Case Study: Damian – RTA Case

Image: Coquet Vets. All rights reserved.

On the 17th October 2023 we had a phone call to say that a cat called Damian had been in a road traffic accident (RTA). His owner was bringing him straight down. He was seen by our vet, Emily. He was bleeding from his nose and had a large open wound to his left hind.

He was admitted for a thorough investigation to include assessment of his wound and X-rays to check for any fractures or dislocations associated with the wound. The image gallery below shows Damian’s injuries on the day of the RTA.

The x-rays showed there were no fractures or dislocations, but he did have extensive skin injuries involving the whole left foot, which included some exposed tendons.

The wounds were treated by clipping up the whole area, extensive flushing with saline to clear out any debris, and surgery to repair the wounds. There were numerous superficial grazes on all his digits (toes). These were left to heal by what we call secondary intention (by themselves). Due to the extent of the wounds, the owner was warned that wound infection and breakdown was a potential complication and that occasionally in these cases further surgery including skin grafts are needed.

Damian was sent home with pain relief, antibiotics, a buster collar, and cage rest.

He was seen three days later by Emily. He was eating, weight bearing well, and some of his smaller wounds were already starting to heal.

Damian 3 days post operation

Damian was seen every week to check his progress. We are super pleased to report that Damian was officially signed off on 28th November 2023. His large wound had fully healed and he could gradually go back to his normal daily routine.