A Not-So-Great Hand Injury. Then Great Care!
Berlioz, a pretty, tortoiseshell cat, does not look like a villainous character. Yet a quick, small bite from the pet landed Ellen in surgery and five days in the hospital.
“I went to pick Berlioz up off the floor, I missed, then pulled her tail accidentally,” Ellen revealed. She explained that the cat bit the top of her right hand. “Her teeth punctured through my skin, and a fang-tooth stuck right in the bone of my knuckle,” she recalled. The hand injury was rather small and wasn’t extremely painful. She washed it out well, put some antibiotic cream on it, and covered it. She planned to contact the doctor the next morning.
Dr. David J. Pope, a hand specialist and surgeon at Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center – OSMC, examined Ellen’s hand injury. Overnight her hand became extremely swollen, and red. Dr. Pope explained to Ellen that cat bites can introduce a bacterium called Pasteurella Multocida. It can spread quickly throughout the body and cause significant joint destruction. Her wound needed cleaned out surgically, and she needed strong antibiotics.
“Dr. Pope was fast to know what to do for my hand and protect me from developing a terrible illness. He moved quickly and put me on a collection of medicines. He made sure all my concerns and questions were addressed. You can tell he truly cares about his patients.” Ellen also mentioned, “When I was in Elkhart General Hospital, the doctor checked on me and brought me a much-needed Mountain Dew!”
Berlioz, the cat, is fine, as well!
