Open wound on chin/bottom of mouth

mokeman3

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Hi, - new to the forum mega cat lover here...

One of my 4 cats "Scrappy" (1 of 2 garage cats) developed an open wound under his chin. I noticed a cut, or "hole" in the bottom of his chin a week or so ago, and thought it to be some sort of injury. Scrappy has FIV, but the wound seemed to have heeled rather quickly leaving just a small scab.

However, tonight I was shocked!. I noticed his chest fur was all "pink", and when I looked under his chin I notices a huge gash/hole ! It looks really really bad.

I have some left over pink antibiotics, so I put that in some food, and he lapped that all down, so I got a nearly full (small) bottle of that pink stuff to give him.

I patted the open wound down with a warm, wet paper towel smeared with a dab of Johnsons & Johnsons first aide cream, and he didn't seem to mind that at all (whereas he would "yelp" when I got close to it last week).

I was also able to dab/smear some Neosporan on it just now without any problems.

Scrappy is an old orange tom cat that was abandoned and abused cat that I took in a few years ago. He has lots of scars on his head, and missing 3 of his 4 fang teeth. He turned out to be the most loving cat of all (but I do keep him out in a heated garage). I'm concerned for him. What could have caused this, and how best should I care for this wound?

I took some pics just before I cleaned the wound up for him.

Warning: if open wounds gross you out, don't open these links. (they are not that bad, but figured I'd put that warning out just in case)

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/100_1013.jpg

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/100_1014.jpg

Here is a picture of "Scrappy" a couple of years ago after I've took him in and fattened him up some, and he was looking pretty good:
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...SC00621_13.jpg

This cat is the most loving, and "rubby" cat I've ever seen. He follows me around everywhere when I'm working in the yard (when the weather is good), and I think he is just so happy to have gotten a second lease on life with me taking him in and loving him. He loves being out in the garage with me.

I'd like to see if it starts to heal on it's own a few more days before taking him to the vet. Is this a good idea ?

Thanks in advance !

MM3
 

farleyv

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Very nasty and painful looking. I wouldn't hesitate to get him to the vets asap.

The fact that you can handle him is good. The poor old thing. He has had a hard life and ended up with FIV. Please see to him. It is open and ready for all kinds of bacteria to get in. Also, if he tangles with another cat, it would get so much worse.

I can tell you love him, not many people would take the time and money to keep him well!

Keep us posted.
 

mrblanche

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I have no doubt that that is an abscess. The fact that it looked healed up, then re-opened and is oozing is a pretty good sign. It may need to be cleaned out by the vet and then treated very carefully to get it to heal with getting re-infected.
 

otto

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Hello and welcome to TCS! Scrappy is a gorgeous cat, red boys are my favorite!


yes, don't delay the vet visit. With FIV, his body cannot fight infection, and that is a nasty looking wound. It does look like he had an abscess, but now it will need to be kept open to heal. It may be from mouth problems though, often dental decay and tooth abscesses will manifest on the outside of the mouth and chin.

By the way, for future reference, it's not a good idea to use old medicines. Especially the liquid amoxicillan, that stuff is only good for 10 days after it has been mixed, and then needs to be thrown away.

Please let us know how Scrappy gets on. He obviously Chose well, those years ago.
 
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mokeman3

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Originally Posted by sk_pacer

Does he go outside? Looks like a warble hole. If he doesn't go out, probably an abscess but get him looked at either way
What is a "warble" hole ?

Yes, he does go out, but not for long. Lately, when I come home, I come in thru the garage door, and he'll run outside for a bit, then come back in to hang out with me in the garage. The weather is cold and rainy in Seattle now, so he'd rather just hang out with me in the garage as I work on re-loading shotgun shells for my other hobby - skeet shooting. When I'm out there, he can't seem to get "close" enough to me, and just hangs out on a stool next to me.

Thanks, - I'll see if I can get him to the vet today. But now that it broke open, I wanted to see if it would heal on it's own, but I'll see about a vet appointment.

MM3
 

nance

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I agree with FIV he needs to see a vet for medication....it looks like an abscess to me as well
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by mokeman3

What is a "warble" hole ?
Bot fly larvae hole. Probably not given the season.


