Surgical Site Infection Prevention in Veterinary Surgery
Evidence-based protocols. Expert techniques. Real-world implementation.
Evidence-Based
Built on peer-reviewed veterinary surgical literature, graded by evidence quality and clinical applicability.
Systems Thinking
SSI prevention is multi-factorial, not a single intervention. This platform addresses all domains of the surgical pathway.
Expert-Driven
Developed and reviewed by leading veterinary surgeons with decades of clinical experience in SSI prevention.
Prevention Protocols
Patient Risk Stratification
Identify patients at elevated risk for surgical site infection prior to scheduling or proceeding with elective procedures.
View ProtocolOR Behavior Rules
Define the movement, speech, and interaction rules for personnel in the operating room during a case to minimize air turbulence, particulate generation, and field contamination.
View ProtocolWound Management & Dressing
Apply appropriate wound closure, dressing, and bandage management to protect the surgical site during the early healing phase, minimize environmental contamination, support patient comfort, and enable regular reassessment.
View ProtocolSSI Prevention Is Not One Thing
Surgical site infections arise from eight distinct pathways — from the surgical team and patient, through the operating room environment, the sterile field, instruments and implants, surgical technique, intraoperative adjuncts, and postoperative care. No single intervention prevents SSI in isolation. Each pathway has its own protocols and its own owners.
SSI Prevention Is a Team Sport
Prevention is distributed across the surgical team — surgeon, anesthetist, prep technician, scrub technician, recovery team, and owner. Each role owns its own control points, critical moments, and characteristic failure modes.
Explore Roles & ResponsibilitiesSSI Definitions Framework
Five tissue-layer SSI definitions, surgical wound classification, and a 30-day surveillance framework — derived from the 2026 AJVR expert consensus and wired into every protocol, pathway, and role on this site.
Explore SSI DefinitionsExpert Contributors
VETSSI is built and reviewed by veterinary surgeons and infection-control specialists whose clinical and research work underpins the protocols, definitions, and surveillance framework on this site.
View All Contributors