My dog was bitten, now has an abscess. Can I drain it myself?

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sadly there is nothing else you can do at home besides what has been previously mentioned. If you are very worried, call your local SPCA to see if they offer low cost Veterinary Care. Ideally the abscess needs to be lanced (opened) to allow drainage. We can not recommend that you do this at home. If Bubba doesn't see a Vet the abscess will likely open at some point on it's own. Bite wounds and infections are painful. Sometimes cats feel very sick for a few days before the abscess ruptures because they tend to get a fever. I would just wash the area locally and not give him a full bath. You can see if you can borrow clippers from someone. I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like this wound that became a lump that is oozing fluid has become an abscess, or a pocket of infected fluid. Abscesses form when infection is trapped under the skin or within tissues such as fat or muscle. The bacteria will try to find a way out, so they can break through the skin and create a "draining tract" of pus. This should be addressed by your veterinarian, who will likely drain the abscess and open it up to allow continuous drainage. Antibiotics for at least 2 weeks will be needed, along with pain medications. Depending on the size of the wound/abscess, a bandage may be needed. I hope this is helpful! Thank you for seeking care for your Luna!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend having this treated sooner rather than later and get in as soon as you can to have this taken care of. This appears to be an abscess and has ruptured. This needs to be drained and flushed out with an antiseptic solution as well as having him placed on oral antibiotics. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly an abscess. I recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and treatment. If confirmed to be an abscess this is usually treated by drainage and flushing of the abscess as well as antibiotics. This usually resolves uneventfully. Good luck and have a good night!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not possible to know what this is without an examination. This lesion you describe could potentially be something like an abscess for example. However, other things are possible. I recommend that you have Leah evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If an abscess was noted, further local therapy with drainage and antibiotics would be recommended. Good luck and best wishes!

Unfortunately there is nothing else you can do at home besides the cleaning. An abscess is a pocket of infection, and it is painful to the dog. Arwyn needs antibiotics and pain medications, and the abscess needs to be drained and flushed. I would take her into a vet now to have this done. Best of luck.

It sounds like Cujo has developed an abscess from this bite, and he needs veterinary attention now for it. The abscess needs to be drained and flushed sterilely, and he will need antibiotics to treat the infection. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.