Infected foot pad/ surgical site that won't heal - Page 2

Back of a foot seems a strange place for a cat attack. It might have been all sorts of causes, can't see that it matters any more by now. Your chief problem seems to be the site of the injury now, because as you know any place that is so flexible is always going to be difficult to heal.

You have not mentioned what was said to you about resting the foot, I just wondered if you have curtailed his exercise sufficiently ? I know it is difficult & a pain, but sometimes with bendy bits of the body the only way to get a good result is extreme crate-rest. Also, if he keeps licking it you really should have him in a cone or buster collar to ensure he can't get at it. And give him plenty to distract and amuse him, food-stuffed kongs etc. The prednisone ensures he will be interested ! Often it is the simple practical measures that make more difference to the outcome than meds and surgery.

 

Best wishes; I hope he is fully healed soon !

I do not understand your vet's statement: "Because this has been going on for so long, he doesn't think it was a spider or snake because the reaction would have been much worse."

 This is simply not true.  Spider bites  may hust imediatelly but the demage starts and pprogresses  slowly and make take months to heel. 

It would also be telling how far  appart the martks are or were.  

 

 distribution of spiders which are venomous to humans ( and dogs) 

:

http://www.phsource.us/PH/ME/PH_Spiders/Venomous_Spiders_Map.htm

Results are back. Everything came back good. One of his liver enzymes were elevated but vet is thinking this is due to the pred. Will continue with the pred, and see if that works. If not next step is to biopsy the site where the draining is happening if the pred doesn't stop the draining. Thanks everyone for all the support and advice! I will keep you posted !

He has been on extreme crate rest and we have been wrapping the foot anytime he goes out to the bathroom or when he was wanting to lick it. When we initially started the pred we also had him on a sedative for a few days to keep him relaxed so that the foot could be unwrapped allowing it air to dry and heal. As of right now, with the extended prednisone, it has stopped draining and he is not licking it. The only activity he gets is going to the bathroom and thats it. I wish I could up load a picture of what it looked like when it initially happened. I couldn't even see the other puncture wound form his hair. We found out there was a second little hole when the vet cleaned up the area. ( Sorry I missed these two posts earlier I didn't realize they were on the 2nd page ) Will update with progress.

Hello There,
first let me say i am so sorry for all you and your pet are going thru. I know it must be difficult but are you able to keep him in a rest state. My male did not finally heal from his injury until I became super strict with the rest confinement...not sure what your vet has asked for. I did want to mention a holistic remedy that really works...RAW honey...to be specific, Manuka Honey. My mom was a bad diabetic and they could not get her wound to heal...i used the raw Manuka Honey topically and she healed within 2.5 weeks with immed. improvement. The same for myself when i received a bad gash across my ankle. Please review the below article by Dr Mercola/Dr Becker...in it you will see the paw of a cat healed from a terrible wound...with Manuka honey. The clinical aspect is there to support.
Best of luck to you!

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/07/23/manuka-honey.aspx

I was going to suggest honey . But then I did not since people already think I am nuts. But I know of a case of man having gangrene and they were going to amputate his hand. he stuck his hand into jar of honey for several days an gangrene disappear. Now I am not doctor and this not an medical advice. Just something I know have happened. Honey is topical antiseptic and will dry the wound and the enzymes of  RAW  honey will absorb many toxins. 

Modern archeologists, excavating ancient Egyptian tombs, have often found something unexpected amongst the tombs’ artifacts: pots of honey, thousands of years old, and yet still preserved. Through millennia, the archeologists discover, the food remains unspoiled, an unmistakable testament to the eternal shelf-life of honey.


Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-behind-honeys-eternal-shelf-life-1218690/#XBlmZXweFDP5JFOG.99
 

That alone proves that no microbes will touch. Of course honey will fermented when diluted in water but nothing much will touch it in honey's original consistency and raw condition.

Manuka honey is what I was going to suggest. It is what is used on people at wound clinics who have wounds that refuse to heal. If your vet cannot get some for you order it online.

I've used just raw honey in a pinch on a tail with a bad cut. Vet thought a Mt. Lion had gotten a hold of one of our dogs due to the cut tail and damage to the soft tissue on the back of her leg. The edges of the cut began to rot and smelled horrible. The vet continued to clean, give antibiotics and wrap. In desperation I trimmed the edges myself, poured raw honey on the wound and wrapped well. After 2 days you could see granulation, the smell was gone as the rotting stopped and she healed completely in about 2 weeks.

Good luck getting that wound healed.

Have to agree about the manuka honey, fantastic stuff. bol

I pour honey on wound and wrap it in saran wrap and then with regular bandage over it . Keep it on for as long as possible . Re-wrap every day. I use the "lamp shade" collar to keep the dog away from it.