Dash's Abscess :(

Hi all! Sorry we've been inactive for so long. We had a move and school and it's been crazy.

For as long as we can remember Dash has had a tiny, skin-tag like bump on his hind leg. It always remained skin-coloured and small and it never bothered him when we touched it or when he got groomed. But the past couple have days took a turn! It started to swell and then when we woke up yesterday it had turned a dark purple and had grown in size. This morning we left for a meeting and scheduled a vet's visit for tomorrow morning. However when we returned the lump had grown in size and changed to an even worse colour.

We called the vet back and went in right away. The vet popped and drained what he says is an abscess and it is brutal looking. He said we should keep it uncovered (which we thought was weird, but can understand) and wait for it to keep draining while taking antibiotics. He gave us a cone but since we're home we're just keeping him confined with us. He's very uncomfortable and it looks pretty much like he's been shot.

The vet said if we could to once in a while try to push more puss out but there's no way we'll be able to put him in pain like that.

Any similar stories or ways I could make it less uncomfortable for him?

OMG that looks painful .....did he give dash something for pain too? I imagine that would be very uncomfortable for him if you were to try to squeeze it. I am wondering if a lukewarm soft facecloth like a compress and try to apply a little pressure if it would ooze a bit? poor thing? is that from the skin tag?

Welcome back!

I had a abscess once, trust me once it pops it feels much better and doesn't hurt anymore (or at least a heck of a lot less then it did). it is the pressure of the enclosed infection that is killer. Now that it is popped he should be on the road to recovery :thumbs up

Poor lil Dash! I hope he heals up soon! Lotsa :grouphug:'s, :goodvibes:'s and :pray:'ers coming his way!

Holy catz! That's some abcess! :(

I agree with Winston--a warm, wet cloth might help keep it oozing, which is what you want it to do. Better getting the pus out than having it trapped inside!

Hope Dash is feeling better soonest!! :goodvibes:

You should be pleased it was in a position like that, where it will drain easily. I remember someone locally injecting a horse up high on the rump and they got an abcess afterwards - no way could it drain. Yours is a nasty one but all the more reason to try and do what the vet asked you to IMO, you don't want it to close up and build up again. Just do it slowly and feed him titbits to take his mind off it. Be calm so he is too.

I have dealt with abscesses on kitties and it looks pretty much the same (kind of like a bullet hole once it opens up).

It likely doesn't hurt that much now that it is open and the pressure has been relieved. I agree with the others about the compresses and that's what I used. Warm compresses with a damp washcloth for about five minutes a couple of times a day will help keep it open and draining and speed the healing.

:goodvibes: that he is back to himself very soon.

Thank you so much for all of the replies guys! So everyone thinks I should use a warm washcloth to keep it open and draining? I will try that today. I do think it would be a good idea because this morning it looks dried up and I don't want it to heal and there still be gunk in there.

Thank you!

How is Dash's owie doing? :goodvibes:

Thanks for asking! He is MUCH better. The swelling has gone down quite a bit and only a small scab remains. I'm a bit worried because the lump is not flush with the skin meaning in the end we may have to end up getting it surgically removed (the original little skin tag-ish thing). But it has improved significantly! He hates the antibiotic but he's taking it anyway haha. The only silly looking part now is the big bald patch he has on his leg. Back to the vet in a week and a half.

P.S we did as everyone said and used a compresses and it helped drain most of the abscess.

Thanks so much!

Oh, that's great news! Even if you need to get the original skin tag thingee removed, at least he's kicking the infection! :highfive:

The area may remained raised from swelling for a while, just keep an eye on it for re-infection but it should probably be fine.