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What to do if my puppy was bitten by a cat and has open wounds?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 6 days old | 13 lbs

Our neighbor's cat bit and scratched Panda. Multiple bite marks and her little paw was slashed open. We washed her injuries but other than that, what can we do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 24th, 2017

So sorry this happened to Panda :( Unfortunately, cat bites are very nasty and get infected quite quickly and easily. Even if you do home treatment Panda will likely need antibiotics from your vet to clear this up. Also, you must remember that puppies also do not have a great immune system at this age so it will be harder for her to fight this infection. So, my recommendation is to take her to your vet for an exam. If you don't want to take her in for an exam and you want to try home treatment I would keep it clean by washing it twice a day with either Betadine or Chlorhexidine, rinse thoroughly and then dry it. DO NOT use peroxide. After drying you can apply a topical antibiotic ointment. It would also be best to keep it covered. If it is just the paw you can usually use a baby sock on it to keep it covered. You will need to monitor her closely because if she eats the sock you will have a whole other issue. DO NOT give her any over the counter medications. She is too young and dogs are very sensitive to them anyway. That is not recommended. If she is in a lot of pain you need to get her to your vet so you can get some proper pain medication. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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