Treating a small wound

This morning I noticed a small wound on the little girl. It appears to
be scratch from a nail, but it is on her front leg. She may have
tussled with the boy. There is no blood and it looks as though she has
licked away some of the fur. What is the best way to treat this?
Antiseptic and bandage? Thanks in advance.

SOFT-TISSUE INJURIES

Less serious wounds can be treated as follows: Wash hands thoroughly and
restrain the cat. First smear a bit of ointment or petroleum jelly around
the wound area (not in the wound itself), so the hair will stick together
and not fall into the wound as you clip the fur away with scissors. Next,
clean the wound carefully with clean or sterile water. Wet a cotton swab or
gauze pad and clean the wound by washing gently from the center of the
injured area, working outward. When a cotton swab becomes soiled, throw it
away and use a fresh one to prevent contaminating the antiseptic with dirt
from the wound.

Safe antiseptics for cats include hydrogen peroxide, Bactine, and dilute
Betadine. After cleaning, blot away any excess water gently with a sterile
gauze pad and apply a suitable antibiotic, such as Neosporin or bacitracin.
Cover the ointment with a sterile gauze pad and bandage. Be sure the
dressing is taped carefully in place so the cat cannot easily reach the
loose-ends and untie it. Keep the bandage clean and dry, changing it daily
so that you can monitor the healing process. See a veterinarian as soon as
possible. The sooner the veterinarian sees the wound, the better the chances
for a surgical closure if stitches are required


provided by http://www.maxshouse.com/first_aid2.htm
"sideshow" wrote in message
...
This morning I noticed a small wound on the little girl. It appears to
be scratch from a nail, but it is on her front leg. She may have
tussled with the boy. There is no blood and it looks as though she has
licked away some of the fur. What is the best way to treat this?
Antiseptic and bandage? Thanks in advance.

Suddenly, without warning, sideshow exclaimed (3/14/2009 2:13 PM):
This morning I noticed a small wound on the little girl. It appears to
be scratch from a nail, but it is on her front leg. She may have
tussled with the boy. There is no blood and it looks as though she has
licked away some of the fur. What is the best way to treat this?
Antiseptic and bandage? Thanks in advance.

If it's bothering her enough that she's already licking the fur off, I'd
consider taking her to the vet. You can follow the instructions in the
other post, but consider with cats' sharp claws this could be a puncture
wound. They generally look small and insignificant, but untreated they
can become a nasty infection or abscess.

I've never had much luck keeping a bandage on my cat, unless I put an
Elizabethan Collar on her.

jmc

"Matthew" wrote in message
ng.com...
SOFT-TISSUE INJURIES

Less serious wounds can be treated as follows: Wash hands thoroughly and
restrain the cat.

So who's holding down the cat ?


First smear a bit of ointment or petroleum jelly around
the wound area (not in the wound itself), so the hair will stick together
and not fall into the wound as you clip the fur away with scissors. Next,
clean the wound carefully with clean or sterile water. Wet a cotton swab
or gauze pad and clean the wound by washing gently from the center of the
injured area, working outward. When a cotton swab becomes soiled, throw it
away and use a fresh one to prevent contaminating the antiseptic with dirt
from the wound.

Safe antiseptics for cats include hydrogen peroxide, Bactine, and dilute
Betadine. After cleaning, blot away any excess water gently with a sterile
gauze pad and apply a suitable antibiotic, such as Neosporin or
bacitracin. Cover the ointment with a sterile gauze pad and bandage. Be
sure the dressing is taped carefully in place so the cat cannot easily
reach the loose-ends and untie it. Keep the bandage clean and dry,
changing it daily so that you can monitor the healing process. See a
veterinarian as soon as possible. The sooner the veterinarian sees the
wound, the better the chances for a surgical closure if stitches are
required

PRAYERS ;-)
"dejablues" wrote in message
...

"Matthew" wrote in message
ng.com...
SOFT-TISSUE INJURIES

Less serious wounds can be treated as follows: Wash hands thoroughly and
restrain the cat.

So who's holding down the cat ?


First smear a bit of ointment or petroleum jelly around
the wound area (not in the wound itself), so the hair will stick together
and not fall into the wound as you clip the fur away with scissors. Next,
clean the wound carefully with clean or sterile water. Wet a cotton swab
or gauze pad and clean the wound by washing gently from the center of the
injured area, working outward. When a cotton swab becomes soiled, throw
it away and use a fresh one to prevent contaminating the antiseptic with
dirt from the wound.

Safe antiseptics for cats include hydrogen peroxide, Bactine, and dilute
Betadine. After cleaning, blot away any excess water gently with a
sterile gauze pad and apply a suitable antibiotic, such as Neosporin or
bacitracin. Cover the ointment with a sterile gauze pad and bandage. Be
sure the dressing is taped carefully in place so the cat cannot easily
reach the loose-ends and untie it. Keep the bandage clean and dry,
changing it daily so that you can monitor the healing process. See a
veterinarian as soon as possible. The sooner the veterinarian sees the
wound, the better the chances for a surgical closure if stitches are
required