Heat-pad burn in a cat after anaesthesia
1-year-old cat spayed 4 days ago. During surgery she lay on an electric heating pad. She now has a rectangular area of hardened, dry, dark skin on her back, from which the hair pulls out easily, and which is painful on palpation.
Which statement is correct?
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A. It is typical for the true extent of a contact burn not to be visible until several days later; it is managed with analgesia, wound care and debridement once the necrotic tissue demarcates
Correct. Hair hides the lesion and necrosis takes days to demarcate. Debridement is performed in stages or in one procedure once the margin is clear, and the defect is closed later or heals by second intention.
B. If the skin looked normal on recovery from anaesthesia, it cannot be a burn
It is in fact usual for the skin to look normal at first. This delay is why burns from heating pads or hot-water bottles are recognised late.
C. Ice should be applied to the area several times a day to limit the depth
Cooling is only useful in the first minutes after a burn. Days later it adds nothing, and direct ice can damage the tissue further.
D. The right approach is to resect a wide margin today and close primarily
Before the tissue demarcates it is not known what is viable: too much may be resected, or necrosis left behind that causes the closure to fail.
lightbulb Key takeaway
Electric heating pads, hot-water bottles and hair dryers cause severe burns in anaesthetised patients. Use forced warm-air or circulating-water systems with temperature control and a barrier between the animal and the heat source.
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Updated: October 31, 2026 · Educational content for veterinary professionals. It does not replace current clinical guidelines or the judgement of the attending veterinarian.