Dog Abscess

Abscesses are not infrequently found in dogs' prostate glands. A veterinarian can drain them through an abdominal incision and biopsy them to determine the nature of the lesion. Malignant growths have been reported in dogs' prostates. If caught in time, they can be removed surgically.

Growth is one form of tumor, probably mistakenly called, that may be contracted by copulation. It grows on the penis, and mere contact will infect a bitch, which in turn can infect other males. It transplants readily. When this growth has to be removed the dog is practically valueless as a stud thereafter, unless only a very small area is initially affected.

When an abscess, or infection, develops in or under the skin, the body is usually able to create a barrier around the area to prevent septicemia from developing. It is "walled off." Dogfight wounds often result in abscesses and may be left to nature; this will result in a protracted problem with eventual rupturing and draining and healing.

The two small scent glands located on either side of the anus each have a duct that permits small quantities of the secretion of the glands to be discharged at the anal rim. If these glands become infected, a foul odor and a good deal of discomfort results. The infected glands should be expressed and packed with an antibiotic ointment. The treatment may have to be repeated several times. Infections indicated by redness, heat, and a swelling over one of the glands which may be lanced, drained, and packed with antibiotics. More often, after a few days of misery for the dog, the abscess ruptures, leaving a draining opening in the skin that usually heals without treatment. This abscess is due to a blockage of a duct leading from the gland to the rim of the anus, and the condition rarely occurs in both glands simultaneously. With the blocked duct, the gland continues to secrete until it bursts causing the abscess.

If problems of the anal glands recur too often, ask your veterinarian of the advisability of surgically removing them.

Dog Abscess Treatment

• Chronic forms of dog abscess should be treated effectively with the aid of a professional vet surgeon. To make out the intensity of the abscess you are recommended to keep a keen watch on the redness, swelling, feeling of pain and even heavy discharge from the wound. Another important symptom you must look for is that the loss of hair around the affected region.
• The diagnosis of an abnormal lump is done by drawing out a sample of pus from the lump with the help of syringe.
• The surgical treatment of the abscess consists of lancing the lump and drawing out of the pus. This is done under the general anesthesia or heavy sedation. For further drainage of the pus the wound is treated with a disinfectant solution known as the povidone iodine or chlorhexidine.