Wound on foster kitty

We're fostering Charlie in a rented trailer (no room in the RV). We were at the vet today for various blood work. Later this afternoon/earlier this evening when I went over there to spend time with him, he had this wound on his ear. I freaked, thinking he did it to himself - I don't know if it shows that well in this pic, but the top edge of it is totally straight. He had to have scraped it on something, I'm pretty sure.

My questions:

A) Looks like a scrape, right? Not some weird overgrooming thing? I can't find anything in there where it could have happened... but that's not a place he can cause that kind of wound to himself so quickly, right? And he shows no other signs of over-grooming or anything. !!

B) He's FIV+. I only have neosporin here and don't know if I should use it. The vet's calling tomorrow with the blood work results so I can ask probably late AM. Should I wait that long or call first thing in the morning - or any suggestions on what to do about it? Does it need special attention because of the FIV??????

He could have scratched it with his back claws or maybe he found something to climb on. You said he was itching not too long ago, though? So my bet is he scratched himself.

Basic wound care and keep it clean. Gently wash it with a clean damp cloth/gauze, you can dab a little betadine on it - being on his ear he certainly can't lick there. And put a little neo on it. Repeat a couple times tomorrow, etc. Since he's FIV+ just pay close attention to the wound, if it's not getting smaller and starts looking yellowish or smells any (yes, get your nose right down there) he'll probably need vet care then.

I certainly hope you have some first aid stuff around. If not, go get some supplies tomorrow! Everyone should have some first aid supplies, especially in summer (since people do stuff outside and end up hurt).

Yup, lots of medical supplies. Thank you.

Yeah, he was scratching, but it wasn't fleas - and haven't seen him at it at all, really, the past week or so.

I must be the most unobservant person in the world. In the trailer, the dining room table can fold flat against the wall. On the leg of the dining room table (where he loves to run under to play), Gary says there's a sharp looking piece of metal that is used to hook it into place, probably about the height of Charlie's head. I'll go take a look when I go treat his ear. I think I need to get my eyes tested again.

Thanks for the advice on what to do. I was worried that if he could get at his ear with his foot, he could lick the neosporin off his foot, but I really don't need to put on much.

You're not the most unobservant person, I think my DH gets that award. Most people don't crawl around at cat level... usually.

He'll get the neo off, but as long as it's on there for a little bit it will help. Besides, he went through a neuter, ear tipping, and look at his other ear, while likely FIV+ and healed up ok. He should fine with you looking out for him.

Years ago when Sho was around 9 months old, and the very last time I let him outside, he tried to climb a lattice rose trellis. "Tried" being the keyword. He sliced his ear open leaving a flap of skin, I missed a tiny bit of skin and it started to get infected pretty quickly. Not terribly infected though, I trimmed the rest of the dead skin away, used diluted peroxide and neo. It was better by that evening. All of this happened during the course of a weekend, of course.

Laurie
It looks like the skin was shaved by a sharp surface.

Our RB Heidi developed wounds from Baytril shots from a bad UTI and we ended up treating them with TriTop which contains antibiotic, pain med and steroid. It did wonders in healing the wounds. I don't know if this would be OK for Charlie, but in my opinion it's a great wound ointment to always have in the house. You only need to put very very little on the wound and distract the baby for about 10 min until it gets absorbed.

I will go and read your other post now. Hugs to a worried meowmie

Marina

Got it cleaned, and Gary and I are working with a wound management company with a non-prescription but FDA cleared product that is collagen-based. It is AMAZING when it comes to healing (we've used it on ourselves). Thankfully they're based in CA so I was able to ask them if it's OK to use on pets (we already knew it's safe for babies). Of course, they'd never considered the pet care market, but we've opened up a whole new channel of opportunity for them (when they have the marketing sales force to focus on it, low priority I'm sure LOL). It' a collagen-based product (collagen is basically an amino acid) - but it's hydrolized collagen (activated) - 1/100th the size of natural collagen. The body uses natural collagen in healing - but it must be broken down, which can take weaks. This patented version is already basically broken down, so goes to work right away. We used the gel (it comes in gel and powder). The gel version also acts like a bandage, because the gel dries quickly and forms a barrier, keeping it clean and dry on top, but keeps the moisture underneath. It's perfect for this kind of thing!

You can't tell from the site it'd be OK for pets, but here's the product: http://www.celleraterx.com/ Very expensive for consumer, but they sent us a bunch of free samples.

....and we realized last night, his ear tip healed just fine and required no special care.

