My cat has an infected wound with foul-smelling pus. Does he need a vet?

Ouch, poor Eddie! Unfortunately, it's impossible to fully assess this wound's severity from a picture alone. The wound itself looks fairly large and appears to be covered in a hair-crusted scab. The challenge likes in how deep the wound goes under the scab, and if it penetrates into the tooth roots, jaw, or salivary glands. To answer your question, yes, Eddie does need veterinary attention. Since he's afraid of people, it's likely that he will need to be sedated in order for your veterinarian to examine this wound. Your vet will need to determine the depth of the wound, and at a minimum, will need to clip the hair around the wound and clean it with an antiseptic cleanser. I fully expect that they'll prescribe an antibiotic or give a long-acting antibiotic injection, as it's likely that this wound is also infected. Try to get to the vet as soon as you can - preferably within the next day. Until your vet appointment, be sure to put an e-collar (cone) on Eddie to prevent him from scratching at this area, as that will make matters worse. Best of luck and I hope that he heals quickly!

Considering that there are multiple problems, I think it would be worth a vet exam. Skin infections along with eye infections can indicate that something is off in the blood chemistry, or with the immune system. I don't mean to scare you, but it's best to just get it checked. A vet would be able to better assess Mya's condition and determine if any further testes or treatment is needed. It's possible that these problems could get much worse if left to heal on their own, so I wouldn't recommend that. In the meantime, the wound should be cleaned well by flushing with clean water for five minutes twice a day. I do not recommend putting any soaps or antiseptics on the wound right now, because it could irritate the wound and delay healing. I hope that helps and Mya gets better soon.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Smokey! I am concerned that it could be a ruptured anal gland abscess. I recommend that you have Smokey seen today by a Vet especially since it looks worse today. His anal glands should be checked and if a ruptured anal gland it should be assess to see if surgery is indicated. Otherwise they are treated with an E-collar, antibiotics and pain medications. You can always post a picture, I'd be happy to look at it. I hope this helps!

Hi and thank you for your post. If it is oozing with mucoid discharge (pus), and is a large enough cut, it is infected I will likely need to be flushed out by your veterinarian and stitched up. Tibbz will need to be on antibiotics as well. I would take Tibbz into your veterinarian as soon as possible to have this taken care of. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like a deep, inflamed wound. Antibiotic ointment may not by enough to treat it and Collic possibly will need a course of antibiotic in form of tablets to get back to normal. I would recommend Collic to be checked over by your local vets to fully assess the wound and to recommend the best treatment option.

Hello, It appears that Jacoby may have a local infection, or abscess. This is an accumulation of pus that is generally treated with surgical drainage of the wound and a course of antibiotics. These are rarely life threatening, but the treatment may become more timely and complicated as the infection spreads. I also don't like to make infections on the head wait as they are so close to important facial structures. I would recommend trying to get him into a vet today rather than waiting as it will likely make treatment easier on the both of you. If your vet confirms an abscess, they will likely recommend a short anesthetic procedure to open the infection, and often drains are needed to be placed for the first few days to keep the wound from closing too soon and becoming re-infected. Antibiotic courses generally range from 1-2 weeks and often are available in both liquid and pill forms to make dosing easier. I hope this is helpful for you and Jacoby! If you have any follow up questions, please feel free to reach out to us. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This is a draining abscess. Please clean the area with a warm damp cloth until the discharge is gone. Then you can apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. If he’s not neutered I recommend getting him fixed so he doesn’t get into fights. If he’s sick then he probably has a fever from the infection and should have a veterinary exam and antibiotics. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Jasu.