evidentiary specialistdjursjukhuset strömsholm västerås, Sweden
Chlorhexidine Shampooing of Dogs the Night Prior to Elective Surgery; Are Human Recommendations Applicable to Veterinary Medicine? Coskun O, Viskjer S. Evidensia Strömsholm Small Animal Hospital, Strömsholm, Sweden.
Objective: To investigate the effect of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHXG) wash on skin bacterial colony-forming units (CFU) in dogs. This prospective study aimed to apply the recommendation from human medicine to wash the skin with CHXG the night before surgery. Materials and
Methods: Twenty-five healthy dogs had the right hindleg showered and washed with CHXG the night prior to sampling, the left hindleg left untreated as control. An area at the medial aspect of the stifle was chosen as the sample site, microbial samples were obtained with contact agar plates after clipping, after scrubbing with CHXG solution and after alcohol disinfection from both hindlimbs.
Results: CFU were counted from 150 agar plates, 75 from each of the treated and untreated sides. Median CFU on the treated side after clipping was 11 whereas the median from the contralateral control side was 50 (P = 0.01). Samples obtained after scrubbing the skin with CHXG, and after the final disinfection with alcohol showed no difference in CFU between the treated and the control side. Clinical Significance: The “night before” chlorhexidine wash effectively decimated the skin surface bacterial CFU, but this effect was only evident after clipping. After the routine preoperative chlorhexidine scrubbing and alcohol disinfection no beneficial effect were proven. Considering possible stress effect and practical difficulties with the procedure, the night before wash cannot be recommended.