Expert: Jessica - 6/3/2010

Question
Last Thursday, after a couple weeks of trying, we finally we able to get close to a stray kitten that appeared at our house. It was so weak and dehydrated by then so I ran to the store and bought it KMR formula and Royal Canine food. The very next day I took him to the vet which proceeded to tell me that he had been bit by something with a lot of teeth. Across its neck and under its chin was full of puncher wounds. It was so swollen that the profile of this kitten looked like a turtles. The chin was completely swollen and unrecognizable. The vet gave me some antibiotics and said he admired what we were doing. The vet tech ran out of the room and almost started crying. I don’t think either one believes it made it thru the weekend. That night we spent feeding the kitten with an eyedropper because he could no longer open his mouth. About every two hours we gave him some formula and the next morning he picked up his head and tried to meow. I cleaned him up and slowly this week I have watched him transform back into a recognizable kitten. The swelling is almost all gone, I cut all the mats off him, he is purring, meowing and no longer stumbling around. My question is that there are two holes left that are still open wounds. The one on the bottom of his chin is about the size of a dime and the one on his neck is about the size of a quarter. ( I can send a pic if you like)I give him a bath every night (with only warm water) and was wondering if there is any thing else I can do to speed up the healing of these open sores. Sometimes he starts itching and he accidentally hits one and cries. Can I cover them up? My vet told me not to cover it… but it was also draining a lot of infection. This seems to have stopped.
I saw somewhere to use colloidal silver. Is this safe and how do I use it? Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! (And Lucky thanks you too!)

Answer
Hi Bonnie.  So glad you found this little baby and were committed to saving him!  So many would have given up on him or just had him euthanized when they did catch him.  I'm happy to hear there are people like you who are willing to put in lots of hard work to help a seemingly hopeless case beat all odds and pull through!

It's best not to cover any wounds.  Fresh air has a lot of healing power all on its own.  Covering wounds with bandages can actually delay healing and encourage infection because it provides bacteria with the things they need to thrive - extra moisture, darkness and warmth.  Instead of covering wounds, you may apply Neosporin antibiotic cream in a thin layer to the wounds a couple times a day.  The cream is more desirable than the ointment because the consistency allows the wound to "breathe" more.  However, both types are safe for use in cats.  Try to apply it in the thinnest layer possible.  This will prevent this desire to lick it off.

Remember that your kitten has a very sizeable wound, especially the one on his neck, and healing is going to take a significant amount of time.  To assist in healing the larger wound, you might consider using a treatment called Granulex, which your vet might carry, or you can order online here: http://www.calvetsupply.com/product/Granulex_Liquid_1oz/Veterinary_Wound_Care    This will encourage the formation of granular tissue, the foundation for healing, which can be difficult to form with gaping wounds.  Generally, you would apply this twice daily after washing the wound, and apply Neosporin a couple of times during the day between the treatments.

If the kitten seems to be scratching his wounds intentionally, as they can sometimes itch as they heal, you may want to talk to your vet about prescribing an antibiotic cream that contains a steroid.  This will help him heal and relieve the itching.

As for colloidal silver, I wouldn’t bother with it.  There’s no evidence that it works to promote wound healing, and there is even some concern about its toxicity.  The Neosporin is a much better wound treatment.  

Best of luck to you and the baby!

Jessica