Anal Gland Abscess After-Care

My chiweenie had an abscessed anal gland that appeared yesterday and before I could get her to the vet this morning, it appeared to have ruptured because pus and a little blood were coming out of the abscesses area upon waking today. Despite the abscess, she didn’t appear to be in pain, ate as usual, wanted to go for her morning walk, and got excited for the ride to the vet. They took her to the back to express and I heard her crying during the procedure. 🥺 I was relieved when the vet told me he was able to drain it all. I was given prescriptions for augmentin/clavulanate and carprofen and gave them as soon as we got home 4 hours ago. Ever since getting home, she seems to be in pain, the area is still oozing some fluid, it’s a darker red now, and is still swollen (maybe even a little more) despite being drained. She’s constantly licking and doesn’t want to move, go for a walk, etc. Just a completely 180 from this morning. I’ve had an abscess drained before and I felt relief after so this is concerning to me. Any thoughts? I can post a photo in the thread comments if it would be helpful but will wait to see if it’s necessary.

Hello  It sounds as though your dog may be uncomfortable and therefore, I wonder whether better pain relief is merited?  In the past we used to advocate collars to stop licking and this can still be important, but the licking / biting is usually a response to pain, so it may be that your vet decides to use stronger pain relief instead or as well.  The secretion can occasionally cause skin problems, so it may be that they also recommend bathing the area.  However, I cannot see the area - thankyou for offering a picture, but nor am I ethically in a position to assess it if I could - so it is definitely worth giving your vet a call.

Please note that some common human pain-killers are poisonous to dogs and that pain relief should therefore always be prescribed by a vet