Cat Dog Bite

by Gen
(Riverside, CA)

Two weeks ago a dog bit my cat. I took my cat to the vet for an infected dog bite on my cat's stomach and near the anus. He treated my cat, gave antibotic, steroid shots and packed him with saline between the shoulders and sent us home with pain meds that I gave to him for 10 days.

He's much better, however, the dog scratch/bites are now yellowish and have open holes. My cat has been cleaning them, but he's also had diarrrhea, that has been difficult to keep clean, since we work.

What do I do?

Thanks,

Gen

Editor Suggestion - cat dog bite

Dear Gen,

Thank you for your question.

Open cat wounds of any kind, like a dog bite in this case, are always carefully examined and based on status of the wound, meaning if suturing is needed or only therapeutics and regular dressing and cleansing can help with healing.

Antibiotics and pain killers are for controlling possible secondary infections and any pain related symptoms related to the cat dog bite condition. Otherwise, specific treatment for open wounds is regular cleansing and dressing. Antibiotics are preferred when applied locally.

Healing these kinds of wounds usually takes 1 – 2 weeks. The wounds you describe should have been healed by now or at least a scar should have formed.

But, as you have indicated, your cat has been licking the wound (for cleaning) and you haven't been regularly cleaning, dressing and applying any local preparation for hastening the healing process. Because of this, the cat wound condition has become complicated.

If the wound is still open and has turned yellowish, it means that pus is filling the wound, and the process of healing is almost non existent, though slight improvement might have occurred in the early phase of healing.

I recommended that you should note the content of the cat skin wound. If it is pus, first drain the wound with some type of antiseptic solution, preferably hydrogen peroxide. After that, clean the wound with a quality antiseptic solution/formulation such as Clenzor and then apply some kind of remedy, which can help with healing. Also try and keep the wound clean and free of any foreign factors such as dirt and microbes.

After cleaning, it is better to apply a remedy containing topical antibiotics and healing agents, but it needs to be prescribed by your veterinarian. As an alternative, a homeopathic remedy is recommended for use such as Homeopet Topical Healing Cream.

In addition to wound treatment, you should also keep your cat from licking and chewing the wound. Remember, if a cat is licking a wound, it should never be considered as a way to clean wound, as it causes complications such as secondary infections and also digestive problems, like those noted here - the slow healing cat dog bite wound and diarrhea respectively.

You can prevent your cat from licking wounds with the help of a Kong e-collar. To treat the diarrhea we recommend a natural remedy such as RuniPoo Relief, which is very helpful in minor and uncategorized forms of cat diarrhea like this one.

These measures will help to complete the healing process in a few days. However, if you note any complications such as generalized signs of illness (fever, loss of appetite, lethargy, change in behavior) and a worsening of the cat dog bit wound, you should consult a veterinarian for a detailed examination and specific treatment.

Please keep us up to date on the cat dog bite problem.