Young Feline Suffers from Serious Wound Infection
“He’s gonna be a big boy—he’s at 10.5 pounds now,” said Jody, his mom. “He loves his fur sister (she loves him back most of the time), eats a ton, and loves to cuddle. We are so happy to have him as part of our family.”
Thanks to the dedicated team inside our Pet Health Centers, Fritz made it through the pain and came out a new cat with a new life ahead. But none of this would have been possible without the generous support of our Help Me Heal Program. Because of donors like you Fritz, and countless other animals suffering from pain and neglect are able to get the lifesaving care they need. Thank you for your continued support.
There is great news! Fritz’s wound is looking better with each day that passes. The dead tissue around the wound was debrided, or removed, two times since he has been under the care of the veterinarians in our Pet Health Centers. He also no longer needs the wound vacuum that he was on for a few days. As you can see, the results are amazing!
“The wound has basically shrunk down to almost nothing. It should scab over in no time and then he will be in the home stretch of his recovery,” says Dr. Mark Verdino, Animal League America Senior Vice President & Chief of Veterinary Staff. “We are also doing laser therapy to accelerate the healing.”
Thanks to the continued support of our Help Me Heal Program, this type of state-of-the-art care is available for an animal like Fritz. Receiving round-the-clock care and compassion as he continues his journey to a full recovery.
Warning: Some images may be graphic and heartbreaking.
The veterinarian held the young cat gingerly, being careful not to touch near the gaping wound on his side to cause him any more pain. Fritz first arrived at our no-kill Adirondack Region Cat Adoption Center in upstate New York suffering from a wound that, even after medical intervention, was not healing. Knowing he would need urgent, yet delicate, care he was immediately brought to the Pet Health Centers on our campus in Port Washington, N.Y.
“Fritz had a wound that unfortunately ruptured and got infected and progressed to the point it is at now. There are staples still here from the initial surgery to attempt to close it,” said Dr. Marina Tejada, Supervising Veterinarian at Animal League America’s Pet Health Centers. “So, at this point, we will go in and debride, or remove, the dead tissue, clean it really well, and place a wound vacuum system to stimulate circulation and cell growth and allow for healing.”
Because of the crusting and scabs and dirt, the veterinarians will need to sedate Fritz to really clean the area and see what the skin looks like. With a severe wound like this, Fritz may need to go through multiple surgeries to debride the tissue and clean the wound again to assist with its closure. He will most certainly have a long recovery period.
Generally, the veterinarians here use broad spectrum antibiotics to help the shelter pets. If the bacteria in this wound proves to be resistant, they will need to grow a culture so they can use specific antibiotics. The staff will have to watch Fritz carefully as there is always a risk that the infection could spread in his body. Fritz will probably need a host of medications to get this infection under control.
Dr. Tejada thinks that the wound may have been like this for a few weeks, but cautions that “it is hard to gauge the amount of time because when infection sets in the wound can worsen rapidly.” Fritz is on pain medication to keep him as comfortable as possible.
Animals can remain stoic through adversity, but everyone knows that a wound like this is painful and Fritz is very brave. He will need every ounce of courage as he struggles to overcome the infection. We’ll be right there with him—helping him eat, making sure he gets his antibiotics and, of course, giving him love and encouragement.
But we can’t do this alone. For Fritz to get the chance to heal as he needs to, and have the best quality of life, we need you. Your donation today to our Help Me Heal Program will give Fritz, and other sick and injured animals, the lifesaving care they need to overcome their pain and suffering. Then one day, become the beloved companion animals they were always meant to be.