I agree with the others, it looks too rough to wait. That it is open and able to drain is good, it'll make it easier on the vet to treat.
 

white cat lover

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My Squishy received several abscesses this past summer due to incompatibility with other farm cats. That looks a lot like the abscesses he had - so I would definitely get him to the vet ASAP.
 
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mokeman3

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Back from the vet with Scrappy. Poor guy, I really feel for him..

Anyways, the vets says it's an abscess, and that the infection channels
run all the way up thru the jaw to his lover fang teeth which have been
broken off and flush with the gums back from his abused and abandoned life
(which we are both trying to forget).

They said that he needs surgery to dig out the lower fang teeth stubs, and
to possibly cut out some of the infected abscess tissue and sew it back up.

With his FIV, they had to draw blood to check on that, and to see if he is
able to be put under.

They sent me home with antibiotics, some eye ointment for his constant runny
eye, and put some flea medcine on him since he needs to be 100% flea-free for
the surgery. Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday morning, and the estimate for
today plus all of the surgery stuff is about $600.

I have to think that I'm doing the right thing, and that I'm not going to hand
up creating a on going surgury pain situation for him after surgery. They
talked about some pain meds, and other post-op items that they will go over
after the surgery. I've never had to deal with anything this evasive, or
extensive with any of my other cats, so I hope I'm doing the right thing.

I just want him to be as happy, content, and loving as he used to be, and not
take anything away from his quality of life.

They shaved part of his neck to draw blood, but not around the wound. I'm not
sure they cleaned out the wound, but I would think that they did. They also
didnt tell me how best to care for the wound until next Tuesday. I didn't look
at his wound when I came home, as all I wanted was to get him home as soon as
possible. Lasst thing I wanted to do is to go tilting his head backwards after
all he's been thru today.

I hope all will go Ok Tuesday, - I want the best for him. I turned the heat
up in the garage, and he appears fine and comfortable, and sitting on my
spool at the workbench with his paws curled up under him, and purring, so I
think he's fine for now. He is struggling to eat the dry food, and reefs his
head really far to one side as to chew on some back teeth on one side. He
loves the wet food, and I have some pouch-food I use for treats, but I'll
let him have what he wants.

Thanks for the support!
MM3
 

otto

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You've done well by him, Scrappy knew what he was doing when he Chose you! All paws crossed the blood work will show him able to withstand the surgery, the poor guy. Did they give you some pain meds for him for right now?
 
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mokeman3

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Originally Posted by otto

You've done well by him, Scrappy knew what he was doing when he Chose you! All paws crossed the blood work will show him able to withstand the surgery, the poor guy. Did they give you some pain meds for him for right now?
Thanks for the well wishes. No, - they didn't give me any pain meds now.
Like I said, he doesn't appears to be in any pain. But then again, how would I know? He lets me touch his wound, but I don't know if his overall jaw, or mouth, or anything is else is sore, hurting, or painful. Would a cat purr if in any sort of pain I wonder?

Thanks,
MM3
 

otto

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Yes, cats purr when they are in pain. I believe (this is my opinion, not any fact that I have read) that purring helps them cope with the pain, and also helps with healing. I think purring is therapeutic for them when they are suffering.

sometimes the pain purr will sound a bit different, deeper, or more resonant.

When Ootay (rb 5/09) had an abscess she purred and purred and purred. She had a deep purr anyway, but this purr was really profound.

Please do keep us updated on Scrappy.
 

the_food_lady

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Aww, he's a gorgeous boy, simply gorgeous :0)

God bless you, for all that you're doing for him, you are an angel.

After he's had his surgery, is there anyway you can ensure he doesn't get out of the garage, particularly if he's on pain meds and could be a little disoriented just from the anesthetic the meds? - would be terrible if he wandered off. Do you have a litter box in the garage for him? I'm guessing you do.

