How to treat my senior cat's slow-healing scabs on elbows and heels?

Question

My cat, who will be 20 in March, has had scabs on her heels/elbows, they were bleeding, she kept licking them. Wearing doggie socks (ends cut off) has helped , but they are healing slowly. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 19 years and 9 months old | 10 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

I think it will be fine to try and treat this at home for now (even though we don't know the cause), but would recommend a visit to the vet if it doesn't get better in 2 weeks. Here are my recommendations: 1) Clip the hair around the area and expose all of the sore skin. 2) Wash/spray the area with just cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 5 minutes at a time. Do this at least twice a day. 3) Bandage the wound with gauze and apply an over-the-counter antibacterial cream (i.e Neosporin) to the wound. Keeping it covered and keeping Snoball from licking it will be the most difficult part of the treatment. You can help keep the bandage on by placing a good (really sticky) tape above and below the bandage. You can find sprays in the pet store, like bitter apple, that are meant to deter licking. This can be sprayed on the bandage (not the wound) to help keep Snoball from chewing it off. NOTE: Be careful not to bandage too tight or it can cut-off the circulation. If you notice that the toes/foot starts to swell, then remove the bandage and leave it off until the swelling goes down. You can also help keep the bandage on by taping a clean sock over the bandage. These types of lesions tend to take a long time to heal, so don't be surprised if its not completely healed until a month later. Once the skin looks normal and Snoball stops trying to lick, you can stop the cleaning/bandaging. I hope that helps and Snoball gets better soon.

How to treat my senior cat's slow-healing scabs on elbows and heels?

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