On Friday (today is Monday), I noticed a black spot on my senior cat's front left paw. Upon closer inspection, I saw what looked to be dried blood, and the toe nail of the middle claw embedded in the paw skin next to it. I immediately called a local vet as my old vet just retired a few months ago. The next day, he clipped the nail, and pulled out several pieces of nail from the skin. He thinks it was probably growing that way for a year! I always check the cat, but I rarely separate her claws.
He cleaned the area (not as thoroughly as I've seen on Youtube videos), and told me that he to give her 2 ml of liquid Amoxicillin (bubble gum flavor for some reason) 2x a day. I also have to clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide and apply Bacitracin 2x a day.
Cleaning the wound is hard enough with a cat that's not too happy to have it done, but the oral administration of the Amoxicillin is proving impossible with the syringe I was given. The tip that goes in the side of the mouth in back of the canines is just too small. Very little, if any medication at all is getting into the cat's mouth, but my floors and walls definitely now have anti-microbial protection. I can't see how he gave this to me instead of one with a longer tip..
He didn't want to bandage the paw as he said I would have to constantly re-bandage after cleanings. I was also told that I had to use shredded newspaper rather than kitty litter until the wound heals. She's not too crazy about the shredded paper, to saw the least. I've also seen a video where a cat was given a pain killer by injection after the excess nail was removed. from the skin bed.
That wasn't what my poor little girl experienced, however.
I've read in several places that hydrogen peroxide is not great for small animals because, while disinfecting, it also destroys good skin cells. I tried asking this new vet about using Zymox or Vetericyn instead, but he seemed to be getting upset that I was suggesting too much. I had already asked about whether I should try Dasuquin or Cosequin after he told me that arthritis and joint problems are part of the reason older cats get these ingrown toe nails. My previous vet loved to discuss the possibilities and had so much patience. This new vet (who's in his sixties) doesn't seem too crazy about a patient's cat parent treading on his turf. His office was packed, by the way.
Does anyone have similar experiences? Any suggestions for a good syringe? I'm calling the vet this morning in the hope I can stop by and pick up a better one, or else buy one at a local drugstore.
He cleaned the area (not as thoroughly as I've seen on Youtube videos), and told me that he to give her 2 ml of liquid Amoxicillin (bubble gum flavor for some reason) 2x a day. I also have to clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide and apply Bacitracin 2x a day.
Cleaning the wound is hard enough with a cat that's not too happy to have it done, but the oral administration of the Amoxicillin is proving impossible with the syringe I was given. The tip that goes in the side of the mouth in back of the canines is just too small. Very little, if any medication at all is getting into the cat's mouth, but my floors and walls definitely now have anti-microbial protection. I can't see how he gave this to me instead of one with a longer tip..
He didn't want to bandage the paw as he said I would have to constantly re-bandage after cleanings. I was also told that I had to use shredded newspaper rather than kitty litter until the wound heals. She's not too crazy about the shredded paper, to saw the least. I've also seen a video where a cat was given a pain killer by injection after the excess nail was removed. from the skin bed.
That wasn't what my poor little girl experienced, however.
I've read in several places that hydrogen peroxide is not great for small animals because, while disinfecting, it also destroys good skin cells. I tried asking this new vet about using Zymox or Vetericyn instead, but he seemed to be getting upset that I was suggesting too much. I had already asked about whether I should try Dasuquin or Cosequin after he told me that arthritis and joint problems are part of the reason older cats get these ingrown toe nails. My previous vet loved to discuss the possibilities and had so much patience. This new vet (who's in his sixties) doesn't seem too crazy about a patient's cat parent treading on his turf. His office was packed, by the way.
Does anyone have similar experiences? Any suggestions for a good syringe? I'm calling the vet this morning in the hope I can stop by and pick up a better one, or else buy one at a local drugstore.
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