My cat has a hip wound with pus and odor. What to do before vet?

I would take Rusty into a vet as soon as possible. It does look deep to me, and if it is deep, it may need sutures to close it so it can heal correct. In addition, it is infected which requires antibiotics. I would not try to treat this yourself as you won't have medicines needed to do it, and it's never recommended to self treat your animal because may accidentally do more harm than good. I would have Rusty seen by a vet tonight to prevent the infection from getting worse. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

You didn't include a picture so I cannot say for sure but the most common cause of leaking bumps on a cat would be an abscess, which is a pocket of bacteria, fluid, and inflammatory cells that is often caused by a wound (sometimes from a bite or scratch from another animal). I cannot rule out something like a cyst or a tumor that has grown too large and the skin has gotten stretched and broken open, or even a self inflicted injury from overgrooming, but the most likely answer is that this is an abscess. Pebbles should definitely be seen by her veterinarian, who will probably clean and flush the area and may recommend a culture of the area. They may also prescribe an antibiotic and maybe a pain medication, however in the meantime you can use warm compresses over the area to help it drain and to keep it clean if she allows you to. If you have an e-collar you can place that to prevent her from licking at the area and causing more bacteria (from her mouth) to enter the area. Good luck, I hope I could be helpful!

It sounds like Cocoa has one or two abscesses....which are deep pockets of infection. Most of the time these are caused by fight wounds in cats, but there can be other causes such as impacted anal sacs. Cocoa is going to need to see your veterinarian to get a prescription antibiotic to resolve the infection. Your vet will also clean the wounds and if this is too painful, she may require some sedation. Please try to get her to your vet as soon as you can.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry that you and Pablo are dealing with this situation. Please understand that we are not an emergency service so we cannot guarantee a quick reply. If he is leaking a lot all you can do is keep the wound clean the best you can and keep him in a confined area, like a bathroom, where it will be easy to clean up after him. Be sure he gets his antibiotics as scheduled. Unfortunately, the area where the incision is located is not an area that can be easily bandaged. Some people will fashion a human baby onesie (bodysuit) over the cat and put a maxi pad or something similar over the wound to catch the drainage. I do not know if that is something you can access easily. If you are not comfortable with the situation you can ask the vet to keep Pablo at the clinic until his condition is more manageable for you. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello. First, stop squeezing the wound. Every time you do, you reopen & possibly re-contaminate the lesion. Pick up some Hibiclens ( chlorhexidine antibacterial skin cleanser ) at any pharmacy & gently scrub the area twice a day. It will take time, but eventually this should heal.. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This photo looks like Ginger has an abscess, probably from a bite or scratch from another cat. The best option for treatment is to have the wound flushed out (sometimes sedation is needed for this) and putting Ginger on antibiotics for about 2 weeks. If you are unable to take her to the vet to have this done you can try cleaning the wound at home with some dilute iodine solution and warm water and then applying a topical antibiotic ointment. You would have to ensure that Ginger does not lick off the ointment and you would need to clean it at least once a day. If the abscess does not resolve with home therapy in 3 days then I would strongly recommend taking her in to the vet to be treated. If the infection does not resolve you run the risk of the infection moving into the blood stream which can be life threatening.

I recommend cleaning the area with a warm damp cloth to remove the discharge. Then you can apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. Actually, now that it’s draining the infection his fever should break and this should heal quickly. It’s important to keep it clean and for the wound to stay open so the infection doesn’t stay under the skin. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Smudge.