PetHealth

Does My Dog or Cat Have an Infected Wound?

“What are the symptoms of an infection in a pet’s wound?”

“My dog’s wound smells bad and has discharge. Is it infected?”

“Why is my cat’s wound red and swollen? Does this mean the wound is infected?”

At some point, your cat, dog or other pet will suffer a wound from a fall, bump, or even from a dog fight or cat fight.

So while cleaning a pet’s wound properly is vital to promote healing, infections do still occur from time to time. Do you know the symptoms of infection in a cat’s or dog’s wound?

Signs and Symptoms of an Infected Wound in a Dog or Cat

There are several symptoms that you may see if your pet’s wound, cut or even an incision gets infected. Signs of infection include:

• Redness
• Swelling
• Discharge (often thick, yellow or green in color)
• Odor
• Pain

Is Your Pet’s Wound Healing?

It’s important to note that some redness, swelling, discharge and pain is normal, but these symptoms will usually reach their worst point within 24 hours of the pet’s injury. After that point, the injury should be healing and improving; if the redness, swelling, discharge and pain associated with the pet’s injury seem to get worse, this is a sign of infection.

In addition, a wound should never have an odor. If the wound smells bad, this is a sure sign of infection.

Tip: Photograph the Wound Daily to Monitor Healing

Photographing a cat’s or dog’s wound with a digital camera is a great way to monitor healing.

It can be difficult to monitor healing by relying on memory when changes occur slowly. Comparing photographs gives you a way to monitor the progression of healing without having to rely on potentially flawed memories.

Photographs of a pet’s wound or injury can also be helpful to show a veterinarian if follow up care is required due to an infected wound or other injury.

Related Reading for Pet Owners

For more information on how to clean a pet’s cut or surgical incision, read this related blog entry titled How Do I Clean My Pet’s Wound?

Also read How Do I Clean a Dog Bite Wound? and Why Do Dog Bite Wounds Get Infected? for more information on how to treat these difficult-to-heal injuries in your pet.

Learn the Signs and Symptoms of Salmonella in Cats and Dogs

“What are the symptoms of salmonella in a dog or cat?”

“Can I get salmonella from my dog or cat?”

“Will my dog die from salmonella?”

“Has the peanut butter salmonella recall affected pet foods?”

Salmonella has been in the news lately as a result of the peanut butter recall due to salmonella contamination. The salmonella tainted peanut butter was used to manufacture pet treats, among other food products, spurring new cases of salmonella in dogs and cats.

What Are the Symptoms of Salmonella in a Dog or Cat?

In a pet, salmonella signs and symptoms include:

• Vomiting (often with blood present)
• Diarrhea (often with blood present)
• Dehydration
• Refusal to Eat
• Refusal to Drink
• Stomach Gurgling
• Lethargy
• Fever

Unlike less dangerous stomach upsets that are commonly seen in dogs and cats, salmonella will not go away within a day or two. In a dog or cat, a case of salmonella typically lasts a week or longer.

Can My Dog or Cat Die From Salmonella? Is There a Treatment for Salmonella?

Yes! Pets like dogs and cats can and will die from a case of salmonella.

Most dogs and cats who die from salmonella don’t die from the actual illness; most often, pets die from dehydration and other complications resulting from salmonella. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of a pet with salmonella is key.

Salmonella is diagnosed in dogs and cats by testing a stool sample.

There is no treatment to cure salmonella. If a dog or cat gets salmonella, the pet will require supportive care like IV fluids and nutritional supplements to treat dehydration and low blood sugar.

In addition, pet owners must be especially careful if a pet or human family member gets salmonella. Salmonella is one of the few illnesses that can be transmitted between pets and humans.

More Information on Pet Food Recalls That Are Linked to Salmonella in Dogs and Cats

As a result of the peanut butter salmonella contamination, several dog treats were recalled in January 2009.

To learn more about these pet food recalls due to salmonella, and how to learn about pet food recalls, visit the Pet Food Recall Page on The Pet Health Blog.

 The ASPCA’s Poison Control Hotline for Pets…..Call 888-426-4435

“How much chocolate is poisonous to dogs?”

“What medications are toxic for dogs and cats?”

“What foods are toxic to pets?”

“How do I know if my dog or cat has been poisoned?”

 Pets have a way of getting into mischief from time to time and no matter how conscientious you are as a pet owner, there’s always a chance that your dog could ingest a poison or toxin.

So what happens if your dog eats a pill? Wondering how much chocolate is toxic for a dog? Do you need to know if a certain drug or food is toxic to pets? The ASPCA’s Pet Poison Control Hotline can help!

