Cut at whiskers

[Crazy]

My chinchilla got loose and while I was trying to catch her my cat came along and shoved his paw under the door at swiped her pretty good against her whiskers. It finally stopped bleeding, but I can see that white part of the whisker that's supposed to be under the skin. Please don't criticize and ask how it happened because it happened VERY fast and I was blocking the door ans was trying to get her.
I know to wash it with a saline solution and cut the fur around it. I have some pain killer type meds left over. Should I give her some? Her feet feel very hot. What do I need to do until she gets to the vet in the morning?
She acts fine and is irritated and wants to play more.
Don't make feel worse than I already do. I feel like a moron. I'm usually overly careful and paranoid. I've almost fainted so far.

 

[Laurie]

I would not give her anything not prescribed by the vet, unless this is pain medicine that was prescribed for her in the past. Cats do carry bacteria in their claws as I'm sure you know that's why you're asking so definitely make a vet appointment and take it from there. For this early morning you should monitor that she's moving okay and still drinking and eating.

 

[Crazy]

She wasn't drinking to begin with since she was recovering from becoming ill.
Now she won't take any life line.
I have some syringes, but they've been used for meds. Is it okay to put water in that and try flushing it? I have one that had baytril in it at one point and another that had reglan in it.
Her stomach and feet feel so hot though. I can't quite clean her cut with a washcloth, the angle and fur is making it hard to get to it.

 

[Laurie]

If she is not drinking then yes you need to use one of the syringes to get her to drink. Do not ever force liquids into the mouth down the throat, just do a few drops at a time for her to lick. You say she won't take lifeline--is she eating pellets and hay? If not she needs to be force fed--critical care from the vet or pellets crushed up make a slurry with some liquid and force feed her. I really don't know what hot paws mean. Temperatures in humans mean infection--if she's been on baytril she shouldn't have an infection, however i'm not sure. I would say if she's already been ill on top of this incident a definite trip to the vet is warranted.

 

[addictedtochins]

I'm not sure that you should trim the fur at the injury site. I think it's too easy to cut her more. As you know cat claws are very germy and she should go to the vet for antibiotic and poss pain meds. Is she swiping and pawing at her injury? That's a sign she's in pain.

 

[Crazy]

This happened like an hour ago. So, I haven't done much but flush it with warm water and tried to dry it off with a washcloth. The vet opens in 6 hours. I was giving her lifeline with water just before this happened. She just peed, and a lot might I say. She just leans away when I try to give her liquids.
Should I really stress her more and keep trying to get more water in her?
I like how she shoved her foot in the cut trying to scratch it . . . That was real nice and not helpful. I don't think this has been long enough for her to start eating or drinking again. She keeps picking at it trying to clean herself. Before all this I had made an appointment with a vet out of town that I like for tuesday so I'm supposed to leave town saturday. This will be like a 5 hour trip. Should I leave tomorrow (friday) and get in the next day or if possible that same day. I don't think I'd make it in time that same day though.

Eh, she keeps looking for her hay. I took it out so she wouldn't get it in her wound, but I handed her a piece and she ate it...so I guess I'll just put it back in. At least I'll get her eating. If she drank I think at 12 am? Is she okay without me forcing water until they open at 8:30?

Now..since she's settled in I'm going to go take an anti nausea and pain killer for myself x.x
Good thing I took Excedrin earlier. I'll need the caffeine even though caffeine revolts against my body and makes me ill. I stay awake all night and usually go to bed around 5 am, but I was hoping to have been in bed already. I should try to sleep maybe? I tend to get black outs to the point of falling onto the ground and then throwing up if I don't get sleep.
Don't know if I should be keeping a strict eye on her or if I should get at least an hour or two of sleep so I'm not next to useless.

 

[Crazy]

Yes, she's been pawing, trying to groom her whiskers, and scratching. I had called a vet she had been to before and she told me that since she was in much pain that that particular med and dosage would be fine.
Metacam .05 ml
That was given a bit ago and she has stopped pawing at it and is sleeping.

 

[Claire D]

Just how big a cut is this we're talking about?

If she is wanting food & can eat then let her have hay and pellets. Depriving her of food is not going to help her really.

 

[Laurie]

Glad you were able to get some pain med in her I'm sure that helped alot. If she's sleeping let her sleep. Since you're going to the vet in a few hours I'm sure they'll be able to help clean the wound. Since this was scractch at the whiskers they mouth is or could be involved. I would make sure the vet is checking inside the mouth to make sure no gum or teeth injury occured. Definitely make sure she is eating after this though. You could check into critical care at the vet when you're there. You don't want her to stop eating on top of already being sick.

