How Does a Wound Heal?
Accidents happen! Whether it's a scrape your pet gets on a walk, a cut they get while playing, or a hot spot they develop after a week at the beach, their body will begin to heal. Right away, your pet’s body will start healing the wound. When talking about wound healing, it is important to know that products don’t heal wounds, the body does! Wound healing is a complex process that consists of four main stages: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation.
Stage 1: Hemostasis
The first stage in wound healing, called hemostasis, starts as soon as your pet gets wounded. Blood vessels surrounding the wound immediately constrict to stop more blood from leaving the body. The body then creates a blood clot to plug the wound and stop more bleeding.
The cells that initiate clotting are called platelets, and they "stick" together to form a blood clot at the wound site. Platelets are stuck together by fibrin, a protein found in the blood. Platelets and fibrin work together and try to keep bacteria from entering the body through the wound.
Depending on the wound's depth, this stage can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Hemostasis is the fastest stage of wound healing because the body’s goal is to control bleeding as soon as possible!
Stage 2: Inflammation
The second stage of wound healing is inflammation which begins when the bleeding stops. The surrounding area of the wound turns red and swells. During this stage, white blood cells enter the wound to help clean the wound of pathogens and other debris.
Swelling occurs to help the body open blood vessels so that repair cells, oxygen, and nutrients can get to the wound. Inflammation helps to prevent infection while clearing out any damaged or dead cells.
This is a natural part of wound healing and is only an issue if it does not improve within a few weeks of the injury.
Stage 3: Proliferation
The third stage of wound healing is proliferation. This is when the wound contracts to rebuild healthy tissue and a new network of blood vessels develops.
The rebuild of healthy tissue is called epithelialization. This new formation of tissue works like the roofing of a house, protecting the inside of the body from the outside environment.
This stage usually happens after four days and can last up to three weeks.
Stage 4: Maturation
Maturation, or remodeling, is the final stage of healing and is when the wound closes. Everything that is happening in this stage is making the new tissue stronger! Your animal might experience some itching in maturation, but in just a few months the skin will be almost as strong as it was before.
The cells that helped repair the wound are no longer needed and are removed by apoptosis, programmed cell death. Newly created blood vessels are strengthened.
The final stage begins a few weeks after the injury first happens, and can last as long as two years depending on the severity of the wound.
HoneyCure Helps Wound Healing
Wound healing is linear, but wounds can go backward or forward stages depending on the internal and external conditions of the body. It is important for wounds to complete the entirety of wound healing, and failure to progress in any stage can lead to chronic wounds. By using HoneyCure to help care for wounds, it can speed up healing time and prevent infection or reinjury.
This is a brief overview of wound healing! There is a lot more you can learn about wound healing – check it out here!
For the most effective way to heal a wound, we suggest using the method of wet wound healing. Interested in learning more? Check out our 'Buzz' post on wet wound healing below!
References:
“The Four Stages of Wound Healing.” WoundSource, 8 Dec. 2020, https://www.woundsource.com/blog/four-stages-wound-healing#:~:text=The%20proliferative%20phase%20of%20wound,as%20new%20tissues%20are%20built.
“How Wounds Heal.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins Health System, 8 Aug. 2021, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/how-wounds-heal.
Winkler, Kevin P. “General Principles of Wound Healing in Animals - Emergency Medicine and Critical Care.” Merck Veterinary Manual, Merck Veterinary Manual, 23 Sept. 2022, https://www.merckvetmanual.com/emergency-medicine-and-critical-care/wound-management/general-principles-of-wound-healing-in-animals#:~:text=Wound%20healing%20occurs%20through%20a,inflammation%2C%20proliferation%2C%20and%20remodeling.
“Wound Healing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Sept. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wound_healing.