How Does the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline Work?

Dog owners, cat owners and other pet parents can call the ASPCA’s Poison Control Hotline for pets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You’ll need to tell the hotline about your dog’s symptoms, what type of toxin or poison the pet ingested and other similar information.

Experienced veterinarians and pet toxicologists will give you information on whether the dog, cat or other pet ate a toxic dose and whether or not the pet should be brought to the vet. In some cases, pet owners may learn that the food, medication, vitamin, gum or other substance that the animal ate is not toxic!

In other cases, the pet poison control hotline staff may tell an owner that the pet is in danger and they may recommend a trip to the veterinarian’s emergency room.

Callers to the ASPCA’s Pet Poison Control Hotline will also receive directions on how and if to induce vomiting in your dog or cat, along with any other tips to help your pet after the poisoning incident.

How Much Does it Cost to Use the ASPCA Pet Poison Control Hotline?

There is a $60 fee for using the hotline. And it’s $60 may very well save your pet’s life.

The $60 fee is per incident, which means that there is no additional calls for follow-up calls to the hotline concerning the same case.

Remember that the funds will benefit a great non-profit organization and the $50 spent on the Poison Control Hotline could save you a $200 on an unnecessary visit to the 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic in cases where the pet does not require emergency treatment.

Call the ASPCA’s Pet Poison Control Hotline at 888-426-4435.

More Resources on Pet Poisoning and Toxic Items for Pets

• What Foods are Toxic to Dogs?
• What Items in the Kitchen are Toxic to Dogs?
• Xylitol Poisoning in Pets
• Chocolate Poisoning in Dogs
• How to Tell if a Pet Ate Rat Poison
• What Plants are Toxic to Cats and Dogs?
• The Most Common Pet Poisons of 2008
• The Pet Poisoning Page

Why is a Bite Wound More Likely to Get Infected?

“Will my dog’s bite wound get infected?”

“My cat got in a fight. How do I prevent the wound from getting infected?”

“I cleaned and disinfected my dog’s bite wound. Why did he get an infection?”

There’s several reasons why an animal bite wound is more likely to get infected. The following factors are the most common reasons for an infection in a pet’s bite wound.

* There’s lots of bacteria in the mouth. When a dog bite, cat bite or other animal bite occurs, the teeth essentially “inject” bacteria below the skin’s surface. The mouth has a very high population of bacteria so these wounds are contaminated with more bacteria than most other cuts, scrapes and wounds.

* There’s poor air flow in a bite wound. In addition, a bite wound is likely to have poor drainage and air flow. The bacteria is deep inside the skin where it’s warm, dark and it’s not exposed to air - perfect conditions to allow for more rapid bacteria growth.

* Swelling causes the wound to close up. The cat’s or dog’s bite wound is also more likely to be associated with swelling as a result of the pressure from the actual animal bite (which can involve hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch.) This can cause a bite wound to swell shut, trapping bacteria inside the wound.

* Bite wounds can be hard to see. There’s many cases where a cat or dog will suffer a bite wound and the owner may not even notice the small wound until a day or two after the fact, even on a short haired dog or cat. By this time, the bite wound is likely to be infected.

How Do I Help a Wounded Dog?

In order to help a cat or dog with a bite wound or if you need to to administer first aid in the case of another pet injury or illness, you’ll need a pet first aid kit. Check out First Aid Kits for Pets to learn what items should be included in a pet’s emergency kit.

Also check out How to Clean a Pet’s Wound for directions on how to clean and treat a pet’s cut, gash or scrape, and read How Do I Clean a Bite Wound? for tips to reduce the chance of infection in your pet’s bite wound injury.

Learn the Proper Way to Clean a Cat’s or Dog’s Wound

“My dog got a cut. How do I clean the wound?”

“Is there a way to prevent infection in my dog’s wound?”

“How do I know if my dog needs stitches?”

“How do I get my dog to stop licking his wound?”

“My cat got in a fight! What should I do?”

No matter how careful you are as a pet owner, accidents can and do happen. So there’s a very good chance that someday, your pet will suffer a wound, cut, scrape, bite or other wound. It’s important that you, as a pet owner, know how to clean a pet’s wound in a way that minimizes chances of infection.

How to Clean a Wound on Your Pet - The Right Way!

Apply Pressure to Stop the Bleeding - Apply firm pressure to the wound with a clean paper towel to stop the bleeding. In the case of bite wounds, it’s best to allow these to bleed (providing blood loss is not excessive), as the blood will flush out bacteria. I’ll have more in tomorrow’s blog entry about treating bite wounds.

