What to give my dog for pain and a draining abscess with cancer?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry that Bella has this cancer, but glad that she is still eating and happy. Depending on the type of cancer, steroid may or may not help, I would discuss with your vet about a steroid vs. an NSAID. The two cannot be given at the same time so you will have to pick one or the other. Gabapentin is good for pain as well, so continue this and ask your vet if you can increase this dose. CBD oil is controversial for sure, but the biggest issue is that the amount of drug in each 'pill'/'capsule' is highly variable, so sometimes there will be no drug and sometimes far too much. If Bella isn't responding well to it, then I would suggest stopping it. Ulcerated skin will be painful, but gauge her quality of life based on if she is eating, walking, wagging her tail, happy otherwise, you know her best. Best of luck with Bella, I hope she feels happy for a long time!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like this could be a benign or malignant growth. This is possibly what is causing her pain. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. They could start pain control medications if she appears to be painful. Good luck and have a good day!

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I'm sorry to hear that Sassy is having this issue. This looks very serious. When there are metal implants involved you must take her to a vet. The implant needs to be removed (if possible) or the entire bone can become infected (osteomyelitis) causing severe issues that can be life threatening. At the very least she needs antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications which cannot be purchased over the counter. This is serious and is not something you can treat at home. I do not know where in Australia you are located but I suggest you contact this organization that helps people with veterinary medical bills. If you are not in Victoria maybe they can direct you to someone in your area that can help. ( https://petmedicalcrisis.com.au/how-we-work/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello. There are many wonderful medication availably to make Sassy much more comfortable in her older years. You can start with a good glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate supplement ( I like Dasuquin by Nutramax ). Then, you can visit with your vet about some of the amazing medications we have to keep our elderly pets so much more comfortable, like NSAIDS ( Previcox, Rimadyl, Deramax, Meloxicam, Galliprant ) to which we can add additional medications such as Gabapentin, if necessary. In addition, adding Adequan injections may actually lower the amount of medications that Sassy might need to keep her comfortable. We have so many safe medications available, but they do need some monitoring. I hope you can talk to your vet soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for your post! I am sorry to hear Sasha is in pain with her left leg. The left ankle being swollen does not make me think an ACL tear, especially if the xrays and physical examination were normal with the knee joint. However, that being said, sometimes when dogs are worked up and energetic in the clinic setting, it can be difficult to assess the knee joint with them awake. These cases I sedate for the xrays and examine the knee joint further under sedation. This may be something to consider with Sasha if she is not improving. Another possibility that I would want to rule out is Valley Fever. The area that you are in certainly does have Valley Fever present (a fungal infection) and this can cause lameness in animals. I would certainly have a Coccidioidomycosis titer performed with your veterinarian to be on the safe side. This also may be a soft tissue injury such as a strain or sprain and may take some time to heal. If there is no improvement, after the directed course of treatment, I would suggest seeing an orthopedic specialist for a second opinion. A CT scan of the ankle joint may help pinpoint the problem as well and this can be done with most orthopedic specialty clinics. Please do not hesitate to call me with further questions / concerns. My main area of interest is orthopedics and if you would like to discuss this further by phone, I am available by consultation.

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!

I'm so sorry to hear that Tasha is so painful. My best recommendation is to discuss generic pain medications that can be called into a human pharmacy with your veterinarian. There are a few human medications that we can use in dogs, but they are all by prescription, so your vet would need to prescribe them for Tasha. In the US, we most commonly use Meloxicam as a prescription human generic pain medication for dogs. I am attaching a handout below with more information on pain medications for arthritis. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&species=All&id=4951467 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.