Abscess on paw.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh no, this is not a good situation.

Unfortunately the only thing that is going to fix this abscess is antibiotic in tablet form.

You are doing the right thing by soaking in epsom salts. This will help somewhat. However, the pus, the lethargy, and the pain are all because there is infection present. The only way to deal with the infection is to get him on an appropriate antibiotic.

You may want to check out this list of organizations that can help with veterinary bills. Perhaps you can get some help to get him to a veterinarian.

I wish I had a better answer for you, but the only solution is to get him on antibiotics. Hopefully he can be seen soon. The longer that you wait, the more serious the infection will get. Right now it is something that can likely be treated with oral antibiotics but as it gets worse he could need surgery, hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics which of course would be an awful lot more expensive.

I really hope he is better soon!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

It is *possible* that this could work. There are two problems I can see with this though:

1. Many infections that we see in dogs these days are becoming resistant to penicillin. I rarely will use penicillin on its own.

2. No vet can legally give you the correct dosing to use without having what is called a client-patient relationship with you. Now, if you have a vet that you have worked with in the past and who has a file on your dog then it is worthwhile to give them a call to see if they are willing to give you the dosage to use. However, in most cases they would not be willing to do this without actually seeing the pet first.

I'm glad to hear that things are improving! It is a good sign that he is not limping!