SERIOUS PROBLEM, need expert suggestions here.

[shirrell]

I had my beautiful Bengal spayed Thursday morning. It is now Friday night. We picked her up this morning from our vet, a wonderful caring person.

PROBLEM: She began licking and then chewing the stitches. She tore 3 out in the middle of the third outside set of stitches. Nothing we put on her detours her from chewing at them. I had to rush her back to the vet, and they used that brown gauzy sticky wrap to wrap around her body with a gauze pad under it to keep her away from them.

PROBLEM 2: The stiky bandage is rolling up from in front of her hind legs from walking and she is licking at the bandage.

QUESTION: Has anyone else had this problem?
QUESTION 2: What am I going to do? I cannot be here every minute this weekend, we work, to watch her.

Has anyone experienced this? How can I put the bandage on so that it does not roll up or she cannot lick it until it rolls up?

I am SO SCARED. She is a show cat and not cheap. I am so afraid she will tear herself open or infect the incision.

Thank you
Shirrell

 

[manomi]

Not an expert suggestion, but have you tried the collar thing that looks like a lampshade (I know it has a name, I don't know what it is)? The cat is physically unable to reach the area with stitches.

Kass's (Russian Blue) Nakita had one of those on a while back, when she was spayed. She might know more about it.


Naomi

 

[hissy]

It is called an Elizabethan collar, and your kitty sure sounds like she needs one pretty quickly.

 

[angelzoo]

Yeah that's my advice, get one of those properly sized E collars, you can get them from a vet or a place like Petsmart and Petco (thought I'm not sure how well those work? As good as any I suppose.)

 

[russian blue]

Here's Nakita in her collar (so you know what it looks like!)

Most vet's just apply a really bad tasting cream to deter the cat from licking the stitches. Unfortunately, Nakita didn't care about how bad tasting it was and therefore had to wear this collar for the whole 10 days!

Your cat's not going to like it at all, but it will totally prevent her from getting at her stitches. If you do put this collar on her I would suggest at some point during the day taking it off and letting her groom herself.

Nakita was going 'nuts' not being able to groom herself so I took it off her for a grooming session each day, while I covered her stitches with my hand. I had to do it this way, since the second the collar was off she was back tearing at her stitches!

Good luck!

 

[mellanie]

Where I work, if a cat is bothering at her incision we send her home with an E collar and some varitone cream, which tastes awful, to rub near the incision. I don't understand why your vet just bandaged her instead, because few things will upset a cat more than bandaging!

 

[shirrell]

She sure is sulking and does not want to move or eat since the collar went on about 3:00 this afternoon.

She actually managed to lick the bottom of bandage away, and took her other 2 outside stitches out. She had chewed 3 out yesterday. It is not gapping from what I can see that is not still bandaged, nor red. I cannot believe that in 3 days it seems to be adhered slightly for the most part.

There is a bit of swelling I suppose from her pulling them. It is not draining, soDO YOU THINK SHE WILL BE ALL RIGHT? I know they said watch for swelling, but it is slight, and I am thinking it is from her pulling stitches out.

This is my first cat, and a champion registered Bengal at that so I am about to have a nervous breakdown here.

Thank you for listening and giving opinions.
Shirrell

 

[angelzoo]

Your cat will probably be ok. Even a little swelling regaurdless of her pulling out the stitches can occour. Keep your eye on it for it to get worse or signs of infection! If it doesn't start to look significantly better in 2-3 days give your vet a call back.

Healthy females who are properly sewen up tend to heal quickly.

Does it really matter if your cat is purebred? I wouldn't want to worry about that with any cat.

 

[manomi]

If she's pulled out 5 stitches, maybe you should at least phone your vet and see if they think she needs to come in again.

 

[shirrell]

Could not get hold of my vet 30 miles away on weekend, so called Dr. St. John here, she said leave the tape on and she thinks she will be fine. She says in 3 days the healing has begun, and if the skin does not seem to be gapping and no oozing then not to worry. She said it should go ahead and graw together.

I can see about 1/3 inch of the inch or so incision and it looks good, actually like it is already grown together.

What do you think? I would not be able to take her back to my vet until Wed. as we both work Mon. and Tues. all day and cannot take off.

 

[angelzoo]

Well if as you and the vet say that the incision has already begun to repare itself and it isn't ripped open, I don't think you will have a problem.

It's my understanding that you vet is already aware of all of the stitches she has ripped out right? And she hasn't voiced any urgent concern since that occasion?

How is she doing today btw?

 

[shirrell]

Had to end up putting a satelite collar on her as she tore out 2 more stitches. The strange thing is even though she pulled them through the skin, they were still knotted in circles when I found them, the incision is together, can hardly see where it should be and in just a nice healthy pink.

Cannot believe this much healing could have occured in a little over 3 days.

Thank you for asking
Shirrell