My kitten's bitten ear is detaching. What should I do for infection?

Bite wounds are often worse under the surface of the skin than they appear externally. I'm glad to hear that Alfred does not appear to be forming a swollen abscess, but he probably should receive a course of antibiotics from his vet. You can try keeping the open wounds clean with an antiseptic soap (such as Betadine or Chlorhexidine), but avoid putting hydrogen peroxide on the wounds. Be sure to keep Alfred from scratching at the wound and put an e-collar on him if necessary. I hope that all goes well!

Owie, it looks like your kitty has a cat bite abscess in her ear. Almost all cat bites are infected, so this is not unusual. The location is rather unusual. Maggots are gross, however in this case I think they helped clean the wound. Maggots are often used in human medicine to clean out infected wounds, so this is a tried and tested method, albeit, in your kitty's case not originally intended. This is all you can do for tonight. You did na nice job cleaning the wound and I see it is quite swollen, so now the swelling needs to go down. That might take a few days. Your vet will likely prescribe an antibiotic to keep the wound from festering again. If you have an e-collar at home, you could put that on your kitty to keep her from scratching the wound, however I suspect she will leave the wound alone anyway.

This type of wounds must be considered always infected. A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello. There may be a pocket of infection that just did not clear with the amoxicillin. You either need to change to another antibiotic ( like amoxicillin/clauvalanic acid known as Clavamox here ) or you need to go longer on the Amoxicillin. Speak to your veterinarian as to the best thing to do for Kaaryaa. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think it would be best to have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Usually traumatic injuries like bite wounds can become worse with time if not treated appropriately. Also, sometimes the external wound is just the tip of the iceberg and there is more to it internally or locally. Dog bites can also result in infections and antibiotics are often recommended depending on how deep the wound is. Good luck!

Surgery may be needed to clean the edges and see if the wound can be repaired. Often times, this does require some times for the tissue to declare itself before this is done to see what tissue will be healthy to save. All you can do until it is ready for surgery is keep it clean and stay on antibiotics to prevent an infection. Rechecks should be frequent to determine when surgery would be best. Cats are the best at healing and granulating in new tissue as long as the infection stays under control.

Agree that Mochi may greatly benefit from antibiotics. Infections related to fighting are common and these can become more severe the longer they are present (though the body will try to heal itself). have Mochi wear an elizabethan collar at all times to protect the wound. Keep the wound clean and dry. Keep Mochi inside. Here is a link about abscesses: https://www.petcoach.co/article/abscesses-a-common-skin-condition-in-cats/ You may look into financing through Care Credit or Scratch Pay. You may call the local humane society to ask if they offer/know of any low cost solutions. Moving forward, keep Mochi indoors and I recommend to have her spayed as there are many health and behavioral benefits to the procedure. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.