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Abscess one week post-op

HeatherRose said:
Nothing comes out when I flush Anna’s abscess, should there be any puss or nasty stuff coming out? I had to kinda pry open the slit this morning for the flushing, that was not fun.
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If nothing is coming out that is a good sign.
I would keep flushing though as sometimes the pus is still there deep in the wound.
The flushing also acts as an antiseptic and aids healing.
When the wound healed on Jemimah’s abscess and I couldn’t flush it any more I switched to cotton buds soaked in the Hibiscrub.
I do hope Anna is doing better today
 
HeatherRose said:
Oh when he was lancing and aspirating it? I’m sure he would have if I had asked, but I get a little light-headed and squeamish with stuff like that so I was ok not being there. I’m lucky to be able to flush the abscess without passing out lol! I guess my mom instincts kick in and I can do it! The vet tech said most of the squealing was when they were shaving her fur, she hated the clippers.
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. How is Anna doing today?
 
Anna is doing well today, she is slowly gaining some weight back. The cut in the abscess is getting harder and harder to open each time to flush it. I have a call in to the vet to see what our next steps are, I guess he’ll call me back later today. Despite me torturing her twice a day, she still loves me and crawls up in my neck to cuddle when I get her out. I’m surprised she hasn’t bitten me as my fingers are right on her mouth when I have to hold her to get to the abscess!
 
I’m still flushing the abscess, the vet said to try to do it through the weekend. It is getting harder and harder to get the slit open. Any tips on getting the scab off or opening it up? Right now I just shoot the area with some of the solution to soften it then try to pull it apart and get the syringe tip in there. I can tell it is very uncomfortable for her ☹️
 
HeatherRose said:
I’m still flushing the abscess, the vet said to try to do it through the weekend. It is getting harder and harder to get the slit open. Any tips on getting the scab off or opening it up? Right now I just shoot the area with some of the solution to soften it then try to pull it apart and get the syringe tip in there. I can tell it is very uncomfortable for her ☹️
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When Sundae had an abscess I would put some peroxide on the wound prior to trying to open it... the peroxide foams on any scabbed area and softens it a lot. Hope this helps!
 
My vet recommended using a piece of cotton wool soaked in warm water and holding that against the wound to soften it and allow flushing.
 
Poor Anna, the last two days when I flushe her abscess the solution comes out the top of her surgery incision (that is separate from where it was lanced). It was just a tiny hole then and the vet said that was ok and maybe good because we know it was being flushed good. Well now the whole scab is coming off and it looks nasty underneath, it is still half attached, but I guess I will be calling the vet in the morning, it might be all the way off by then. My vet is off today and all weekend but said to tell the office they can call him at home if it’s for Anna.16A9C068-6280-40B4-95A0-0A9549CDF644.webpBB6751AE-5907-4AE6-9502-CDE508B5FF4B.webpBE8CDF10-F414-4736-AD1D-7A7CBEF4272E.webpthe brown piece is the scab and the little slit underneath is where he lanced it. It looks like when the scab falls off it will be a big gaping wound! Is this ok? Maybe it will be better to get it all flushed? Or does she need more surgery?
 
Not got any experience of what you and Anna are going through. Someone will be along soon to let you know.
 
The scab is just hanging by a thread now. I just emailed these pictures to the vet so hopefully they can get back with me first thing in the morning. Poor Anna, she is just going about her business of eating, sleeping, and wheeking for food like there is not a big nasty hole in her neck!111A42D1-DC88-43CB-B85A-771945878836.webpD0973594-CDA9-43ED-9714-F1A5935768C7.webp
 
My Clover had a very similar looking abscess scab to this and every time I picked off the scab they’d be loads of pus (and everytime she ate more pus would come out as it was deep in her jaw). The best thing to do is to clean it as best you can with cotton pads I found and I’d do this a number of times every day x
 
Poor Anna
That has been a really nasty abscess.
Sounds as if you have a good vet so hope he can offer a solution.
Flushing and cleaning is time consuming but essential.
Hope you’re bearing up too
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
The scab coming off and leaving a large hole is good. If that is pus it means you can really clean it well, or if you can see nice, pink tissue, then that is also good as it means it is healing nicely. Which antibiotic are you giving?
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She is on Sulfamethoxazole Trimethoprim, it says SMZ-TMP on the label. I have been flushing it since Monday twice a day with betadine and saline through the little slit he made to lance it. I’m sure the slit is closed up now because last night I was too scared to mess with it too much so I just flushed where the scab was. Should I do anything to get the puss out or just flush it well and let the antibiotic work on it?
 
I deal with a lot of abscesses and have found the best way to deal with them, when they're at this stage, is to get a flat cotton wool pad and soak it in saline or diluted hibiscrub and give the wound a really good firm scrub (I know that sounds quite awful, but you do need to be quite aggressive in the way that you deal with abscesses). If you do that, a few times a day, it really makes a difference. What you want to see is nice pink, healthy tissue.

Would your vet consider using Zithromax (azithromycin) instead of the antibiotic you are using? Zithromax is the very best antibiotic for anything pus related.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I deal with a lot of abscesses and have found the best way to deal with them, when they're at this stage, is to get a flat cotton wool pad and soak it in saline or diluted hibiscrub and give the wound a really good firm scrub (I know that sounds quite awful, but you do need to be quite aggressive in the way that you deal with abscesses). If you do that, a few times a day, it really makes a difference. What you want to see is nice pink, healthy tissue.

Would your vet consider using Zithromax (azithromycin) instead of the antibiotic you are using? Zithromax is the very best antibiotic for anything pus related.
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I will get to scrubbing and ask the vet about the other antibiotic when he calls me.
 
I’ve got no experience with abscesses but I did have to flush an eye socket once after my late Eliza had her eye removed and it got infected.

My vet gave me a fine needles to attach to the syringe to flush the socket with. I think that @furryfriends (TEAS) uses a needle too when flushing abscesses

I am still sending Anna lots of healing vibes xx
 
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