HOME

SERVICES

CONTACT US

HISTORY

Pet Portal Login

Family Vets

Doctors

Office Staff

Clinic Layout

Photo Gallery

Dog Training

Links

Your Pet's True Age

Pet of the Month

Case of the Month

Soft
Tissue

Client
Reviews

Orthopedic Procedures

Treatments

Client
Reviews

Hospital News

Cotton Holt

Cotton is an 8 year old Shih Tzu mix.  He presented to County for acute pain in the hind end.  On physical exam, there were no appreciable abnormalities except for pain associated with the lower lumbar region.  Dr. Bone decided to take x-rays and they were sent to the board certified radiologist.  The radiologist did not detect any problems with the lumbar spine or hips.  Cotton was treated with pain medications and sent home as if he had a back injury (acute disk disease, soft tissue injury, muscle strain, etc).  The next day the owners called and stated that the entire left hind leg had significant bruising (see below). 

At this time Cotton was in extreme pain.  Cotton had an IV placed and had blookwork performed.  The bloodwork showed mild dehydration and no evidence of overt infection.  There was a mild decrease in phosphorous, potassium and chloride.  The globulins and cholestrol were mildly elevated as well.  Due to the clinical presentation the most likely causes of Cotton's bruising are envenomation (insect bite), necrotizing fascitis (bacterial infection), trauma, celulitis, etc.  Dr. Bone recommended that Cotton stay with us so that we could see if the bruising progressed.  He was placed on IV fluids and given antibiotics and a fentanyl patch to control pain.  As the days passed you will see that the bruising became more dramatic. 

Day 2

The wounds progression is most consistent with an insect (spider) bite.  These can appear as a small area of redness and turn into large areas of dead tissue.  After a few days of hydrotherapy, topical insulin therapy, and wet to dry bandages, Cotton's skin was healthy enough to close. 

Cotton came back for a recheck to ensure proper healing.  This next image shows the result after 2 weeks of home care. 

The open wound healed after 7 days of topical care.  Cotton had to wear an E-collar so that he did not lick the area.  Cotton has completly healed and he is running aroundl like nothing happened.  We had a talk with him and told him to stay away from spiders!!