Why does my cat's chin abscess keep coming back after antibiotics?

Oh my. Poor kitty. It seems this area needs to be cultured to see what kind of antibiotic will rid this infection for sure, or at the very least another class of antibiotic (i.e. fluoroquinolone) should be tried here. I would also not cover this for the future, to give it a chance to breathe an heal well. The area should also be investigated while Mickey is sedated to ensure there is no foreign body material underneath the skin that could be a source of chronic infection. If there is foreign material there, then it needs to be removed first in order for it to heal well. I hope this helps and best wishes with your kitty Mickey moving forward! Take care. : )

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sorry to hear about Misha's persistent issue! I would definitely advise that you have Misha seen by a vet. If this is truly an abscess, it may require a course of antibiotics to fully clear - otherwise it will likely continue to wax and wane as you've observed, and could become even worse if the infection is allowed to remain. It's also possible that Misha's issue is not a straightforward abscess - she could have another issue such as a cyst or tumor/mass, or even a foreign body (such as a thorn) that could be leading to a secondary infection. Your vet will be able to help determine what specifically is going on with Misha, and from your description I suspect your vet will likely put her on a course of antibiotics to help her heal. Hope this helps!

Ouch! Those look pretty painful. If the medication isn't working it may be a good idea to take a sample of the lesions to be sent out to a lab for testing to see if there is a more specific medication that can be used, or if there is another cause for the lesions. Some viral illnesses can also cause lesions, in which case antibiotics wouldn't work to treat the underlying cause, only to prevent secondary infection from forming. Since they are coming back and look pretty painful, additional examination and bloodwork is also a good idea to narrow down possibilities. Keeping your catch from biting at or scratching the lesions with an Elizabethan (cone) collar is also a good idea to help prevent further irritation while it tries to heal.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While I agree with your veterinarian that this can be due to an infection. However, I think a fungal infection like cryptococcus seems more likely and that would only respond to anti-fungal therapy. Another possibility is cancer such as squamous cell carcinoma. I recommend you consider having him reevaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. May be a biopsy could be done at this time since it has not improved. Good luck and have a great day!

I am sorry to hear about Roman! I would consider asking your vet if the area needs a bacterial culture and sensitivity. This is a test that identifies the organism causing the infection and the antibiotics that are best suited to treat the infection. We can sometimes get infections with organisms that are resisitant to the more common bacterias (you may have heard of one called MRSA). So it is a good idea if an infection isn't clearing to do a culture. It is also possible his course of antibiotics wasn't long enough to completely clear the infection. Another possibility would be the presence of a foreign body in skin causing a pocket of infection. If the abscess keeps returning your vet may need to do surgery to open the area and be sure no foreign body (like a splinter or grass awn) is present.

Hi and thanks for your question this morning. From the picture, it looks like a puncture wound or bite wound that has become infected although it could be other skin issues like a fungal infection, parasitic infection, or a bad bacterial infection. Keep the area clean with a mild cleansing cloth a few times daily or 3% hydrogen peroxide on the wound until you can take Snowie into your veterinarian- snowie may need to have fungal or bacterial culture done on the wound and may need to be on antibiotics or another medication for a while. I hope she has a speedy recovery!

Hello, Thanks for the good photo. This looks like it may be either a bad chin acne lesion or a small abscess or infection. You can gently clean the area with a warm saline or epsom salt water solution. Otherwise, keep it dry and don't apply any ointments, as these can sometimes trap bacteria and worsen infections. If it's not significantly improved within a week, I'd have Freya seen by her veterinarian when possible. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.