When your pet receives an antibiotic, it will block the processes in the bacteria, essentially killing it. Once the bacterial processes have been blocked, they can't reproduce, and this helps your pet get better. They will go back to how they were before they had the wound, and the wound itself will start healing. 

The Right Antibiotic Needs to Be Used

There are many types of antibiotics, and they each work on certain types of bacteria. This means the veterinarian will have to determine the type of bacteria causing the infection and prescribe the best antibiotic for that type of infection. This is why the antibiotic prescribed when your dog has an ear infection may differ from the one provided for the wound. 

Antibiotics Can Be Given Before Infection Sets In

When you notice your pet has a wound, your first instinct may be to clean it and care for it like you would a person's wound. However, keeping a pet's wound clean is much harder due to their fur, their instinct to lick their wound, and their inability to understand a bandage needs to stay on. No matter how much effort you put into wound care, an infection will likely set in. 

You don't have to wait to see signs of infection before you bring your pet in. Once the vet assesses the wound, they can prescribe an antibiotic as a preventative measure. Once your pet is on the antibiotic, it will protect them from infection. This is why vets often put pets on antibiotics before performing certain surgeries. 

Conclusion

Now you understand how important it is to take your pet in to the vet for a wound. Once they are on an antibiotic, such as ampicillin trihydrate, you'll likely begin to see improvement.

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