USE OF O3IL ® TO FAST THE WOUND HEALING IN BITCH AFTER THE SURGICAL UNILATERAL MASTECTOMY

Unilateral mastectomy is one of the most painful surgical procedures in canine species. This surgery result in extensive tissue damage, severe postoperative pain and long healing time [Cicirelli et al., 2021]. This study aimed to compare conventional therapy (using only oral medications and cleaning the surgical wound) to topic application of O3IL® in order to determine which is better and faster for the healing process after canine surgical unilateral mastectomy. A total of 18 bitches were included in the present study, all of which were domesticated, healthy and 4-12 years of age. The animals were selected for unilateral mastectomy due to mammary tumours, diagnosed on clinical examination and which were staged according to the tumour node metastasis (TNM) classification system [Owen et al., 1980]. Informed consent was obtained from the dog owners prior to participation in the study and this protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee for animal testing–CESA of the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Bari “Aldo Moro”. The day before surgery, patients underwent general preoperative examinations and were randomly divided into two groups (n=9): a control group (C) treated in the post operatory with routine therapy and a group treated with O3IL ® (O group) as an adjuvant for the scarring process. The same surgical team performed all surgeries, in full compliance with the leges artis. In the postoperative period, we assessed the wound status and healing process using the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) (Harris et al., 2010). The BWAT assesses the following nine items: size, depth, edges, necrotic tissue type, necrotic tissue amount, exudate amount, exudate type, granulation tissue, and epithelialisation. The total BWAT scores were divided into five severity categories: 0-8, healing; 9-19, minimal severity; 20-29, mild severity; 30-38, moderate severity; and 39-45, extreme severity. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS Software using two-way ANOVA. Values were judged significant if p < 0.05. In the postoperative period, all patients had similar lesions with a BWAT score higher than 42 (extreme severity). The dog was considered cured when his BWAT score was ≤8. All animals were monitored daily after surgery until all patient injuries were completely recovered (for a total of 16 days). The same surgeon monitored the wound status each day by collecting data for the BWAT. All pain symptoms and post-operative discomfort gradually disappeared in both groups. In particular, in the C group, they disappeared from day 8 to day 10; in the O group, they disappeared from day 5 to day 6. In general, the healing process in both groups was similar until day 3. At the beginning of the experiment, the control group seemed to show a better response to the therapy, which confirmed by BWAT scores. On day 3 of therapy, the values of both groups were the same; however, the treated group showed a subsequent improvement in scores and achieved healing point by day 4. Total wound healing occurred on day 13 for group O, and on day 16 for group C. This study shows the use of O3IL® on traumatic lesions of the genital mucosa is an excellent therapeutic aid to be used in the canine species.