Expert: Jessica - 9/5/2010

Question
My eighteen year old cat recently had an accident in the house as I think he stepped on a displaced carpet tack then ran up two flights of stairs and fell down part way.  His paw was very swollen and I put some wound spray on it and peroxide solution, dunking his paw in it about 2 times a day.  Last week I took him to the vet, I always hesitate to do this as he is totally unmanageable there and he really cannot get a proper exam.  He was given a shot of covenia (lasts for two weeks) and sent home.  Should I be doing anything else for him as his paw is still swollen. Any type of rinse, saline I really feel frustrated that I cannot help him.

Answer
Hi Carolyn,

The Convenia should really have had the infection improving greatly within about 48 hours if it was going to work.  Convenia is approved for wounds like this, but my experience with this antibiotic has not been very positive.  Unless your kitty was just seen on Friday, or Thursday at the earliest, you need to call your vet and report that the foot is still swollen.  Most times, the vet will want to send home an oral antibiotic.  

Also, it would be wise to ask for an anti-inflammatory if the vet did not give him an injection while he was there.  Cats can receive some non-steroidal anti-inflammatories safely.  Humans take medications like Motrin or Alleve, but these are toxic to cats.  Cats can take similar medications such as Rimadyl, which is usually given as an injection that lasts for 3 days, or Metacam.  Metacam can be given as an injection or be sent home as an oral suspension.  These medications reduce pain and swelling.

Most of the time, it's advised not to use warm soaks on swollen areas, because heat can increase swelling.  So unless there is pus that needs to be encouraged to drain from the wound, I would not soak his foot anymore.  If the vet noted an abscess during the exam and suggested that you keep the wound open with warm soaks, then continue to soak the foot as directed.

Peroxide is cytotoxic, meaning it kills healthy cells and prevents wound healing, so this shouldn't be used as any type of rinse.  Also, many wound sprays such as Bactine are toxic to cats.  One good wash to use is Chlorhexiderm flush.  This is a blue antiseptic wash that you can get from your vet.  It can be sprayed directly from the bottle and then rinsed off with a little water, or if the foot needs to be soaked, it can be mixed with water to make a nice antiseptic soak.  Other than this, the only thing I would suggest is a mild soap such as Dial anti-bacterial hand soap mixed with water, or Wound Wash by Simply Saline to keep it clean.  This comes in an aerosol can and is available at pharmacies.  These should only be necessary if there is an open wound on the foot, however, that needs to be kept clean.  If the wound has scabbed over, and his main problem is swelling at this point, it's best to leave the foot alone.  Touching it will probably just prolong the inflammation.

I hope he's feeling much better soon!

Jessica