Topic: cat bite (Read 4808 times)

MrsR · « **Reply #36 on:** April 08, 2009, 13:40:27 PM »

Yes I would use Hibiscrub too a lot of the time but its only because I know what I was looking at if I got a wound hun. You cannot go wrong with basic water and soap.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #35 on:** April 08, 2009, 13:19:35 PM »

that seems a really good idea to me too. A bite can seem so trivial at first, especially if it's like this and not an attack by an angry cat. I was bitten early in the morning and just went 'ow' and forgot about it, kept feeding Swampy etc and only washed it about 10 mins later. I give Swampy so many pills and often he's caught me a little bit, but I did recognise at the time that this one was a bit more painful so his toofies must have gone in deeper. Plus he was on abx so I wasn't that worried and it is a small puncture wound. When I went to the surgery they tried to fob me off with the nurse too and didn't prioritise my appointment, so don't assume that the medical surgery receptionists are 100% on the ball on this one either. I am sure they are at A&E though. Mind you, here you could go to A&E and only be seen hours later. So I need or needed to know what a real emergency is, as I can't leave Swampy for 5 - 6 hours to go there unless it's essential.

The GP went on about my tetanus status too, which (hopefully!) isn't that relevant in an indoor cat as I can't be re-immunised. I had a bad reaction/over-reaction to that vaccine so the docs at the time told me any wound, get antibiotics. (not amoxyc but never mind!).
I think everyone could use more info as the feeling unwell after a bite thing isn't immediate is it. (I read on the web that the best abx is metro-something too btw). I know the internet's not infallible, but that's where I also read about peroxide killing bacteria in non bleeding wounds. The vet nurse says she uses hibiscrub if and when she gets bitten or scratched and she's never had an infection.

clarenmax · « **Reply #34 on:** April 08, 2009, 11:15:53 AM »

Might be an idea to see if Tan wants to put it as a sticky?

A 'what to do if you get an animal bite' section!

MrsR · « **Reply #33 on:** April 08, 2009, 10:35:12 AM »

I should put together a big post about cat bites shouldn't I.

clarenmax · « **Reply #32 on:** April 08, 2009, 10:33:21 AM »

You may well be sore for a day or two hun.

I had no idea either, I went out the day after my infection, and by early evening was feeling faint and sick, I thought it was down to being in the sun too long, but I was feverish as well, had to go and lie down in a cool room for a while.

Seriously, don't understimate that a little bite can make you feel bad.

MrsR · « **Reply #31 on:** April 08, 2009, 10:31:47 AM »

Best thing to clean a wound is soap and water hunnie.

Your shoulders and neck will still be sore as antibiotics still kicking in hun.

I wouldn't push yourself today, take another chill day, can you not pick up whatever it is later in the week or get someone else too?

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #30 on:** April 08, 2009, 10:29:44 AM »

they didn't (or GP didn't) tell me anything. He just had a look and printed me off a prescription. I'm just using a plaster on it as unwrapped up it keeps touching stuff and it is still a bit red - mostly hurts now when it touches something. Plus my neck and shoulders are still v sore. Need to fetch something in central London before the weekend but I don't feel up to going

have also discovered how hard it is to give pills without using my right index finger. The shooting-pill-syringe doesn't work that well on Swampy these days. The best way is to put your finger right down quickly and hope he doesn't bite down, or that he doesn't bite down hard as in 6 months he's only just done that the once.

MrsR · « **Reply #29 on:** April 08, 2009, 09:19:30 AM »

I wouldn't put anything on your finger other than what you have been told by medical professionals hunnie.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #28 on:** April 08, 2009, 08:59:32 AM »

aches and pains are a bit better today so I think it is def the reaction of my less than wonderful immune system to the bacteria rather than flu or anything. Finger's still red so will wrap it up after peroxiding it! thanks again for your help x

MrsR · « **Reply #27 on:** April 08, 2009, 07:22:13 AM »

If you think of it this way - the cat bites you and the puncture of its teeth take into your body your own bodies bacteria from the surface of your skin and then the cats bacteria from its teeth, it then sits inside your wound going nowhere but into your body, now if it bleed straight away some of the bacteria taken in would be washed away - its the prinicle.

