My senior dog's fatty neck cyst opened. Can it heal without surgery?

You can leave it open like this, it will likely heal on its own. However, over time it will probably fill again, if it was a cyst. If this happens you may have to have it removed. Do not put ointment on it, generally leave it alone. It may be a good idea to cut away the hair around it to avoid hair to get into the wound.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The initiation of the healing process is the formation of a scab. It will eventually fall off and the hair grow back if this was just a simple infection. If you do not find any discharge and it does not smell bad, this is likely healing so it would be best to not take the scab off. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the pictures, it does appear that this is a sizable hole. Unfortunately, when dealing with cancer cells, anytime a cancerous mass is removed this is a possible complication. Flushing the area may help this heal faster or this may not heal well at all due to the cancerous nature of the area. I would say that if this is not looking like it is developing healthy tissue within a week of flushing and caring for the open wound, I would recommend having this closed with stitches again. I would have the veterinarian check the wound every 3 days to monitor it's progression. This area is hard to bandage and most likely a bandage would not stay in place in this area. I would leave this exposed to the air so it heals better. When she goes to sleep at night, I would put a shirt around her or a pair of boxer shorts to keep it protected. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poor Sock. Everything you've done so far is helping to keep this managed (except no Neopsorin should be placed on a wound that is this open); however she ultimately needs this mass to be removed. It is likely not going to heal very well with wound management. I would recommend taking her in to your vet for oral antibiotics, shaking of the hair around and in top of the mass (hair carries a lot of bacteri) and it needs to be cleaned with an antiseptic (Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water or Chlorhexidine solution 3% diluted). Nothing else topical really should be placed on top of this area. A loose fitting t-shirt should also be placed on Sock and an Elizabethan collar to prevent her from licking the area. Getting her scheduled for surgical removal of the mass may ultimately be the only curative for this wound. Best wishes with Socks wound and getting this resolved. Take care. Here are some financial resources if needed. Carecredit.com Redrover.org http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

The problems with cysts is that they open reoccur, and typically need to be removed surgically. In addition, removing the fluid from a cyst should be done in a sterile manner, and I would be concerned that you may accidentally be introducing infection into the cyst yourself by pressing on it. I would take Akkiko into the vet first thing in the morning. The vet can drain any remaining fluid with a sterile needle and syringe, and can discuss removing it with you. There is also the chance it could be a malignant adenocarcinoma, so it is a good idea to have the vet biopsy it just to make sure it is benign.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Without a picture it is difficult for me to advise you on the most appropriate way to handle this. However, if it has ruptured and it is a small opening, you can keep it clean twice daily using a mixture of water and betadine so that you have a light brown solution. Use this to clean the cyst until it heals. If it becomes infected or does not resolve, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine this so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I can't tell you for sure without seeing your kitty, but from what you describe I think there is a good chance it will heal on its own without further intervention. It must have been a cyst all along and finally ruptured. Sometimes I go in later and surgically remove these only if they become a recurrent problem that is not well-managed with antibiotics alone.