Case on the Web

Micky is a seven year old, male, domestic shorthair cat. He came in with a swollen front leg and high temperature. We discovered that he had a large abscess in the tissue around his elbow joint which needed to be surgically removed. The wound was left open to drain as closing the surgical wound immediately would almost certainly result in a recurrence of the abscess. The abscess had been so large and destructive that it was not certain if Micky’s leg could be saved and the need for amputation was a real possibility.

Micky was using his leg after the operation and all was looking hopeful, but unfortunately the infection had been so severe it suppressed Micky’s bone marrow tissue. Bone marrow is responsible for creating red and white blood cells as well as platelets. Red blood cells are required to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, white blood cells are required to fight infection and platelets are required to control bleeding as they form the basis for a clot. Clearly Micky was in trouble and required a blood transfusion to survive.

Blood transfusion in cats is not a regular procedure and only very large veterinary hospitals are able to store animal blood. Fortunately Micky’s brother was available to donate the blood that he required. With intensive care, fluid therapy and multiple antibiotics Micky made a full recovery and we monitored his blood to check that his bone marrow was starting to produce its own blood cells again.

While Micky was unwell his wound was not healing, once his condition improved however his wound has begun to heal naturally. At the time of writing this his wound is still healing and looking healthy and although it may take some time we hope to avoid the need for any further surgery.

Micky was a very unusual case although abscesses in cats are a very common problem. Some infections from cat bites will resolve on their own, but the majority require a course of antibiotics from the vet. Micky’s case just goes to show that we should never underestimate the potential risk of a severe infection.