Dog bite wounds in cats: a retrospective study of 72 cases.

J Feline Med Surg. February 2022;24(2):107-115.

Sigal Klainbart¹, Anna Shipov², Ori Madhala³, Liron D Oron⁴, Tomer Weingram⁵, Gilad Segev⁶, Efrat Kelmer⁷

¹ Department of Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care, The Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.; ² Small Animal Surgery, The Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.; ³ Department of Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care, The Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.; ⁴ Knowledge Farm Specialty Referral Center, Beit Berl, Israel.; ⁵ Herzliya Veterinary Hospital, Ben Gurion 26 Herzliya, Israel.; ⁶ Small Animal Internal Medicine, The Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.; ⁷ Department of Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care, The Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:Bite wounds are a common cause of trauma in cats; nevertheless, large-scale studies of this trauma in cats are lacking. The aims of the present study were to characterise the clinical and clinicopathological findings in these cats, to assess the association of these variables and therapeutic measures with survival, and to assess the association between the animal trauma triage (ATT) score and severity of injuries score (SS) at presentation with survival.

METHODS:The medical records of cats presented to a veterinary teaching hospital and two large referral clinics were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS:The study included 72 cats diagnosed with canine bite wounds (with the dog attacks having been witnessed). Seventy-one percent of cats suffered multiple injuries, and there was a significant association between the number of injured body areas and survival, and between severity of injury and survival (P = 0.02 and P = 0.012, respectively). The median ATT scores and SSs for non-survivors were significantly higher compared with survivors (P <0.0001). There was a strong and significant correlation between ATT scores and SSs (r = 0.704, P <0.0001). Total protein and albumin were significantly lower and alanine aminotransferase significantly higher in non-survivors compared with survivors (P ⩽0.032). Fifty percent of cats were treated conservatively, 32% by local surgical debridement and 18% of cats required an exploratory procedure. Cats undergoing more aggressive treatments were significantly less likely to survive (P = 0.029). Fifty-seven cats (79%) survived to discharge.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:Cats sustaining canine bite wounds have a good overall prognosis for survival to discharge. High ATT score, high SS, multiple body area injuries, penetrating injuries, radiographic evidence of vertebral body fractures and body wall abnormalities, as well as hypoproteinaemia and elevated alanine aminotransferase, are negative predictors of survival.

Keywords

Trauma*; animal trauma triage*; canine bite wounds*; injury*; severity injuries score*;

Keywords

Trauma; animal trauma triage; canine bite wounds; injury; severity injuries score;

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