[iheartkittys]

2 nights ago, my cat Chandler, was trying to get my dogs bone out from under the dishwasher (he likes to chew on her bones :mrgreen: ) Anyway, so he was trying to knock it out and he somehow cut his paw (actually on the inside of his leg where the 5th claw is- the claw itself wasn't damaged but there is a cut that runs along that area) on something underneath the machine. It bled -not too severely- and I poured peroxide on the cut ..kitty didn't care for that much. I took him to the emergency vet anyway - they estimated a total visit cost of $450!!

Now, I am the kind of person who would -if possible- donate a kidney to this cat - and i can't stand the people who won't get their animals better because it costs too much - BUT i am a student and don't have $450 laying around for anything! I left the emergency vet and returned home with plans of seeing the regular vet the following morning.

The next morning, I looked at his paw and the wound had closed up and it was no longer bleeding, nor was Chandler limping on it or acting like it bothered him. So, I didn't take him in to the vt. The area that was cut is puffy, and I noticed today that he walks on that leg just find but when he pauses and sits down, he will lift the paw up (as to avoid putting weight on it)
So, what do you guys think I should do? I poured peroxide on it again this morning, and no bubbles appeared which leads me to believe that the wound is closed....but I am afraid it may be harboring an infection. All suggestions are welcome and appreciated!!! Thanks Guys!!!

 

[queen of the nile]

Did they tell you why it would cost so much? $450 is certainly more things than just a vial of antibiotics :lol: . Maybe they thought it would be best to amputate that little claw? I'm not sure but I think you should take him to the regular vet anyway. I think the regular vet would probably only cost 1/2 as much.

 

[Socksipuss]

I agree with queen of the nile - you should go to a vet to check it out. Good luck!

 

[Empath]

An infection can be deadly. A previous cat I use to have, named Merlin, died from complications of such an infection. We never realized where the infection was until the damage had progressed too far. We took him to the vet, because he lost interest in eating and basically didn't look or act healthy. They gave him a full checkup, and provided us with a sheet of paper indicating everything they checked. The toes were included (that's another story, but I think they just checked it off without checking). They did diagnosis it as an infection and provided us with antibiotics.

A few days later he seemed to be getting progressively worse. That's when we noticed a bleeding from in between a couple of toes. A closer inspection revealed a puffiness and a small open sore. We took him back to the vet, and they identified it as the source of the infection. They scheduled surgery for the next day. That night he went blind, and was losing his balance. The following morning before his appointment he died.

It seems for a long time, we felt so responsible for not noting his wound earlier. If we had only known.

Fortunately you know of the wound. Knowing though, is only advantageous if he gets proper attention early.

I'm not saying the same thing will happen to your kitty. I just felt it worth sharing.

 

[iheartkittys]

the $450 was made up of a $150 initial exam fee (because it was an emergency place) amputation was not necessary only a few stiches to hold the skin together and that included putting him under and the stiches, and then anti biotics- a little outrageous i know