Dog's swelling and abscess returned after tooth removal. Help!

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.

Poor Ginger! I cannot say for sure without seeing her in person, but this looks like a tooth root abscess. I would continue the warm compresses until you are able to get her seen by your vet. If this is the cause, your vet will likely put her on some antibiotics and also recommend to have the tooth causing the issue to be extracted. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better soon!

Thank you for submitting your question. I'm sorry to hear about the dog fight. I'm concerned that her face is still swollen this many days after the fight. There is a chance an abscess has now formed. Bacteria are introduced under the skin with the bite. The skin tends to heal over the wound trapping the bacteria under the skin. If the infection grows, a swelling known as an abscess forms. This will likely require antibiotics, if not surgery to heal. Your dog will need to see a veterinarian. In the meantime, you can try warm compresses at home. Apply a warm washcloth to the swollen area for 5 minutes three times per day. I hope this information!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Based on the swelling's location, this is possibly due to a tooth root abscess. This is something your veterinarian could check for on an examination and treat if confirmed. This is something that is treated with local therapy including drainage, debridement and antibiotics. Good luck and have a great day!

You can use a hot compress on the area to see if you can get the infection to drain. That should help relieve some of the pain. While I prefer to use specific dog pain medications you can give aspirin to help with the pain. I give it with a meal. There is a section on this website with information about common over the counter medications that you can give and the recommended dosage. The veterinarian will probably put Chico on antibiotics and schedule a dental cleaning with an extraction if needed. I’m glad you are taking him in soon as this is quite painful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chico.

Poor Troubles! A tooth root abscess can be a difficult thing to get rid of. I would see your vet as he likely needs oral antibiotics and pain meds. He will also need that tooth extracted as usually the abscess will continue to come back and never completely heal until that tooth is removed. I hope this helps!

I wouldn't say that you can rule out an abscess, on the contrary, if it got better after antibiotic treatment, it's likely to be a tooth abscess. the antibiotic may solve the problem but you cannot know in advance, you need to finish the antibiotic course and wait a few weeks to see if it comes back or not. if it comes back he will need a dental procedure, and by the way he is nowhere too old for anesthesia, a few weeks ago one of my oldest patients, a cat 23 years of age, went through a small procedure under general anesthesia without any issues.