Fight with a cat - Lenny injured?
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I will take him to the vet tomorrow, but in the meantime, is there something I can buy at the store to flush his wound to try to get rid of bacteria? or some kind of ointment I can put on it?
Our first reaction most times is to stop any bleeding. Instead, stem the bleeding if it is excessive, but bleeding from a small wound, especially a puncture helps to cleanse the wound. We use a damp, warm compress (washcloth) to keep the wound open and draining. In my home, we also shave the immediate area (if we think the wound is deep) and wash with liquid anti-bacterial hand wash to cleanse the site until we get to the vet.
This has worked well for us. A topical never seems to work for me as the dog either licks it off or in my case, the companion dog licks it off. Still, the same thing is achieved, the wound is kept open and clean. The innate behavior of our dogs is something we all can learn from.
I have had very few feral cat bites to my dogs (just 2), but squirrel bites are common. (Darwin is alive practicing 'selection' in my back yard:) Some day I'll post the not so good aspect of doggie doors–-dead squirrels in the house:eek: )
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back from the vet. got an earlier appointment… wound cleansed, pain killers and antibiotic prescribed.
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Good luck. I have, in addition to my two basenjis, seven cats. I've always had cats and they give each other (not the ones that live in my house together, but other neighborhood cats) puncture wounds. Gross as it sounds, I've learned to pick at their scabs so any infection can drain because of the likelihood of abcesses.
And I agree - our female dogs are the tougher ones. My boy is a big baby - it's my Rosie you have to look out for in a fight.
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I've also had a dead squirrel in the house, and the dogs had scratched up noses, but except for the surprise of it, all was well - no infections. The dogs - particularly my female - were very proud.
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So the vet prescribed clavamox and rimadyl which i gave to lenny when we got home. he's been pretty much lethargic and sleeping all evening, and i just picked him up to take him upstairs and noticed his ears seem unusually hot. he has been curled up in a ball in his dog bed so that could have something to do with it, but i'm not sure.
i called the vet and she says neither drug should cause an elevated temperature, or lethargic behavior.
maybe he's just recovering from the excitement of the day, but he seems way less lively and his ears are hotter than normal. unfortunately i don't have a thermometer otherwise i'd take his temp properly. i was just comparing them to Tayda's ears and thought they seemed warmer.
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When Phoenix got into a fight a few mths back with his brother My vet prescribed the same thing and it made Phoenix sleepy it's the pain killers i believe that do it cuz when he was done with them he was back to his ole self again . i wouldnt worry too much maybe just the excitment from the vet the fight and the meds. He's not throwing up right ? But i would say it's the pain meds that are making him lethargic..
I hope he feels better soon !!!!
