Hi everyone. My friend, Dr Tan, from Singapore, has offered to help Osim with some recommendations on the dressing material used for his wound. Dr Tan is a human doctor with an interest in Geriatrics so he deals a lot with wounds. Wounds in animals and in humans may not differ that much.
Dr Tan’s take on this wound is that the dressing material may have been too harsh and is thus causing the wound to persist. He suggests something more gentle.
True enough, a quick check with my cousin reveals that they have been using hydrogen peroxide, which is a dressing agent, but this chemical is really very harsh.
Here are some links on hydrogen peroxide:
http://www0.epinions.com/content_1742577796
http://allnurses.com/wound-ostomy-continence/antiseptics-wound-care-81563.html
And here’s my earlier posting on Osim. Ever since Osim was rescued my cousin has taken him for various treatments, including surgeries. Please click on the comments at the end of the posting for more information:
http://animalcare.my/2009/09/age-is-no-barrier-to-kindness.html
I went to visit Osim again today, to gather more information on his diet and the other creams my Aunty has been applying on him, so that Dr Tan can advise further.
Here are some photos:
Here’s my Aunty and me, with Osim. We’ve just removed his e-collar so that he can groom himself. My Aunty does this at least once a day.
But Osim needs to wear a leash so that my Aunty can monitor him closely lest he bites his wound and causes further damage. Here’s Osim grooming his paws. Ahh…the joy of being able to groom oneself is heavenly to any cat.
I remember when my alpha cat, Cow, had to be on the e-collar for two weeks after a skin surgery, he went into depression because he could not groom himself. He ended up grooming the plastic, and that was so sad. So we also had to do the same thing – take the e-collar off for a few minutes to allow him to groom himself. But Cow was extremely crafty! He would run away (I had not thought of putting a leash on him – how silly!) and bite his wound. He also found a way to get himself out of the e-collar and he ended up having to have a total of THREE surgeries to re-stitch the wound. Yes, it burnt several holes in my pocket, alright!
Here’s just how bad the wound actually looks. My cousin and Aunty have taken Osim to see several vets. They even had a skin graft performed, but nothing seemed to have worked.
When Osim was rescued, he had already had this wound. And the vets could not figure out what could have caused it. And it’s been there for three years now.
While I was there and Osim was happily grooming himself, we just looked away for a moment, and Osim managed to lick his wound. Even that slightest lick caused the wound to bleed immediately.
Ahh, nothing beats sitting on Grandpa (my Uncle) and giving Grandpapa a good OSIM massage – yes, free of charge!
We’ll be hunting for a gentler dressing material for Osim. I hope it helps him heal.
