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Species: Dog Breed: American/blue nose p Age: 6-12 months
My dog was was in a fight with my roomates dog. He healed up and was himself a few days later. there was some seriouse swelling around his neck now the swelling has all gathered into a softball size knot on his chest. It doesn't bother him, he tries to lick it but he cant reach the spot it is. Should I try to drain it? It is not red or hot to the touch I don't believe it to be an infection.
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Dr. Marie replied:
This definitely sounds like an abscess. Definitely do not try to drain this at home.
An abscess usually does need draining, but quite often in a dog this needs to be done with an anesthetic. In cats, often a vet can very quickly rupture an abscess with a scalpel blade but we don't do this often in dogs.
I once had a case where I had a dog with an abscess on the neck. The owners had very little money and they convinced me to try lancing it without an anesthetic. I was a brand new grad at the time...now I know better. I lanced the abscess and it turned out it was right over the jugular vein. I ended up cutting into the vein and the dog began bleeding profusely. The dog ended up being ok, but I had to administer a full anesthetic and do some frantic surgery to cut down to the vein and stitch up the damage. If this had happened in someone's home the dog likely would have died.
If there is an abscess it is not going to heal without antibiotics. Your dog will definitely need to see a vet.
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Veterinarian, Dr. Marie created this site to be able to provide quick, accurate veterinary advice online. She would love to help with your pet's problem!
Dr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.
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