My dog's chin abscess burst. Should I flush it or see a vet?

Applying a warm compress for 10 to 15 minutes a couple times a day can help the abscess continue to drain. cleaning the discharge from the skin with a mild soap or hibiclens (available at drug stores) is also recommended. An e-collar to prevent your dog from licking at the area and keeping your dog indoors except to use the bathroom is also recommended (to avoid flies). You will, however, need veterinary attention because the abscess may need to be flushed and your dog will need systemic antibiotic which requires a prescription.

Hello, thank you for your question about Abby. If the abscess has already ruptured and you are able to warm compress the area, I would recommend allowing it to drain and do not feel that it needs any topical treatment. Abby should be discouraged from licking at the area as this will predispose her to developing a secondary infection. You could purchase an e-collar at a pet store or try using a t-shirt at home. After the holiday I would recommend contacting your veterinarian and relaying this information. They may recommend starting a short course of antibiotics at that time to help Abby heal quicker and prevent development of an infection. They can also consider pain medication at that time. Hope this helps, good luck!

You can apply a warm compress to encourage rupture and drainage. Once it ruptures, keep the area clean using diluted betadine or chlorhexidine. Ideally, Titus should be seen by your veterinarian. Foreign body can be ruled out and the abscess drained under sterile conditions. Afterwards, your vet may dispense antibiotics and pain medication if indicated.

Poor Kashmir! That does look like quite a nasty abscess. Unfortunately, in some cases if there is a large amount of pus collected in the abscess itself, drainage is required in order to resolve the infection - antibiotics only may not be enough. If he has been on medication for three days now without any significant improvement, I would recommend taking him back to your vet tomorrow morning for a recheck exam. At this point, it may be best to consider sedation so that the abscess can be flushed and drained.

Let the abscess drain and if you like you can take some cotton wool and wipe off the pus. A ruptured abscess is not an emergency, so there is ample time to wait and take him in to a veterinarian tomorrow.

An undrained abscess should be drained and flushed as well. That should be done by a vet, as it will be painful for B, and he likely will need to be sedated in order to do it. In addition, it needs to be done sterilely to prevent additional infection from entering the abscess. I would have B seen by a vet now to have the abscess treated, and the vet can prescribe antibiotics for him as well.

Poor Scarlet! Bites can frequently lead to abscesses, which are pockets of infection. It might be that the stuff you saw draining was pus, indicating infection. She needs to see a vet for this, as antibiotics are needed to treat any infection. The vet can flush the wound out as well. I would take her into a vet first thing in the morning.