So I took my cat to the vet because I thought he had an abscess. He was having trouble eating, and then his cheek started to swell, then the day before his appointment, the lump on his cheek peeled off of his face. He was left with a 1" x 2" gaping oval hole on his face. You can see the muscle and tissue through the hole. All the skin from that area is gone, and where it is cannot be wrapped to keep it from bleeding. All three vets said it MIGHT be an abscess, but there's no distinct drainage hole where the fluid should be draining from, so it doesn't look quite like an abscess. He's been on antibiotics and a nutritional supplement (from the vet) for about 5 days now. He can barely eat anything. He can only "eat" liquids, like tuna juice and milk. Won't drink kitten milk. Only regular milk. I tried pate cat food, watered down, but he's scared of it because every time he gets a TINY lump of actual food, he freaks out. So he won't even eat that anymore. His vet said I can get "extensive testing" for him, but it will be about $400+. And we have 4 children. So anyone that has kids (that lives paycheck to paycheck) understands why $400+ is a BIG deal. I need some advice!!! Please help!!!
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THREE vets have NO IDEA what's wrong! Please help! (GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS)
- Thread starter aame2012
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It sounds like an abscess to me, they always look nasty and deep. I've had cats that have holes left much bigger then that, and one lost half of his ear over one. The only thing to do is keep giving antibiotics and using a antimicrobial spray like 'Vetricyn' to help heal it. Farm supply stores like Orschelns carry a good line of wound cleaners. My heart goes out to you because that is a impossible place to do anything with, the only good thing is that the worst is over, (the pain, the swelling and the bursting). Since you have had him to the vets already, it's a waiting game now. I'm not a vet, but I've dealt with a lot of abscesses with my ferals, I just want to warn you that an antibiotic is a MUST! As long as he is drinking something, that is a good sign, you can always freeze the tuna to give him later if all he is using is the juice. Meat baby food is pureed and can be thinned down too, it is an excellent healing food too. Good luck and keep us posted!
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Giving your kitty some chicken bone broth may be good too, if he's only willing to lap up liquids. Bone broth is very nutritious (though not nutritionally-complete) for a cat so it may be useful in getting some calories in him. And in case it's helpful, in my experimenting, I've found that the dehydrated cat food from Honest Kitchen has a smooth powder consistency that can be watered down (after you pick out the silly things they've included like dried cranberries), and it's nutritionally complete, so it's easier for unwilling kitties to lap it up. Grace, the turkey one, has less carbohydrates, and so, it's naturally more "watery" when adding the appropriate amount of water.
We just had someone here with a burst episode http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306157/my-cats-got-a-hole-in-her-neck-warning-graphic-photos The thread has photos of the wound. They can look really bad and take a while to heal.
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@Di and Bob I never thought about giving him baby food! Thanks! He's on oral antibiotics now, but that's $25 a week. It's better than the $60 for the injection though. Glad the vet is understanding of our money troubles!
@fluffscruff I will try the bone broth too. Any idea where to get it? Local grocery store? Or is that something I'd need to get at a specialty/organic store?
@fluffscruff I will try the bone broth too. Any idea where to get it? Local grocery store? Or is that something I'd need to get at a specialty/organic store?
It's probably an abscess like everyone has said assuming he has contact with other cats. I'm not sure how big the hole now but a stray I used to feed came up to me one day with a gaping hole in his cheek. It was about 2 inches in diameter from a bite wound that abcessed and burst. The reason no hole could be found on your baby's cheek was the problem when there's no hole there's no place for the pus to ooze out. It does happen. They had to sew my cat up because the hole was too big. He looked like Frankenstein he had many stitches. After that I took him in and he recovered well. Depending on how big the wound is it may need to be closed up with stitches. how big is the hole?
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- #8
@hexiesfriend It's an oval shaped hole, about 2" x 1"
It's going to be hard to heal on its own. Did any vet tell you it needs to be closed with stitches? I'm surprised if not.
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I've made my own bone broth, I couldn't really find one that didn't have added salted and flavorings.
I like this method of making chicken bone broth, but any plain bone broth is helpful: A whole chicken is best (stewing chicken rather than small game chicken, without any added salts etc). Basically; 1st round, boil the whole chicken for a couple of hours until the meat willingly falls off the bone, And then, 2nd round, boil just the skin/fat and bones for 24 hours. Add some vinegar in the water before boiling as it helps leech the nutrients from the chicken into the water. Strain the broths for chicken pieces and let your cat lap it up once cooled.
I like this method of making chicken bone broth, but any plain bone broth is helpful: A whole chicken is best (stewing chicken rather than small game chicken, without any added salts etc). Basically; 1st round, boil the whole chicken for a couple of hours until the meat willingly falls off the bone, And then, 2nd round, boil just the skin/fat and bones for 24 hours. Add some vinegar in the water before boiling as it helps leech the nutrients from the chicken into the water. Strain the broths for chicken pieces and let your cat lap it up once cooled.
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You have to make it yourself. This thread has instructions: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/301643/...-make-broth-for-cats-very-simple-instructions
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- #12
@hexiesfriend they did not suggest any stitches. None of the vets did.
They can't stitch it too tight or it can't drain. They could be leaving it open so it can. A drain is usually put in if it is stitched, but you can't on a cheek I wouldn't think.
I personally don't know of a vet that will stitch close a burst abscess. I have only personally known of them being left open to heal from the inside out. I do remember one here that had a particularly bad one that wouldn't heal and it was partially closed with a drain. There were several procedures done under anesthetic where the stitches were removed and the wound irrigated.
My cat had a huge one about the size of aame2012's cat or a little bigger and it was stitched closed and he recovered relatively quickly. This was maybe 10 years ago, I guess times have changed, its a shame because it cuts down on a lot of pain and time the cat has to deal with an open wound on their face or body. Oh well....
You could also try watering down the food and then blending it so there are no chunks; we have had to do this recently because one of our babies was on a feeding tube.
Good luck and I hope you and your baby recover!
Good luck and I hope you and your baby recover!
