Severe abdominal dog bite wounds in a pregnant cat

Abstract

Bite wounds are one of the most common reasons for admission of cats to veterinary clinics. Appropriate wound management seems to be more important in the successful outcome of bite wound injuries than antibiotic therapy alone. This report describes a heavily pregnant cat that suffered severe abdominal bite wounds necessitating treatment with extensive surgery. A necrotic herniated kidney, abdominal wall hernias, internal peritoneal ruptures and fracture of the thirteenth rib, gravid cornu rupture, an extrauterine dead foetus and its free kidney were all observed at laparotomy. At surgery the extrauterine dead foetus was removed, and two live foetuses were retrieved by en bloc ovariohysterectomy. A right nephrectomy and partial costectomy were also performed. Two weeks postoperatively, the cat had fully recovered without a problem. Bite wounds encountered in cats, though severe and invasive, can be tolerated and extensive surgical management can result in successful outcomes even under suboptimal conditions.