My cat's paw cut has white fluid. Is it infected? Should I see a vet?

I'm sorry to hear about Gooty's injury, but I'm glad to hear that he's already been started on appropriate antibiotics and pain medication. The white discharge that you are seeing certainly could be some lingering purulent (pus-like) discharge that is an accumulation of dead white blood cells, but it is also possible that it is a fibrin (protein-like) substance that is promoting healing. I can't differentiate between these two discharge types from the picture, but either one is still normal to find just 2 days after a bite wound injury. If the discharge continues by early next week, or if Gooty experiences lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, or a decreased appetite, he should go back to the vet for further evaluation. I hope that all goes well and that he feels better soon!

Oh goodness, that looks like a deep infection. It could be bacterial or fungal, but I suspect more likely bacterial. He needs to see a veterinarian for an examination and treatment plan. However, in the meantime if he will allow you to soak his foot in warm water and Epsom salts that may be soothing and beneficial. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi, in the first picture it looks like there could be a bit of infection as the fluid seems cloudy. Looking at the second one the skin lesion looks more like podo dermatitis, an inflammation of Jeff's pad. I think it is worthy to have hm checked over, in order to get some medications and help him towards a speedy recovery. If you don't take him to see your vet, his foot will continue to get worse and every time he puts his foot down to walk he will be in a lot of pain. I think your vet will not need to run tests but just give him some medications and therefore cost should be limited. All the best and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !

Yes, I would recommend a vet check up. It might just be a skin infection that will benefit from a good clean and possibly antibiotics treatment. It is best that a vet checks it though in case there is anything caught in the paw itself that needs to be removed. Hope this helps !

Based on your description and the appearance of the paw, my suspicion is that Finley was either bitten / scratched by another animal or he suffered some sort of puncture wound from something else. If there is a yellowish exudate emanating from the effected area, there is likely a significant infection occurring that will require a systemic antibiotic to fix. I would also be concerned about a fever. You should go ahead and obtain a temperature at your house rectally. See if it is above 102.5-103.0. If so, the infection is definitely real and Finley could probably benefit from some fluids as well and an NSAID to decrease the temperature. In order to prevent any further damage to the area, the use of a collar to stop Finley from licking his paw would be great. You can make one of these at home if you don't want to buy one commercially. Anyway, I think a vet visit would be the safest bet in this case. If you decide to wait, I really think you may ultimately end up having to go anyway but with matters only worse. Hope this is helpful.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. The cut appears to be all of the way through the paw pad on the affected foot. I would suggest having this wound looked at by your vet if you can so that Bobbi can receive antibiotics and receive proper treatment. However, if you are unable to get to your vet, you could try and keep the foot clean using a diluted Betadine solution (mix Betadine with saline to get a weak brown tea color) and use this to clean the Wound. I would then switch to a different litter such as yesterday's news so that he is not getting fine litter sand in the wound. I would monitor the area for signs of swelling and discharge as this is going to be highly prone to infection. If you notice any signs of infection I would get him to your vet as soon as possible. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via phone or text based consultation if needed.

No, I do not think that bathing in saltwater is enough. This is a very painful abscess that really needs to bee seen by a veterinarian. Your kitty will need antibiotics and pain medicine. Sometimes this can be caused by an autoimmune disease. cancer or an injury.