To vet or not to vet...?

[Frettchen]

I'm thinking not, but just wanted to canvass opinions...


Short story is that my dog was bitten on Saturday evening. The other dog (owned by my dad) bit FrettPup in the face - didn't break the skin, and let go when told to (I wasn't present for the incident, so am repeating what I have been told)

On Saturday evening, probably about 3 hours after the bite, FrettPup was quite headshy, whimpering if anyone touched his face. I collected him from my dad's and took him home. He ate some food without any issues and quickly became happy for me to touch his head and face apart from his cheek.

Sunday he was his normal self again; bouncy, happy, appetite is good, all is well. He does, however, have a lump on his cheek. He doesn't like me touching it. I've looked inside his mouth and the inside of his cheek looks a little bruised, and like there's an ulcer there (like when you bite your lip) - His teeth all look fine.

Today he's the same - attitude is perfectly normal, he's just got a swollen cheek, which I'm assuming will go down after a little while.

Anyone any experience of post-bite-swellings? Should I just leave it, is it worth a bit of hibiscrub, or is it a vettable situation?

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Swollen in the position of a dog bite would suggest an abscess is developing. Abscesses need antibiotics, the sooner a vet sees it and antibiotics start the less likely it is to burst and or your dog get unwell.

[Frettchen]

Ah. Ok, I didn't think of an abscess... This would be exactly why I came here. Vets it is then.

[Atbeckandcall]

Ditto the abscess, hope he's better soon.

[Frettchen]

Appointment made for 5:20 this evening (the bill for which will be footed by my poor dad, who feels rotten about the whole thing!)

[Frettchen]

So apparently my dog is strange... He has an abscess, but the entry wound is on the inside of his mouth, not the outside, and mouth wounds are supposed to sort themselves out, not abscess up.

On the plus sign I have seen more pus than I particularly expected to, have learnt that dogs quite enjoy the taste of their own pus, and have been told to go ahead and 'massage' the abscess to try to release a bit more of the pus.

Well, ok then...

He's on Nisamox for a week, then in for a check up to see if he needs knocking out and cleaning up.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

The entry wound on the inside might have been from one of his own teeth when his face was squeezed in the other dogs grasp.

Didn't know they liked their own pus hopefully he won't vomit, you'll be in for a nasty surprise if you find pools of vomitty pus on your floor - vom

[Frettchen]

Oh let's not tempt the pus-vomit fates!!!

That's what I was thinking, re: his own teeth making the wound.

He's had his anti-b and I've 'massaged' his cheek. Am very much over the smell of the infection now! He really stinks!

[Owllady]

Oh dear, I giggled at smell and gross ness. You are a dog owner :o
I hope he feels better soon

[Frettchen]

Either the smell is getting better, or I'm getting used to it... One of those things is a good thing, the other is really not!

I keep forgetting not everyone is as au fait with pus-y injuries and doggy abscesses as I now am, and that they probably don't want to hear about pus during the working day! This is what happens when you have dogs in the office.

Pup seems absolutely fine, today and yesterday he's been bounding around like his normal self. He wolfed down his drugs-and-treat last night and this morning, and his cheek already looks a lot less swollen. Think he'll be just fine. I'll have a peek inside his mouth once my colleagues have all gone home.