Discipline: Veterinary Medicine, Animal Science
The use of alternative medicine, particularly herbal medicine and acupuncture, has shown a lot of potential for the treatment of diseases and disorders in various animals. In this study, the clinical and histopathologic effects of guava poultice with or without aquapuncture using coconut water on experimentally induced open wounds in the flank of nine female Philippine native sheep were investigated. The sheep were distributed into three treatment groups: 1) Penicillin-Streptomycin and Povidone Iodine (PS-PI); 2) Guava (GU); and 3) Aquapuncture-Guava (AQ-GU). Within the 21-day observation period, the animals were checked clinically and the wounds were examined grossly. Biopsies were taken at the last day of observation. During and after the study, no mortalities and abnormalities in the rectal temperature, respiratory rate, pulse rate, appetite, urine and fecal output were observed in all the sheep. The wounds in the AQ-GU group had the best healing, followed by GU group and then PS-PI group. Cosmetic appearance was most pleasant in AQ-GU group. Histopathologically, AQ-GU group closely resembles the initial skin histoarchitecture, compared to the other two groups. The results of the study suggest the potential of combining guava poultice and aquapuncture using coconut water to facilitate wound healing with acceptable cosmetic appearance in sheep.
ISSN 2619-7731 (Online)
ISSN 2094-8271 (Print)
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