My cat's spay wound dried up. Is it healing? Why is she lethargic?

Hi and thanks for your request. From the picture it does not look like it is extremely inflamed but the leakage is concerning, especially if particularly persistent. It is unlikely that the wound is open and if she is fine in herself there is room to wait and monitor her. I would recommend to have her checked if the leakage persist in the next 24 hours.

It all sounds normal. Cat bite abscesses can really take a toll on their bodies. Draining is good - it means that the infective material is getting out of the body rather than staying trapped under the skin. You can keep it clean by gently wiping with a warm wet washcloth before applying the topical medication. Decreased appetite and lethargy are also normal, but if they last longer than 24-48 hours, I would call your vet to see if she needs to go in for a recheck. Otherwise, just let her rest and heal.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would agree with the veterinarian that the blood work does not look concerning at this time. If his appetite has decreased with antibiotics, I would recommend discontinuing the antibiotics and seeing how his appetite improves. If he continues to be inappetant or is lethargic, I would have the veterinarian recheck him to ensure everything is ok. If he continues to be itchy, I would recommend using a topical shampoo such as Douxo PS shampoo which can be found online quite easily and bathe twice weekly until resolved. I would also recommend using Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent, which can also be found online. If he continues to be itchy, it may be time to consider switching to a different food or even consider seeing a veterinary dermatologist. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

If this is how her incision looked when you took her back in for the recheck, then your vet probably thinks that it will heal on its own - we call this second intention healing. This is a reasonable way to heal a wound that only affects the skin. If the vet thought that the wound extended deeper than just the skin, then Bonnie would need to have the sutures replaced. The down side of healing by second intention is that it takes much longer for the wound to heal - it could be several weeks of having her wear the e-collar. Because of this, often my clients will prefer that we go ahead and sedate and clean up the wound to place new sutures. Healing would then be expected in around 10 days.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There could be an infection developing or even inflammation that will make healing more difficult. I recommend having them evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment which will likely include the use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. Good luck and have a good day!

The incision looks ok from the picture. I see some dried blood, some crusting probably from a bit of leakage from the wound, but no signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus). Still keep Suki as calm as possible so the incision can continue to heal. I hope this helps.

That looks like a pretty bad wound that needs to be seen by your vet. Wounds on cats can easily get abscessed (infected) and if Nani is also weak and not eating I would be concerned he is very ill or in a lot of pain. Your vet can clip and clean the area, stitch up or drain any wounds/swelling, and provide you with pain medications and antibiotics to help with recovery.