Penrose Drain Discharge Instructions for Cats

What is a Penrose drain?

A Penrose drain is a latex tube that is placed into a wound with one or two ends exiting the skin, allowing fluids to drain from the wound. The drain is typically sutured to the skin to hold the drain in place. Most likely, the drain will exit from a new incision site and not the primary wound site.

What is the purpose of the Penrose drain?

The Penrose drain is designed to passively remove unwanted fluid, usually when treating abscesses or open wounds. Abscesses (pockets of pus/infection) and open wounds are considered contaminated, and removing unwanted fluid and pus via the drain helps the wound heal.

What should I do when my pet arrives home?

Your pet should be kept indoors to prevent the wound area from getting dirty. Activity (such as running and jumping) should be kept to a minimum to avoid strain and damage to the wound site.

What should I do if my pet is licking or chewing at the drain site?

An Elizabethan collar (E-collar, or cone) should be placed on your pet to prevent chewing and licking of the wound site. A clean bandage may also be used to cover the drain in order to absorb the draining fluid and to protect the wound from contamination with debris such as dirt, or hair. Your pet may try to remove the E-collar at first, but most pets will get used to the collar and tolerate wearing it. It is better to use the E-collar than risk your cat damaging the surgery site or ingesting bandage material.

Do I need to change the bandage?

If there is a bandage, it should be changed frequently enough so that the draining fluid does not saturate the bandage. Therefore, how often the bandages need changing depends on the amount of fluid draining. As the wound heals, the amount of fluid draining from the Penrose drain should decrease.

Should I apply any medications to the wound?

No. You should not apply any medications to the wound or into the draining areas unless recommended by your veterinarian. To avoid irritation to the intact areas of skin under the drain edges, a light layer of Vaseline or triple antibiotic ointment can be applied to protect the skin. The site where the drain exits should be cleaned daily with a moist paper towel or washcloth. Your veterinarian will provide you with specific instructions for cleaning and ointment application.

Will my cat receive any medications after surgery?

Your pet may be sent home with pain medications or other oral medications such as antibiotics. If you have been given medications, please read the label carefully to ensure that you administer all medications correctly. 

What should the drain site look like and when should I be concerned?

There should be a small opening where the drain exits the skin, but the skin edges should be closed at all other incision sites. The drain should not disappear under the skin and should remain sutured in place. The skin around any incisions may be normal color to slightly reddish. There may be mild swelling of the skin. Fluid should be draining from the end of the Penrose drain, but the amount of fluid should decrease every day.

Depending on the reason for the drain, the fluid may vary in color and consistency, but there should not be excessive fresh blood or active bleeding, or increasingly unpleasant, thick, or smelly discharge. There should not be excessive redness or swelling of the skin. Contact your veterinarian immediately if any of the above occur.

When should the drain be removed?

Drains should be removed usually within 2-4 days. Drains may need to stay in place longer for larger wounds. A sign that the drain is ready to be removed is a drastic decrease in the amount of draining fluid. Your veterinarian will provide specific instructions about how long the drain needs to remain in place.

When can my petresume normal activities?

Once the drain and all the sutures have been removed, your pet can return to normal activities unless directed otherwise by your veterinarian. Your petshould not be bathed until all sutures have been removed and the drain openings have closed completely.