Sounds like your wound is going the right way hunnie but keep taking the antibiotics and keep an eye on it

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #26 on:** April 08, 2009, 00:43:42 AM »

thanks

I was reading on the web how hydrogen peroxide is the best cleaning agent for puncture wounds that don't bleed. I didn't realise that bites that don't bleed are far more likely to get infected than those that do.
I uncovered the finger but being the right index one it keeps banging into things so have wrapped it up well again with a bit of antiseptic wipe cut to size and a plaster - that seems to keep it nice and calm. It's only a little bit red now but will keep an eye on it.

MrsR · « **Reply #25 on:** April 07, 2009, 18:01:12 PM »

Keep taking those ab's though hunnie and over the easter period if you get anything like tracking, shortness of breath, numbness in your fingers, etc go to A&E, even if you get none of these but are feeling very rough go to A&E anyway just to doubley make sure.

I cannot stress how dangerous an animal bite can be, people think they are being silly but they are not - I have seen what happens when a cat bite is left untreated.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #24 on:** April 07, 2009, 17:58:11 PM »

blimey, rang the GPs who put me through to the dr! He thinks that if the finger is healing, then I must have coincidentally caught a virus as well. But I'll pester them if I'm not feeling better tomorrow as at Easter there's no-one around. I took a train into London on saturday afternoon while OH Swampsat, so I suppose someone on the train may have infected me. It does seem an odd coincidence though.
thanks for your help

MrsR · « **Reply #23 on:** April 07, 2009, 17:42:56 PM »

Brilliant, take it easy hunnie your body is at war with itself at the mo so needs tlc

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #22 on:** April 07, 2009, 17:14:04 PM »

Yes, thanks, I've just taken the 3rd one as I started last night. It's amoxycillin 250mgs, 3x daily. Hope that it works, got my usual 30 secs with the doctor!

MrsR · « **Reply #21 on:** April 07, 2009, 16:56:41 PM »

Hunnie if you haven't got or started the ab's now I would go this evening to your local walking centre or A&E and get them ASAP.

MrsR · « **Reply #20 on:** April 07, 2009, 16:55:41 PM »

Sounds like the infection hunnie - do you have the antibiotics and have started taking them?

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #19 on:** April 07, 2009, 16:53:09 PM »

thanks

the wound looks much better but my neck is so stiff and sore and sometimes I have little woozy spells when I move it, so think rest is the key. If I don't feel a lot better tomorrow may ring the GP (mind you they probably only have an appointment next week now!).

Janeyk · « **Reply #18 on:** April 07, 2009, 10:21:18 AM »

You may also have got stressed by it all and tensed all your muscles up I tend to do that, hope you feel better soon

MrsR · « **Reply #17 on:** April 07, 2009, 10:02:50 AM »

You have to think that the infection is being fought off by your entire body hunnie not just at the finger so your body is at the mo in its own little war.

Yes do take it easy today. Keep us up to date today online with how you are feeling ok.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #16 on:** April 07, 2009, 10:00:05 AM »

I have the finger well wrapped up and it feels better, just mildly sensitive when it touches something. But I'm aching all over, even my arms and wrists. It reminds me a bit of years ago when I had a tetanus jab and my whole system overreacted or spiked so the bloods said. I had 12 x the normal antibodies for someone who had just had one jab & the consultant accused me of being one of those weirdos who go to hospital often to have lots of immunisation jabs (charming!). So they told me never to have tetanus jabs, just antibiotics.

My immune system can do funny things but I don't know if the finger can feel better and I can feel worse? (I could have caught a virus). My GPs are typical London - hard to get to see and then you get 2 mins - so not sure at what point I should bother them. I plan to take it easy today. Swampy got me up 3x in the night but he wasn't too bad and I hope he keeps sleeping quite a bit today too. I don't have any ibuprofen so will try aspirin. Aspirin works really well on M.E/fibro pain. thanks everyone, sorry this is about me and not my furbabe

MrsR · « **Reply #15 on:** April 07, 2009, 09:17:05 AM »

Hun I would say its 99% that it is the bite making you feel so rough.

How are you today?

clarenmax · « **Reply #14 on:** April 07, 2009, 09:10:18 AM »

You can defo take ibuprofen with abs.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #13 on:** April 07, 2009, 00:19:31 AM »

Definately you can take pain killers with abs and if its not a problem for you would recommend ibuprofen rather than asprin cos its mich kinder to the stomach. Also would get 200mgs not 400mg cos then you can vary the dosage to how you feel.

An infection can make you feel like you have flu so probably is the bite.