Hope you're both doing better in a few hours

 

[Crazy]

Thanks so much guys. She just jumping to into the hay tray and ate quite a bit of hay.
The cut from what I was able to see was like taking a knife and slicing some off the top. I don't think the skin was sliced in a separating way like paper cuts do. I don't think. Now I could be wrong. I'm leaving town Saturday with her and she has an appointment with another vet Tuesday. I suppose that will be a nice check up sort of thing? I hate waiting that long to see a very experienced chin vet but I would have to leave in the morning to get there in time to see the vet Saturday. She isn't in Monday and I don't think I would make it in time for tomorrow if I wanted to get her in to that vet tomorrow.
I've had this vet here heal an abscess beautifully.
I haven't even had her for two months and she's been ill the whole time I've had her and she just started warming up to me and now this...course she seems unaffected and says hi to me still but geez I'd never trust me again if I were her.

Should I try to get to the other vet late tomorrow or Saturday? Would she be fine as long as she gets pain meds has it cleaned, most likely will need to be hand fed, and has a topical ointment until Tuesday?

 

[Laurie]

As long as she's eating, drinking and does have pain meds I would say she should be okay. Cats paws do carry germs though and this can be tricky. Humans can get cat scratch fever and I don't know if this can occur in a chin as well. I've been scratched many times by my cats and suffer that day with itching, however the next day it is fine. If you can't get her into your vet at least try to call and see what the recommend. I say yes to continue with pain meds though.

 

[Crazy]

I just thought...for her to get scratched on the mouth..she had to have freaking run up to him and sniffed his **** paw!
Alright, then I'll continue what was planned.
A five hour trip to stay at my parents house for a week isn't going to hurt her is it?

My cat scratches and rips me to shreds with his teeth all the time. All my scars prove that. It's just a shame this happened when his claws were super long before I could clip them.

Well, I'm going to try to sleep some...my boyfriend just talked in his sleep....I don't know who he said okay to XD

 

[Crazy]

Ehhhhhh It was worse than I thought.
The vet glued it shut then came back and tole me that the cut was a deep gnash and that the white thing I saw was what sits on top of muscle.
So, very deep in deed.
I was told she could have two .05 ml doses of medacam a day.
I was also told to not let her paw at the wound, but that seems a bit impossible. She went to bed after getting some baytril and 4 ml of life line w/ water.
She told me it was hard to tell if her gums got damaged .__.
Guess going to that vet tuesday will really help.

she is eating and .. is eating again atm. man she likes hay.
She ate some pellets. Her food bowel was pushed around a bit and emptier so that's good. Her droppings are getting rather small again though =/
I'm just going to keep pushing the life line every 4 hours like usual. I don't think putting her back on reglan after she just got off it would be good. She keeps picking up a piece of hay taking one bite and tossing it and getting another lol. I love when they do that. Reminds me of eating a box of assorted chocolates. There's only one real winner in there.

 

[AZChins]

If it's just a little cut, do you think she needs to go to the vet? Little tiny cuts rarely get infected or need anything more than to just leave them alone to scab over and heal. It can sting when a chin gets a cut, but it doesn't mean that there's going to be any permanent damage or that you need medical intervention.

How much blood was there?

 

[Laurie]

Glad you got her to the vet, sorry it was worse than you thought. If she continues to paw at it you could ask them to cone her for you, or ask others on the forum for assistance in make a cone for her if you feel you can. As far as her gum and teeth damage just try to check regularly to see if you notice anything off. Once a pair of my girls got into a squabble and Abigail lost a tooth in the process. If I hadn't noticed right away there could have been some alignment issues down the line. Hope she mends quickly!

 

[Crazy]

It's very deep and the skin was sliced apart. Like I said they used surgical glue to close it up.
I just got more pain meds in her. Now she's doing some funky little tooth grind chatter thing with the grunting of me trying to take her out of her cage.
Just called my other vet who she has an appointment with tuesday. I guess since she won't leave it alone that she needs a cone...
yey more hand feeding, but oh well already doing it guess more doesn't matter.
Just have to hope she doesn't reopen the wound before tuesday.
It'll be hard for me to tell if it's open with it's angle.

 

[Crazy]

Wow, would her chattering her teeth all of a sudden when she charges me be a problem?
. . . The vet's office here wouldn't have that. I asked for Critical Care today and got looked at funny and asked what that was. Apparently, they don't carry it.
Man, I gotta hurry and move. And the moment I do all these issues will resolve and they won't need to go to the vet. That's the way it works you know. When the vets are nearby or if it's daytime then they don't get hurt or ill.

A homemade cone would be good for now, but man I suck at crafts. Maybe my boyfriend should make it...It'll come out wrong if I try. I would like to try that though.