We just tend to obssess.

Thanks for all!

So..you think it is from that sharp bit under the table? Poor Charlie! I'm glad you have something to use, but for future reference and for anyone else reading, neosporin with pain relief is generally safe for cats. Always check with a vet of course.

(I wouldn't recommend using anything with a steroid in it, because of his compromised immune system.)

Yeah - when I took care of it last night, I cleaned the little spot, dabbed (required a teeney amount) of neosporin on it (you can mix the Cellerate with anything), then dabbed a teeney amount of cellerate over it. It dried within a few minutes, while he was eating. It is still dry and clean this morning. ))))))))))) Doesn't look like he bothered with it at all - and if he doesn't scratch at it or scrape it on something else, by the time the Cellerate gets absorbed (it doesn't need to be removed unless it needs to be cleaned again), it should be all healed up.

He pulled his head around a little bit while I was working of his ear last night - but he was great. It looks SO MUCH BETTER already this am. Feeling very relieved. Forgot to bring the camera to take pictures. But Gary was right - that thing on the leg used to anchor it down was sharp and RIGHT and the level where he'd be rubbing his head on it - and maybe catch his ear on it if he was running under the table. Did get it taped up, so no more sharp edges.

What I'm most happy about is that I never showed Gary the pick of what it initially looked like, and when he sees it today he's not gonna freak about it.

Otto, really good point about the steroids. We did discuss that, and hopefully he'll never need them for anything.

I've seen that powdered collagen before! A couple years ago on some science show, iirc.
The goal is not only that it could heal a wound fast but that it could help the body heal large deeper wounds very quickly.

If you can get them to consider animals, which I'm sure they've done some testing on anyways, it would be great. Especially if they don't have to really change it and it can be used for both people and pets.

If that works as intended I'm sure Charlie will be as good as new by Sunday.

Yes - it comes in a powder and a gel. The powder is 95% collagen (for wet wounds, and you must cover with a dressing, though it is hemostatic (stops bleeding) and is extremely absorbent). The gel is 65% collagen. Both of these are some the highest concentrations of collagen out there in wound healing products - most others need to be purchased through medical supply, and any of the good ones are REALLY expensive - and come on pre-made dressings.

This product anyone can use, you can buy it through the website. It was hysterical - the company sent us samples, and we were talking to them about the products. They told us it's safe to eat - so Gary immediately put some in his mouth. Of course collage is an amino acid, so it smells funny and tastes horrible. He had to run to the bathroom to wash his mouth out. He wasn't brave enough to use any on the teeth that just had to be pulled - but it would have helped those heal up faster too. The company told us to bring the powder with us, and have the dentist apply it to the holes before they packed it with the gel foam.

It can be used on ANY wound once cleaned - except 3rd degree burns. It may even help those, but that's a different class of FDA clearance, so they're not allowed to say it can be used for those. But if you burn yourself in the kitchen, it is really amazing. It also seals or protects the nerve endings exposed in a wound, so it stops the pain too. Anyone who bicycles should carry the gel with you - my sister says it is also AMAZING at road burns when you crash.

I remember it showing the really high grade stuff repairing a cut off fingertip (no bone damage). Pretty amazing!

Using it for a dental purpose sounds brilliant. I eventually need to get my wisdom teeth out, I'll have to remember this stuff.

LOL @ Gary tasting it.

This is incredible, I have never heard of it. It would be a great market for pets mostly in complex cases of wounds. I will ask our holistic vet about it.

The TriTop I mentioned is from the vets only.

I am thrilled that Charlie's wound already looks better
Marina

Gabby had something VERY similar and it was due to rubbing her head on the ground from her earmites. I knew something was up when she got a sore. it was 20 to run a sample and the treatment they gave was 16 a dose. have to get some stuff to treat cats at a later point

Originally Posted by LoveWhiskers

This is incredible, I have never heard of it. It would be a great market for pets mostly in complex cases of wounds. I will ask our holistic vet about it.

The TriTop I mentioned is from the vets only.

I am thrilled that Charlie's wound already looks better

Marina

Click to expand...

It is incredible, and I doubt your holistic vet will have heard of it, but she can contact the company through the site to ask about it. They just started marketing the product this year - they've spent the last 3-4 years publishing studies on its effect on diabetic ulcers and pressure sores (the hardest type of wounds to heal - diabetic ulcers cause 85% of all amputations in diabetic people). They're focusing initially on these markets, because it's an educated medical community where they need a solution.