Hope you feel better quickly

Sheli_80 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 06, 2009, 23:28:48 PM »

I'm pretty sure you can take painkillers with a.bs, I was on some for an ear infection and I know I took painkillers with them without any side effects. Best to check the leaflet that comes with them as it will tell you what you can and can't take with them. Hope you finger feels better soon and the fluey feeling goes.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #11 on:** April 06, 2009, 22:49:45 PM »

Yes I will take the whole course, don't worry, and thanks. Tonight the finger puncture area is red, but it's not very sore. However I feel rough. For about 2 hours now I feel like I have flu with sore head, neck, shoulders and legs. I don't think it can be related as the finger isn't swollen (nothing like those awful pics, you poor thing) and terribly sore and not as sore as this morning. It's a bit unnerving though to suddenly feel rotten (could be a virus, there's enough of them about) ?!

anyone know if you can take aspirin with amoxycillin abx as I think I'm about to! (one way to find out).

MrsR · « **Reply #10 on:** April 06, 2009, 20:48:12 PM »

Hunnie if you have been given AB's take the whole course even if it starts to feel better - you need to take the whole course for them to work.

Mark · « **Reply #9 on:** April 06, 2009, 19:51:54 PM »

I was on ABs a couple of months ago when Willow bit me when I was pilling her - it hurts! - Hope it goes down quickly

bonnielass · « **Reply #8 on:** April 06, 2009, 19:43:42 PM »

Kate please get some AB as soon as possible, i got bitten just over 3 weeks ago and i ended up being rushed into hospital within 15hrs as it went really septic ,badly swollen and put me off work for a whole week and its still not right even now,

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #7 on:** April 06, 2009, 17:57:16 PM »

GP has put me on a week's abs

I think Swampy has a better doc than me - I asked for the minimum dose possible as abs make me feel quite ill with my M.E. So he says oh if you feel it's better, you can stop....!
It does look and feel better than this morning, so I hope that it just clears up. I've got to work out a system using my middle finger now with his pills and he has so many a day that it's not so easy. But I don't want to be bitten on the same finger again either, or not for the moment. It WILL happen again as it has so many times but I think this time his toofies went in deeper. The vet thinks that his being on abx probably lessens the infection a little bit but he's not sure.

clarenmax · « **Reply #6 on:** April 06, 2009, 11:32:39 AM »

Not an animal bite, but a couple of years ago I was gardening and something pricked my finger through my gloves. During the afternoon/early evening my finger was really stiff and sore, so John made me go to the Walk-In centre.

They referred me straight to A&E, my finger was badly infected and I was told that if any redness tracked up my arm, to get back in their without delay.

I had to have 17 days worth of anti'bs to fight the infection, and for about a year afterwards I could not bend my finger fully without pain.

You are not being a fraud hun, seriously, that's what you pay your taxes for, and Swampy needs you to be fully fit and well

MrsR · « **Reply #5 on:** April 06, 2009, 11:00:07 AM »

Don't feel a fraud hunnie, I have seen too many cat and dog bites turn septic and people then need IV antibiotics and have to stay as an inpatient in hospital.

Animal bites are serious.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #4 on:** April 06, 2009, 10:42:38 AM »

I got an appointment for tonight but they wanted me to see the nurse first so I just said no. Trouble is my GPs refuse to give a.bs unless you are dying (they are very policy driven in London) so let's just hope it goes down asap. It looks not too bad really at all, I feel a bit of a fraud, it's just that Swampy's bitten me many times and it's not got sore or red before at all and yesterday after it happened it wasn't a problem either.

clarenmax · « **Reply #3 on:** April 06, 2009, 09:30:09 AM »

I would defo visit your GP or go to a walk-in centre hun, just to be on the safe side. You may need anti'bs yourself

MrsR · « **Reply #2 on:** April 06, 2009, 09:26:40 AM »

Go see your GP hunnie at least. Cat bites can turn very very nasty.

If it was me I'd be heading to A&E straight away.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #1 on:** April 06, 2009, 09:21:51 AM »

I got bitten on my pill giving finger yesterday. I washed it but didn't pay much attention. Today it is redder and sore although a long way off the swollen "cartoon" finger infection. How long does that take to happen if it is going to? Does it make any infection less likely because Swampy is on antibiotics himself?

It is sore to type and I'm going down to the chemist to show the pharmacist and ask. More a problem in how to give him his pills with a different finger too!

Author Topic: cat bite (Read 4808 times)