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What is an abscess?
By definition, an abscess is a
collection of white blood cells, decaying tissue, fluid, and usually
bacteria in a pocket that has been walled off from the rest of the body.
Why did my cat get an abscess?
Cats are natural predators and are
instinctively prone to protect their “turf” by fighting.
With their sharp claws and teeth, it is very common for cats to
inflict deep penetrating wounds in their adversaries. When their dirty
nails and teeth penetrate the skin, they leave nasty bacteria below the
surface of the skin and inside the muscles. These
bacteria start to reproduce and spread throughout the tissue in which
they were introduced. As they reproduce, they
release toxins that cause the tissues around them to be killed.
As this happens, the pet’s body responds with inflammation, which
brings more blood to the area. The increase in blood
flow brings the white blood cells into the area that begin to fight the
bacteria. Some of the white cells attempt to kill
the bacteria while others try to make a thick wall around the battle
zone to help prevent the spread of the infection to other parts of the
body. This thick walled area filled pus consisting
of red and white blood cells, dead and dying tissue and bacteria is
called an abscess.
What are the symptoms of an
abscess?
If the wound was caused by the prick
of a claw, it may be difficult or impossible to see a wound on the
surface of the skin. In the case of bite wounds,
there may be small holes or scabs at the point of penetration.
Unfortunately, with the thick fur of cats, many times, owners
don’t realize that there has even been a fight until the abscess starts
to form. During the first 1-3 days after the fight
wound, the area involved will typically be warm to the touch and painful
to the pet. The pet may seem depressed and not want to eat.
Often times, they will seem “cranky” and vocalize when you touch
or pick them up. Sometimes they will hide or just
lay around. Frequently, owners don’t really know
what is wrong specifically with their kitty, only that something is
wrong. As the days pass, the bacteria reproduce
exponentially (very rapidly) and the amount of pus that develops in the
abscess causes the area to swell significantly so that the owners can
actually see it. Toxins from the bacteria spread
through the blood stream and often times cause a fever in your pet.
Hence your pet may feel warm to the touch. As
the abscess grows in size, it exposes the tissues around it to toxins,
which can kill them. In addition, as the fluid
builds, it causes pressure on the skin around it.
This chokes off the blood supply to the tissue and skin and eventually
kills it. The dead skin becomes weakened and the
abscess may rupture and release very nasty smelling pus from the wound.
How do we treat abscesses?
If you know your pet got in a fight
and is exhibiting the symptoms listed above. The first thing to do is
bring them into the veterinarian. Frequently, if we
catch the abscess in the early stages (before it has had a chance to
build a shell around it) treatment with antibiotics alone may be enough
to fix the problem. Unfortunately, once the abscess
has formed, we generally have to open it up surgically and drain it in
order to correct the problem. The reason for this is
that once the wall has been formed around the abscess, antibiotics have
trouble penetrating into the area. In addition, the
pool of pus deactivates most antibiotics. During the
surgery, we will open up the abscess and remove the pus and debris in
it. Often, we will take a sample of the pus and send
it to the lab to find out what type of bacteria is causing the infection
and which antibiotics will effectively kill it.
Then, we cut away any tissue and skin that is dead or dying. Finally, we
implant a plastic drain tube to allow any further pus to drain out of
the body rather than reforming an abscess. We close
the skin with stitches and place the cat on antibiotics for 7 to 14
days. The drain tube is usually removed in 3-6 days
and the cat is sent home with a plastic “Elizabethan” collar to prevent
the premature removal of the drain and/or stitches.
What can I do at home to
ensure my pet’s recovery?
We encourage you to apply warm moist
compresses to the wound 2-3 times daily during the postoperative period.
This encourages blood to come to the area to help it heal.
It also encourages contaminated pus to drain from the wound.
You should keep the Elizabethan collar on your pet at all times
during the healing phase. The medication must be
given as directed and you should keep your pet indoors until the sutures
are removed. If the wound begins to open up, smells
bad, or doesn’t appear to be healing, as you would expect, be sure to
bring your pet in for evaluation.
What is
the prognosis for my cat?
Abscesses can be very serious
diseases. Because they stem from fighting,
frequently there can be damage done to the underlying muscles, bones and
nerves. If left untreated, abscesses can readily
kill your pet. When treated with appropriate
surgical technique, 80-90% of abscesses will go on to heal in a couple
of weeks. In some cases, the skin around the abscess
may continue to die off, in spite of the surgery and the wounds may pull
open. In this case, a second surgery may be
warranted. Occasionally, an abscess is infected with
bacteria that are resistant (can’t be killed) by the Antibiotic
selected. In these cases, a culture and sensitivity
test and addition of other antibiotics would be necessary.
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