Remove the Fur - Begin by trimming or shaving the fur from around the wound. Clear a 1-inch diameter around the wound to allow for better visibility of the wound site and for better air flow, which will help prevent infection.

Flush the Wound - Next, flush the wound with water to remove debris and bacteria. Flush the wound with water for 2 full minutes. It may seem like a long time, but it’s exactly what you need to remove the debris and bacteria.

 Wash the Wound - Using an anti-bacterial soap like Dial, wash the wound site thoroughly. Rinse the wound thoroughly too.

Disinfect the Wound - Disinfect the wound by pouring a disinfecting solution into the wound. Betadine is preferred, but if you don’t have it on-hand, hydrogen peroxide is a good second choice. Hydrogen peroxide can damage tissue, preventing healing so you can only use this full strength on the first two cleanings.  After that, you need to dilute the hydrogen peroxide 50-50 with water or better yet, switch to betadine.

Wipe Up the Excess Betadine/Hydrogen Peroxide - You can use a clean paper towel or gauze pads (avoid towels - they harbor bacteria) to wipe up any drips. But you must not directly contact the hairless 1-inch perimeter around the wound. This area must remain sterile to prevent infection.

Apply Antibiotic Ointment - Apply a generous amount of antibiotic ointment to the wound to help prevent infection. You really only need this for a couple of days.

Leave the Wound Unbandaged - You should leave the wound uncovered. One exception is if the wound involves the foot, which is prone to contamination. The other exception is if there is a large flap of skin hanging - this will require stitches, but you should clean the wound before going to the vet and you’ll want to bandage the wound to hold the skin in place and to prevent tearing of the skin.

Repeat This Process Every 8-12 Hours - You must regularly clean the wound 2-3 times per day to prevent infection.

Does My Cat or Dog Need Stitches?

Generally speaking, if a pet’s wound is less than 1 inch in length, then stitches will not be necessary. Larger wounds typically do require stitches.

If there is a flap of skin that was created by the injury, this is a case where stitches may be likely. Bite wounds are almost never sutured due to the extremely high chance of infection in bite wounds - stitching a bite wound will trap bacteria inside.

In addition, if a wound is more than 8 to 12 hours old,  most veterinarians will not put in stitches. After 8-12 hours, the chance of infection and wound contamination rises dramatically, so old wounds will typically be left without stitches.

Other Tips for Treating a Pet’s Wound at Home

Many dogs and cats will lick their wounds. You need to prevent this, as this will increase the likelihood of infection. So purchase a “lampshade” for your pet, also known as an “Elizabethan Collar” or “e-collar.” They’re available at your veterinarian’s office and at most larger pet supply stores like Petco and PetSmart.

Next time your dog or cat has a surgery, they may be sent home with a lampshade. Keep it! You never know when you may need it!

For more information on helping a pet with a wound, check out Bite Wound Treatments in Animals , along with How to Clean Bite Wounds and Does My Pet’s Wound Need Stitches?

Hypoglycemia in Dogs and Cats

“Does my dog have hypoglycemia?”

“How can I tell if my cat is hypoglycemic?”

“How do I help a dog with hypoglycemia?”

“How do you treat hypoglycemia?”

Hypoglycemia is a condition that occurs when an animal’s blood sugar drops to uncomfortable levels. Hypoglycemia occurs when a dog, cat or other pet does not eat for a period of time, usually due to illness, injury, stress or anxiety, which causes the dog or cat to lose his appetite.

How Long Does it Take for a Pet to Become Hypoglycemic?

The amount of time it takes for a cat or dog to become hypoglycemic depends on the animal’s metabolism.

If you feed your dog once a day, his metabolism will be slower since the dog’s body needs to make one meal “last” for 24 hours. A dog with a slower metabolism may be able to go without food for 36 hours before the dog develops hypoglycemia.

If you feed your dog twice a day, his metabolism will be faster, meaning the body will process sugars at a faster rate. A dog with a faster metabolism who eats meals every 12 hours could develop hypoglycemia in as little as 24 hours.

What Are the Symptoms of Hypoglycemia in Dogs, Cats and Other Pets?

The symptoms of hypoglycemia in pets include:

• Lethargy
• Weakness
• Shivering or Trembling
• Poor Appetite
• Irritability
• Increased Sleeping

Related Reading for a Pet Owner With a Sick Dog

Read How to Treat a Hypoglycemic Dog for tips on how to help a dog with hypoglycemia.

Is your dog sick? If so, check out the other articles on The Pet Health Blog designed to provide information for owners of sick pets, including, Is My Dog Sick?, along with Why Isn’t My Dog Eating? and Is My Dog Dehydrated?