# Vetericyn ingredients



## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I happened to be at an adoption event last weekend, held at an animal care product place.

I spied a bottle of Vetericyn, and having heard a lot of good things, and presuming it was some form of Chlorhexadine, I picked it up and read the label. 
Much to my surprise, I saw it's got bleach in it!

http://www.vetdepot.com/product-labels/vetericyn-wound-infection-treatment.pdf

Bleach, defined as "sodium hypochlorite" (read the label on your bleach bottle) sodium hypochlorite - definition of sodium hypochlorite in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
and they claim it's not the bleach that works, it's the hypochlorous acid,


> sodium hypochlorite the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid, NaClO, having germicidal and disinfectant properties.


so what are your thoughts on this product?

On another note, my grandpa used to tell me he used dilute bleach to cure his athlete's foot, which makes a lot of sense, since bleach is relatively safe to use in a dilute from and does manage to kill fungus as well as bacteria.

I think the product may cost "a lot" for bleach and saline, because it must remain stable for shelf life, and bleach's main drawback in any application is stability. It breaks down very readily into salt and water.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

I haven't used it myself, but I have also heard good things about it. I'm assuming the bleach must be very diluted if the product is safe enough to use in the eyes.. I agree that it costs wayyy too much though (IMO).


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Well when we have betadine and Chlorhexadine for wound washing (which doesn't occur very frequently anyway that we need to wash a wound) it's not cost effective for us.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I saw this on my bottle when I received it, and I thought no wonder it kills MRSA.

You only need the tiniest amount for it to be effective. It is not a wash, but more like a balsam. The solution is a gel that sticks to the wound. You can spray an infinitesimal amount because the nozzle gives you very good control. 

I have not used it on Hans yet, but I have used it on myself with impressive results. After three or four uses, the bottle still looks full.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I use it for lots of things and anything on the dogs, the rep I got it from told me she's used for herself (ingested it) when she had a sore throat and worked like a charm

I haven't tasted it, but I know my dogs have licked it off and hasn't killed them yet.

I swear by the stuff and will keep using it


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I've used dilute bleach on myself and my dogs when we dealt with ringworm. That's why it'd kill ringworm, too, btw.

Chlorhexadine is used in many oral products as well as topical, for humans I mean (and pets in fact). Bleach is used in dental care as well - when having a root canal I smelled bleach and sure enough they use a dilute solution up in the roots to kill bacteria up there.

Do germs ever get resistant to bleach like they do antibiotics?


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

no idea, I do know the rep also told me, to keep the vetericyn in the frig, it will last 'forever', but if not refrigerated usually only has a shelf life of about a year..


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Well all I know about bleach, I learned from hubby  He went to "pool school" and learned to properly use chemicals for the swimming pool at the college where we lived and he worked.
And I know chlorine is really unstable, in fact they recommend something other than chlorine for pools - there's tablets with something else in them other than bleach. 
And he had bottles of bleach on hand for "shock treatments", but had to measure the chemicals daily to know how much and when to add stuff.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Whiskey has a wound on his perianal area and it is taking forever to heal due to the injury site. It's right at the opening of the anus so it repeatedly gets infected due to fecal matter and bacteria, even though I clean him after each bowel movement.  
My vet suggested Vetericyn veterinary strength. Any ideas on the efficacy of the veterinary strength vs. over the counter? OTC is about 10-15$ cheaper. Vet strength seems to have double the active ingredient. Which kind are all of you using?

And msvette2u, I have read studies about bleach resistant bacteria. The difference with bleach vs. antibiotics though is that antibiotics have the chance of leaving mutated/resistant strains behind because antibiotic chemistry works differently than bleach (which is an all out assault that usually destroys all substances it comes in contact with). However, there are contaminants and bacteria that are bleach resistant. For example certain heat resistant bacterial strains. I'll have to dig up some studies when I have more time!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Honestly I'd use the OTC formula...or make my own. Did you ask about chlorhexadine in this situation?
Or baby wipes or those after-potty wet wipes for adults? Keeping it clean isn't helping enough?

Yeah I know parvo can 'envelope' if the bleach dilution is not correct. I'm assuming other virii and bacteria could mutate at least.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> Honestly I'd use the OTC formula...or make my own. Did you ask about chlorhexadine in this situation?
> Or baby wipes or those after-potty wet wipes for adults? Keeping it clean isn't helping enough?
> 
> Yeah I know parvo can 'envelope' if the bleach dilution is not correct. I'm assuming other virii and bacteria could mutate at least.


I've been pretty diligent with the cleaning. I have several types of antibacterial wound sprays and cleansers that I've used to keep the infection at bay. I've cut some of the hair at the area as well to keep the area dry. He is also on Cipro which helps keep the site from getting infected. But because of the site and the size of the wound, it's only now starting to heal around the edges after 1.5 months. He basically had an impacted anal glad that blew through the side because the main duct was obstructed. Of course the lunk head also chewed at the area so that made it a lot worse. The opening was probably about a dollar coin size and has gotten a little better now to quarter size. I think I'll have to grab some of the OTC Vetericyn and give that a go after reading the positive reviews.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Egads.
Well good luck. I'm curious how it works too. I wonder if the sterile area lasts or how quickly germs repopulate.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I'd go with OTC, however, having dealt with fistula's twice Definitely shaveup the area, try using Desitin (as in diaper rash creme)..Put it on a Q tip IN the fistula and around the area. works great for clearing them up.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

I've been digging around on how it actually works and they are super vague about it. They probably want to protect their formula. 

Good call on the Qtip. I use Desitin, but perhaps getting the formula all the way into the wound will help even more. I gave him a little maintenance butt haircut today also. Guess I'll be ordering some OTC Vetericyn from Amazon. Fingers crossed!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Super vague is right. Because you can read the label and see what's in it and you're like, wtf? I'm paying all that for bleach and saline? LOL Their FAQs are loaded with those comments.

But I would not knock it if the stability is there :shrug:


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

I use the OTC formula on my lab mix for her hot spots, which she gets quite often unfortunately, and I swear it's like magic! I love it and use it on all my dogs minor wounds, sores, and skin issues. Clears them up within days!


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

Any body use vinegar or iodine?


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

We use betadine scrub/wash for rescued dogs here. Often a parvo survivor will get a bath with that to kill any of the virus shed in it's stool.


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