My rescued kitten's tail wound looks fresh. Does it need care?

You should have a vet take a look at his tail to determine the best way to treat. It may need to be amputated and your vet can make that decision after an examination. He will also need an antibiotic and pain medications to help treat.

If the tip of Tar's tail fell off, you need to take her into the vet immediately. That white string may actually be bone, and the tail needs to be sutured. Neosporin will not help her, please take her into a vet right away, this is a medical emergency.

This looks like is may be a bite wound abscess that ruptured. Ideally, it should be addressed by your veterinarian. Surgery may be indicated to clean and flush the wound. Antibiotics and pain medication may also be indicated. Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent licking until he sees the doctor. You may need to confine him indoors until he is healed.

You can try applying Neosporin and giving it time. Unfortunately, tip of the tail injuries like this can be very difficult to heal since there is not much tissue or a very good blood supply to the very tip of a cat's tail. Sometimes they are licking it to clean even when you don't see, which will significantly slow healing. If it doesn't appear to be healing in a few days, then your kitty should get checked out by a vet. Sometimes we need to amputate the tip of the tail so that we can close healthy tissue over the bone to aid with healing.

Unfortunately, only an x-ray or a bone sticking out of the skin will tell you if it is broken. Tail injuries can be very serious, even if there is not a broken bone. Since they are very far away from the body, there is less blood flow that creates a condition for poor healing. I would strongly recommend seeing a vet. Depending on the amount of skin that is damaged, the vet may recommend amputation of the damaged part of the tail to help with healing. If you choose to treat at home, you need to try to clip the hair away from the wound so it can stay clean. You will need to prevent all licking, since this will delay healing and spread bacteria. You should clean it 2-3 times per day with water and a mild chlorhixidine wound soap. You can apply neosporin after cleaning the wound. Do not use alcohol or peroxide.

I would strongly recommend taking her to your vet as she will need to have an antibiotic injection to prevent an infection from surely happening. the are should be clipped and clean as much as possible but a course of antibiotics is crucial.

The skin over the wound may be dying due to the infection. I recommend cleaning the area with a hot, damp cloth to loosen the scab and encourage the puss to drain out. Then you can apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. If she won’t let you clean it because it’s to painful then take her in for pain medication and sedation so they can clean and treat the wound and infection. They will also prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Nyla.