If he's hard to pill (they'll likely put him on antibiotics following the surgery; at least they surely should).....you could ask them about Convenia. It's an injectable antibiotic; one shot works for a 14 day course. It's intended for use in cats, for soft tissue infections, just like he has. I've used it several times in my cats over the past 2-3 years with great results. No side effects. Something you might want to ask the Vet about. His mouth/jaw might be sore from the dental and pilling might not be so nice, so this way it's just one shot before he leaves the Vet and it's slow release and will be a full 14 day course, and it can be repeated once after 14 days if needed.

Here's a link with info on Convenia; it's the prescribing info that comes in the box:

http://www.convenia.com/pdfs/Conveni...nformation.pdf
 

white cat lover

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I would definitely give him more canned food, mostly canned food if you can get him to eat enough. It will be much easier on his mouth & abscess - and after his dental his mouth will be sore so he'll need to keep up the canned until it heals more.
 
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mokeman3

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Originally Posted by the_food_lady

Aww, he's a gorgeous boy, simply gorgeous :0)

God bless you, for all that you're doing for him, you are an angel.

After he's had his surgery, is there anyway you can ensure he doesn't get out of the garage, particularly if he's on pain meds and could be a little disoriented just from the anesthetic the meds? - would be terrible if he wandered off. Do you have a litter box in the garage for him? I'm guessing you do.

If he's hard to pill (they'll likely put him on antibiotics following the surgery; at least they surely should).....you could ask them about Convenia. It's an injectable antibiotic; one shot works for a 14 day course. It's intended for use in cats, for soft tissue infections, just like he has. I've used it several times in my cats over the past 2-3 years with great results. No side effects. Something you might want to ask the Vet about. His mouth/jaw might be sore from the dental and pilling might not be so nice, so this way it's just one shot before he leaves the Vet and it's slow release and will be a full 14 day course, and it can be repeated once after 14 days if needed.

Here's a link with info on Convenia; it's the prescribing info that comes in the box:

http://www.convenia.com/pdfs/Conveni...nformation.pdf
Thank you for the kind words, and information.

There is no problem keeping him in the garage, - he mostly wants to be in there any how. It's carpeted, heated, 2 litter boxes, sleeper cups, and a few stools which is just loves to hang out on. When he was better, he usually just ran out of the garage out to the driveway, and up on the porch, and comes right back in within a few minutes, - never really goes too far. But you are right, - don't want him wondering off.

Never had to pill him, but his appetite is so good, crushing up pills in his food shouldn't be a problem (or at least what I think).

They did give me a bottle of that pink antibiotic liquid. I hate that stuff, - I've had it for the other cats. I guess it tastes like bubble gum, which if you think about it, is pretty stupid, since I've never known a cat to be attracted to bubble gum (of all things). Hopefully mixing it with the food isn't a bad thing. And man, do NOT get that pink stuff on the carpet, - it is the only thing that will truly stain the carpeting, - it will NOT come out (of anything for that matter).

So we'll see. He seems a little out of it today, and I hope he hangs in there until Tuesday. I'll keep you posted. I did get some new Hydrogen Peroxide, and I read in one the the threads here that a 50% mix with water on the wound would help, and I have dapped some NeoSporan on it too.

MM3
 
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mokeman3

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

I would definitely give him more canned food, mostly canned food if you can get him to eat enough. It will be much easier on his mouth & abscess - and after his dental his mouth will be sore so he'll need to keep up the canned until it heals more.
Well, that be the case, ole Scrappy will think he's died and gone to heaven, as he goes NUTS when I bring out wet food for him. So this should not be a problem. It's hard watching him trying to eat that hard dry food, so yeah, I'll keep him on the canned stuff.

MM3
 

otto

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go easy on the peroxide, it can hinder healing, as it breaks down tissue.

My Mazy cat loves amoxicillan she thinks it's a special treat.
 

shadowoflions

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One: I love the last picture. 

Two: What was the pink antibiotic? 

My cat has a cut similar to that, but he is such a wuss and spoiled brat I can't get close enough to at least get the blood cake away from the wound. Any advice?
 

ondine

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ShadowofLions: you may want to open a new post, as this one is three years old.

If your cat has a wound like this, though, I would suggest a vet visit. These kinds of wounds can go badly very quickly.
 
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