Basic principles for reconstruction of problem skin defects: trunk, head, and neck
Swaim, S.F.
Tijdschrift Voor Diergeneeskunde 112(Suppl 1): 41s-47s
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0040-7453 PMID: 3554610 Document Number: 292042
When dealing with skin defects, the veterinary surgeon should always use the simplest, least time consuming, least expensive techniques first and use the more involved techniques only as they are necessary. For closing skin defects the 3 techniques that can be used are: shifting local tissue; flaps, or grafts. Shifting local tissue to close skin defects is the simplest means of reconstruction. Because of the abundance of loose elastic skin on dogs and cats, many defects can be closed using either this technique or local skin flaps.