My dog's enucleated eye socket is swollen and draining. Is it serious?

If it is an abscess, it should resolve once the antibiotics start to take effect in a day or two. Another possibility is a seroma, which is simply caused by the fluid that is filling the space where the eye once was. This fluid should also decrease in a few days. Wiping gently to help keep the area clean is a good idea, as long as Pearl doesn't seem bothered by the gentle wiping. If the skin where the fluid drips starts to look irritated, you can use a thin layer of vaseline to keep the draining fluid off of the skin. The amount that actually gets to her mouth is gross to us, but it isn't harmful and she probably isn't bothered by it too much.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I’m so sorry this happened to Nemi! I would say it’s not unreasonable for 4 days post-op but the swelling should be going down rapidly at this point. If it’s not improved by tomorrow, I’d pop in to see the vet who did the surgery to make sure there is not a complication such as seroma or hematoma (fluids or blood pocket). In the mean time, I recommend warm packing for 5-10 minutes 3-4 times daily. To do this, soak a wash cloth in warm water, wring it out, and put it in a plastic bag. Apply gently to the surgery site. Seepage of some clearish fluids may happen and this is just fine. Best wishes to you and Nemi!

I am sorry to hear about your kitty. I would recommend an examination by his vet when their office reopens. If your kitty is lethargic, not eating, painful, or has a fever (rectal temperature above 102.5) then a visit to the emergency vet would be recommended. With swelling like this we would worry about residual infection, reaction to suture material, foreign body in the eye, seroma or hematoma in the socket, tumor presence in the eye. In the meantime you can try applying a cool compress/ice pack (wrapped in a thin cloth) over the area if it seems uncomfortable for 10 minutes every few hours.

It should resolve with the treatment described. If not, recheck with your veterinarian. If it is an abscess, it may need to be lanced and drained. You should also confirm the entire tooth and roots has been removed. A bit of tooth root left behind may cause infection.

Swelling directly under the eye is often an indication of a tooth root abscess. This occurs when there is severe dental disease and the tooth root becomes infected and created the pus pocket. Treatment for this is a dental cleaning with an extraction of the affected tooth. I would recommend a trip to your vet to check out the mouth and see if this is the problem. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

The shrunken eye is much less painful than the distended eyeball but would be prone to developing dry eye and infections. Removal of the eye is recommended if any complications develop but otherwise can be monitored for any pain or discomfoort, including difficulty chewing or eating

I would recommend calling the veterinarian that performed the surgery and discussing this with them. Typically when the eye is removed the lids are sewn shut. If Rarzi does not have an elizabethan collar on they I recommend getting one from your local pet store until you can get him to a veterinarian. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.