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On Wednesday, Jan. 8, a cat entered our backyard uninvited as many cats in our neighborhood do. Geordie has a high prey drive toward cats. I didn’t see the initial scuffle, but I imagine the cat was in our yard and Geordie pounced and had finally caught one. When I saw the cat underneath Geordie I screamed and clapped. The cat got out from under Geordie and ran up the wall and out of our yard.
Geordie seemed OK. And I thought he had a scratch. I cleaned and bandaged and planned to watch it closely. The fight happened between 7:30 and 8 p.m.
By a little after midnight he was whining and crying. I decided we should head to the emergency vet. He was not scratched but bit. On the leg but also on his neck and chest. The bites on his neck and chest looked like scratches and had not punctured the skin. But the one on his leg had. The vet cleaned it and gave us antibiotics and pain meds.
We got home about 3 a.m. By a little after 6 a.m. he was whining and crying again. We were back at the vet by 8 a.m. They told me I had to let the meds work. I said I understood that and realized they deal with overhyped pet parents all the time. I said he was no longer putting weight on his foot and was crying. I asked the tech to please look at his leg and tell me I was crazy. They had the overnight vet who had seen him just a few hours before and the vet coming on to look at it. He had an abscess. That day Geordie was sedated and had his abscess drained and the wounds on his leg flushed. He stayed overnight for IV fluid antibiotics. 
Initially there were vet visits every single day to check his wounds and change his bandage. He eventually stopped using his leg and was dragging it. He did start to get better and then regressed. At that point I decided it was time to go back to our regular vet, Briarcrest.
Dr. Collins was concerned with the wounds, especially on his elbow, which basically had the bone poking out. She said the skin could grow back on its own with care, antibiotics and Phovia Light Therapy. But surgery was likely, which could be skin graft(s) or even amputation. Dr. Collins consulted with Dr. Maki as well.
We made an appointment with a surgeon. In the time that we had to wait for the surgery consultation Geordie started to grow back granulated tissue* over his elbow wound. (The other wounds were on a different and quicker healing schedule.) We saw pictures on a Tuesday with his bone poking out and on Friday it no longer was.
 We met with the surgeon who was ready to recommend amputation. But because of the tissue regrowth he wanted to wait and see the progression.
At that point we were going to the vet once a week. Geordie would go for wound check, light therapy and bandage change. He slowing continued with the healthy beds of granulated tissue regrowth and eventually epithelialization** and contraction of wounds.
At some point he started to use his leg like a cane and then he started to put weight on it more and more. Eventually he was fully putting weight on his foot. He lost muscle mass and has regained the majority of it back.
I said he was going to be a miracle and he was. Dr. Collins attributed this miracle to the right combination of antibiotics, light therapy, Geordie being a greyt healer and being amenable at his appointments, letting the staff easily do their work to help him heal.
On Friday, May 2, Geordie was deemed fully healed. He still needed to wear a sleeve for a couple of more weeks to ensure his newly healed but still fragile skin stayed protected. The below picture of Geordie and Briarcrest staff was to celebrate his last appointment for the cat bite.
My goal is to keep my backyard cat free in a humane way. I have many ultrasonic repellents in the backyard and predator pee sprinkled on the wall. I can’t say for certain that these things work. But I haven’t seen a cat in our backyard or even on the wall in months.
Geordie is not allowed in the backyard by himself anymore and has a personal escort. I am armed with a spray bottle ready to take action if needed.
The four months of healing were some of the hardest I have experienced. There was stress and sleepless nights. And thousands of dollars spent. But the worst part was that Geordie was in pain and was suffering.
Once his sweet, sassy, fun and silly Geordie personality started coming back I knew all would be OK.
Geordie wears his battle scar wounds proudly. I don’t wish this experience on anyone. I know as a group we are concerned about these dogs living with cats and small dogs and keeping those animals safe. But we must also consider the pain and damage a cat bite can have on our beloved hounds while being hyper aware to keep them safe.
People ask me about the cat. I don’t know what happened to it after the fight. I am pretty sure I hadn’t seen it before. I don’t know if it was a stray or someone’s pet.
I do want to thank so many for the love and support (and meals and gifts and all kinds of other types of kindness) over these trying many months: my mom; Geordie’s second mom, Abrie, and Wyatt; Jeanne; Juno and her family; Sophie and her family; friends; family; SA Greys members; Briarcrest; Figo Pet Insurance; Saguaro Veterinary Surgery. We have so many friends in this community. I love being a part of SA Greys.
*Granulation tissue is the first step in healing. It is a new connective tissue with microscopic blood vessels and myofibroblasts that develop at the wound site in the process of healing.
**Epithelialization is the next step in healing. It is the final stage of wound healing and only occurs on top of healthy granulation tissue.
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