Ugly, stinky, face abscess

[lj]

So Arthur has the above. His scab has come off, but it doesn't look like an abscess underneath. It is hard yellowy gunk. Should I try to pull it out? I've been compressing his face, but there is no way I can soak it because I'd have to put his whole head under water. The abscess is between his ear and his eye. I think that because it's on his head that that is why it tends to bleed where the scab meets the skin. Do all abscesses have puss that can drain? Or are there other types with like a nasty gooey thick substance? I am leaning toward an abscess not a tumour because it has surfaced and the scab has come off. That and the stench! :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2: :sick2:

Best thing to do? I've got him on abs as well. I don't think surgery is an option for him as he's 34 months old now. I think I'll either have to deal with it and try to fix it somehow or have to have him put to sleep if it doesn't get better before it gets way worse.

He is still eating, drinking and moving around as much as an old man can.

 

[Dahlas]

I have only delt with two abscess on rats but the stuff that came out was thick like toothpast........and yellowy.......I squeezed as much as I could and then syringed in saline solution to flush it out.

 

[lilspaz68]

Ugh, poor sweetheart. Can you sterilize something and then try to scrape it out? Some pus is sooo thick that it will not express, and I have had to scrape out some here and there Scraping out what you can, and flushing with saline might moisten up the remainder.

I would pop him on pain meds for sure if he's not already on them.

Give him a kiss for me! :heart:

 

[sausage4ever]

If it can be expressed then I would try that. The SkinKids get minor abcesses all the time, but nothing as disgusting as what you're going through. Lilspaz's advice is best, right after Dahlas's. For abcesses there isn't much one can do. But I would try to lance it ASAP as those things can spread and cause infection to spread through out the body.

I'm making myself sick just writing this (I have a huge issue with infection,and mould) but what I'm saying is true and will help poor Artie out.

 

[lj]

He's on Baytril and Medacam. Wondering if I should go get something stronger for him (abs wise). I know that when I get home the scab will be back on. Poor guy is in for a night. I'm going to scrape that grossness out (well as much as my stomach can handle).

 

[mamarat]

Can you take a pic of it? Hawk had a tumor on his face that had abcessed. It was pretty gross and stunk pretty bad.

 

[SQ]

If he is healthy and you have a good vet, the vet could preform surgery ... or at least clean it out for you.

Laurel had a facial abscess when I got her ... the side of her face was black from dead skin and the abscess was huge .... she had emergency surgery the next morning and that, along with antibiotics, solved the problem.

Facial abscesses are not something you want to fool around with ... they are often deadly, depending on how far they have spread.
But like everyone has mentioned, it has to be cleaned out, flushed, and kept open so it will hopefully heal from the inside out.

 

[lj]

He's almost 3. I don't think he'd be okay to be put under. I will see what I can do over the weekend. Just wondering if I can give him something besides Medacam and Baytril to help him out.

 

[SQ]

clavamox would be good to add to the baytril.
Good luck cleaning it out and keeping it open and syringed out.

 

[lj]

Mmmmmmm.....Got more nastiness out tonight. Flushed it out well with a saline solution that I made and let him be. Ugh. It's so gross. I'm going to have to get him to the vet on Monday if it doesn't improve over the weekend. How many times a day should I try to flush it out? Is two enough?

 

[jorats]

Two is enough but more is better.
Sending lots of healing vibes. :hugs: