Ask the Veterinarian/cat necrosis

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Expert: - 1/5/2010


Question
hey,
I was petting my cats tail when i noticed that he had a wound. There was no hair at all and about 4 cm down it turns into like its breaking off. the first part of it is white and down towards the end of it its like a reddish color. do you think this is necrosis? do you think it should be amputated? please drop a quick line of text and you opinion thanks for your help in advance.

Answer
Ok I am a bit confused about the "about 4 cm down it turns into like its breaking off" part. What does, his tail?

Let me just say this. Cats get abscesses on their tails from bites from other cats all the time if they are allowed outside. They can lose their tails or part of their tails from the resulting infections.
They can also get diseases such as Leukemia and FIV from these bites, as well as rabies if the other animal happens to be a wild animal with rabies.

So make sure your cat is vaccinated against rabies first and foremost. Get him neutered if he isn't already- that makes them less likely to fight.

Now, having said that, you should have his tail looked at by the vet or this infection could go very deep and he could lose his tail. We see this commonly. White skin is usually skin with no blood supply- black or purple skin is necrotic. Red skin means there is some blood supply and that is probably where the infection is still alive.

No matter what, he needs to see a vet soon. He will need antibiotics for this wound and he will need it cleaned and flushed out and maybe sutured.

So call tomorrow and make him an appointment.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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