My cat was bitten by a rat. What to do for urgent wound care?

Just make sure to keep an eye on it and try to clean it very gently at least once a day with warm water and a mild soap, you can use a gauze pad to do this. Dry it carefully and then apply your topical treatment. However, if this stresses him out too much, just continue as you have been doing. Make sure his toes stay pink and warm and he keeps getting better. If anything at all changes for the worse, swelling, weeping wound, loss of appetite or activity level, if his toes change color or get cold, get him back in to see your vet right away. It sounds like you're doing a good job caring for his injury.

It would be more helpful if you could post a couple photos of the wound. That way we can give you better advice. Treatments vary depending on how deep the wound is. In general it is best to clean it with Betadine 7.5% skin cleanser (use as directed on label) and then apply a thin layer of Betadine 5% antiseptic cream. http://ph.betadine.com/en/ph/wound-care If the area looks red or swollen at any time or you notice a bad odor with yellow/green discharge then you need to get Buggs to a vet for an exam. Best wishes.

Poor girl. Rats can carry some nasty diseases unfortunately, so it is best to wash this area with betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water for now and then I would go to your local pet store and rinse it also with an oral rinse that contains chlorhexidine. Ask the pet store employee and they should be able to point you in the right direction. This should be washed daily and then I would recommend scheduling an appt with your local vet to have her wounds checked out further. She likely will need a short course of antibiotics and pain meds if needed. I hope that your furry friend Chullie turns out ok. Best wishes and take care.

A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are usually needed. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello. I do not think this requires a veterinary visit. Clean this once or twice a day with a skin antiseptic like Hibiclens ( available in all pharmacies ) & dab the wound with just a tiny bit of triple antibiotic. If this does not heal in 10-14 days, do see your vet. Rats are prone to developing tumors, so you should have a non-healing wound looked at. But if it appears to be healing with this treatment, it is very unlikely to be worrisome. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

First make sure your cat is not acting abnormal or is breathing hard. If she seems to be her normal self, but a bit agitated, then she is OK to do some first aid. If not, then she should go to the vet as soon as possible. The best thing to do is flush the wounds with clean water for five minutes. You want to apply good force to the water, so it gets to the bottom of the holes. If the holes are over the rib cage, then do not do this. For now, do not apply any antiseptics or soaps, because this can actually do more damage than good. After doing this, you should schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. The wounds should be explored to ensure the wounds did not go too deep and to ensure a bad infection does not develop. The sooner she sees a vet, then less likely she is to develop a major complication. I hope that helps and Raven gets better soon.

The main stay of treatment is to keep the wound clean and dry. Make sure the bedding is cleaned regularly. With rodents, I recommend a dust free bedding called Carefresh. Rodents are very sensitive to dust in the environment. Also make sure that you are feeding a balanced diet approved for rodents and supplementing with healthy fruits and vegetables. Especially the leafy greens. Most healthy animals will be able to heal wounds on their own. Watch it every day for redness, swelling or discharge. If your mouse begins to lick at it too much, you may need to create a small cone to keep her from doing that. This is not generally a problem however. If it gets infected, there are veterinarians who treat rodents and this will generally resolve with antibiotics. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.