Need advice for cat with draining abcess on shoulder

[teenieborch]

HI!

So, I've been an avid backyard chicken reader for a long time, I can't believe I'm writing to ask advice for my cat. ugghh

My cat got in a fight, got a wound on his shoulder that I noticed about a week ago because it was draining and he was cleaning it. I figured, great, he'll be okay.

Yesterday I gave him a flea bath and noticed (wet kitties are pretty naked looking!) that he had a lump again in the same area that was very soft (fluid feeling). I called the vet to make him an appointment. Well, this morning it's ruptured again and he's cleaning it.

It does not smell bad and he seems in pretty good spirits. The bulk of the lump is gone.

I asked the vet if they could just prescribe some antibiotics for him to help the healing. Yada, yada, no-because of liability. I hate the city mentality around animals and "my" ability to care for and figure out what my cat needs. I said, look, he's an animal, not my baby, and my budget doesn't have room in it for you all to look at him and then tell me he needs antibiotics. Could you respect my desire to help him first, and then if it doesn't work I'll bring him in. "No, but we'd be hapy to help you with financing." OF COURSE YOU WOULD!!!!

So, I need some advice. Would you put neosporin on it and wash it to keep it draining? Any advice on where to get antibiotics for animals that's not a vet?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[thewobsers]

Hello,
poor kitty. I had a calico cat who had been bit in the hind leg by another cat and it too abcessed... so after paying a chunk of money to the vet they told me to make a very weak solution of espsom salt and water and soak a cloth in it and lay it on the area for a few mins about 3-4 times a day...
well, of course they gave her shots and meds etc but any time any of my cats have had even a scratch i have done the epsom salt thing and it helped alot... hope it helps...

 

[pokachix]

If you can shave the area do so, it's easier to treat & you can see other punctures you may have missed. Keep the wound open till it heals completely. They heal from the inside out so soak something ( I like gauze cause it holds lots of fluid & is rough enough to keep the scab off)to clean a couple of times a day. I use peroxide but saline or the epsom salts work too. You can put antibacterial on but the cat wil lick it right off. Maybe Blu-Kote? Is there a "farm" vet in your town? They are much more likely to let you treat yourself. They will give you amoxicillin, (sp?)the same pink stuff your kids get, only different label! 1dropperful 2xdaily till gone should do it! Good luck!

 

[cyanne]

When I was a kid I had a friend whose parents ran a big sheep ranch. It was in SW Texas where there is a LOT of cactus and other assorted pokey stuff, so the sheep and lambs would often get abscesses in their legs and even their faces.

They had a hospital area where they would keep all of the sick, injured, and orphaned lambs so they could care for them...most of this was done without vet assistance, just the knowledge they had built up and the medicines they had on hand ordered from the vet.

Anyway, I remember helping out with the lambs that had leg abscesses and it was a fairly simple deal. We just used a sharp, sterilized knife (or rather my friend's mom did) to cut open the abscess, then we would squish out all of the yucky stuff inside and flush the area with lots of betadine. Afterwards the wound was NOT stitched up, it was left open to drain, but they wrapped the legs in vetwrap.

I saw the same thing with cats when I was a kennel tech at a vet clinic, the vet sedated the cat to keep it still, then cut open the abscess, drained, and flushed it out with a gentle antiseptic before leaving it open to drain and heal.

The real question is whether you can get your cat to hold still while you make a hole in the abscess (if there isn't a good sized one already) and flush everything out of there. Then you'd just need to clean it and maybe soak with some epsom salt every day until it heals on its own.

 

[Beekissed]

Careful what you post on here about home vetting, as you may get complaints. I was quoted $600-$800 for a vet treatment for my cat (replacing a subluxated hip joint) and was planning on trying to do something at home...posted on here and folks complained that it was cruel...they actually got the post removed!

Not too tolerant on here of country folks doing what we've always done without vet care.

 

[teenieborch]

Thanks everyone!

I did put a warm wet washcloth on it until the scab came off and some stuff (very little) came out of the dime sized bump. Probably a tenth of the size it was last night. I'll cut back the hair and soak it regularly, the epsom salts can't hurt.

Keep your fingers crossed, and thanks again for the help!

Oh, probably I'm not brave enough to lance it myself. I know it's what the vets will do if it doesn't get better with me helping in my non sharp knife way!

 

[cyanne]

Well, if there is already a good sized opening you probably won't need to lance it anyhow. Just squeeze out any gunk and clean it regularly. Don't use peroxide as that just damages healthy tissue, use something like betadine. Trimming the hair and soaking in epsom salts are great ideas, too.

Unfortunately, abscesses are just a common thing with cats, especially if they are let outside where they can get into a scuffle with other cats. Their claws and mouths are teeming with bacteria so whenever they puncture the skin there is a high probability that an abscess will form.

Thankfully not too serious unless the infection becomes systemic...fever, etc.

 

[teenieborch]

Thanks Cyanne,

I'll get some epsom salts in the morning, thought I had some but I don't. I'm assuming it's different than table salt?

Oscar did not like the sound of the scissors cutting his hair but I got a bunch off and moistened up the spot again.

I'll have time and energy to play docter again in the morning.

Ciao

 

[Farmer Kitty]

For antibiotic you can give a shot of 1 cc of penicillan once a day to the average sized adult cat. You can do this for 7-10 days. The back of the leg up toward the top is usually the best place to give a shot. You can get the peniciallan at a farm supply store but, if you know of someone with large animals (like a farm) you maybe better of seeing if you can get some from them as you will end up with way more than you will need for your kitty if you have to buy from a farm supply store.

This is the recommended dosage a vet has given me.

 

[rooster0209]

Peroxide is very good to use on an abcess...(its what my vet uses)

I have had to lance a few (a sharp knife works well or even removing the scab) and I feel bad doing it too, but at least I know the kitty will be better for it. Getting the puss out when the abcess was draining is the best thing to do. Rinse the open wound with peroxide. Apply an antibiotic ointment. (this is what my vet does) Check the wound the next day for any fluid build up. If there isnt any, kitty is ok. If the kitty shows signs of limping or stiffness or pain at the sight, then a round of antibiotics is necessary.

The suggestion of buying antibiotics and injecting yourself has already been suggested. the long acting penicillian is good, a shot every 2-3 days