bindi has an abcess

[hopefloats]

Bindi came down with an abscess in September, she actually went to the vet the same time we took Luna in for her final goodbye. so it has been a few weeks. The vet opened it so it would drain, she healed super fast of course, and it is back. It seems like it was getting smaller, but over the last two days it is a filled again. It isnt growing just filling out if that makes sense.

It is right behind one of her nipples, the skin is darker, it is attached to her skin not her muscle or body which is where Luna's lump seemed to stem from.

I can take her to the vet, but not till next week. the vet gave us extra antibiotic refills, so I started her on that last night. I am wondering if with these it is best to let them run their course, pop, then keep them clean? or go have it lanced again?

She healed so fast the last time it was healed quickly.

what experience do you have with abscess? what is best?

 

[jorats]

I never get them lanced. But antibiotics work great along with compresses, popping, cleaning and flushing.
Are you sure it's another abscess? It's a typical spot for mammary tumours.

 

[hopefloats]

we had it lanced already and it was filled, so it is an abscess, it is in the same exact spot. i think it just didn't drain enough, she pretty much closed up the same day. You can tell there there is a discoloration of the skin, which is typical of abscess right? Tumor don't really get discolored until they get large and break the skin open right? she is only 10 months old so she is a little young for a tumor isnt she?, i know it can happen but generally they happen later.

I am almost positive it started with a bite from one of the rats, we felt a scratch there then a bump appeared, it doesn't grow at all it just fills up, it is small, but in a awkward place, it has not grown at all since it appeared, it flattened a little so i thought it was healing but now it filled up again.

haha i am so full of questions LOL you have to just love me. I think you should be come my shrink and start charging me LOL!

I can try to get a picture of it but she is horrible to hold.

 

[MomRat]

If the surface is turning black(I assume from your color-change comment) you can take a hot, wrung out wet washcloth and hold it against it until it cools, or the abscess opens. Squeeze out the gross pus, and then flush it out with a syringe(no needle) of saline(dissolve salt in warm water) once or twice a day. Keep her on ABS if you have them, and don't let it close up or put neosporin on it, because that will make it heal from the outside first, and get reinfected. Lancing creates a pin hole that closes right back up, you really need to get it OPEN. =)

 

[hopefloats]

that was exactly what I was thinking, it should be open or it wont leave, that is why i was opting out of going to the vet since I already have the antibiotics, Is the dark coloration the head of it? yes it is black, but for some reason I couldnt say it was black and but saying it was discolored made me feel better LOL. sorry it has been a long day.

is the saline something you can get from the drug store? I have never bought it before.

I just didnt want to make a bad choice on not having it lanced again because it just stressed her out driving for two hours to have it lanced.

 

[MomRat]

We just dissolve a spoonful of table salt in warm water to make saline. =)

 

[hopefloats]

good thing you said that because I forgot about it when I was just at the drug store LOL

 

[lilspaz68]

I have dealt with almost all my abscesses at home and the twice daily flushing is what really did the trick.

 

[hopefloats]

that is good to know, because it did not work going to the vet, it just didnt stay open long enough. I will wait to try to make it pop till tomorrow, tomorrow is cage cleaning day, So i can change everything out and make sure she has a fresh cage to heal in.

 

[lilspaz68]

that is good to know, because it did not work going to the vet, it just didnt stay open long enough. I will wait to try to make it pop till tomorrow, tomorrow is cage cleaning day, So i can change everything out and make sure she has a fresh cage to heal in.

The saline flush I use table salt and water and eye it roughly, not too much salt though. I vaguely remember the rough measurements for Isotonic saline solution but you can google it. Even if you don't get it all out every time the abs and the saline will break the pus down, til its more liquid than cheesy and it drains and heals properly.

I often find vets forget the flushing part of the aftercare and the lanced abscess heals over and often recurs.

 

[Rachael]

Fingers crossed for your rattie.

 

[hopefloats]

awesome that makes me worry less, a lot less. we lost Luna to a tumor, her age and current health, i was dreading the tumor on bindi, relieved when it was an abscess and not a tumor, unsure what to do when it came back LOL or never completely went away.


Hopefully doing it this way will heal and I wont have to worry about it coming back. I was kinda confused why it never completely went away, thought maybe it was some scar tissue.

 

[hopefloats]

I picked bindi up and noticed i didn't feel something.... well her abscess popped already. glad i started her on the antibiotics last night. It either helped it get out, or it is going to help it go away. It already feels better than it did after we went to the vet. It feels a lot thinner and you cannot feel the mass anymore. Yay. I am fixing the water up now to clean it out, lol this should really be fun, she is near impossible to hold.