Why is my kitten biting its bald, swollen tail and not healing?

Poor girl. It really likely just needs some antibiotics to fully heal here. If a cut gets infected, then it will delay the healing process. I would suggest cleaning it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water for now and then get this seen by your vet b/c she likely just needs antibiotics and potentially even closure of the cut to help it heal all the way. She also is likely messing with it b/c it is itchy due to infection. You can place an e-collar on her for now to keep her from getting to the wound. You can find e-collars at your local petstore. I hope that Waffle's wound finally heals all the way. Best of luck moving forward and take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Rilian. He will need to see his veterinarian as he most likely has developed an abscess under his skin. Cat teeth are very sharp and puncture the skin introducing bacteria deep inside. The overlying skin heals quickly trapping the infection underneath. A visible swelling will develop. This is what I suspect has happened to Rilian. Most cats will develop a fever and may stop eating. He will likely need antibiotics and possibly to have the abscess lanced. In the meantime, it is fine to shave the overlying hair. I would not apply anything topically aside from water to cleanse the wound though. You can apply warm compresses for 5 minutes 3 times per day if he will tolerate it as well. I hope this information helps!

Place an e-collar (cone) on Baxter to prevent further licking or chewing. He would need to be physically examined by your veterinarian to determine if antibiotics would be indicated. Keep the area clean and dry. If Baxter allows, gently clean the area to get a better look. Your vet can shave the area if necessary and could perform a fine needle aspirate in the clinic to collect samples of the lump for pathology. Once results are in, options for treatment can be discussed.

Hello. A properly done tail amputation should have healed in several weeks. This is probably a neurological response to the actual surgery, a type of phantom pain going on that is causing the cat to lick, groom & attack the area. The cat probably needs to be seen again, either to do a little more surgery & place her on a medication that will hopefully decrease the phantom pain sensation. Often a medication called Gabapentin is necessary. This should be completely healed by now. Please encourage your roommate to take his cat to the vet as soon as possible. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. Unfortunately, unless you can get to the bottom of the problem, these type conditions can be very difficult to cure. Bandaging while wearing a Elizabethan cone can help for a while, & if it can heal, the problem may be solved. But if this a recurrent injury, allergy, neurologic or even a compulsive-obsessive behavior, treatments are often a bit more complex involving long term medication & sometimes even amputation of most of the tail. The first thing the tail needs is antibiotics as the tail does look infected. I think you really need to see your veterinarian with Ramces to see why this has happened & what is the right direction to go in to heal things up. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I want to thank you very much for providing us such good pictures. Judging by them, I believe your dog either has an infection, immune allergic disease, a cyst-like growth, etc Unfortunately, any topical medication such as the one you’re applying will not be effective against any of these diseases. You do need to schedule an appointment with your regular veterinarian as soon as possible to have a thorough physical examination performed. The vet may also want to do x-rays, a biopsy, skin culture, etc. to the affected area. Most likely, you will get treatment in the form of injectable or oral medications as well as topicals. You will also probably be given a coon to keep your dog from traumatizing and licking the area. Thank you very much for using our consultation service. I hope I have provided you some help today.

Hello. Without a further exam & cytology of the discharge it is impossible to say what might be going on, but at the very least, Nomar should probably receive another round of antibiotics. Until you can contact your vet, keep the area clean by using an antibacterial skin cleaner like Hibiclens ( available at all pharmacies ) a couple of times a day. You may need to put an Elizabethan cone on him to keep him from disturbing the wound. Hopefully, he will heal very quickly & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.