abcess in anal gland that ruptured

I took Patsy to the vet today for her annual check up and vaccinations and the vet discovered she had an abcess that ruptured in her anal gland. SHe never showed ANY signs of pain or anything else to indicate anything was wrong with her. The vet gave her lots of pain meds and a local anethetic and took care of the wound. She's had an antibiotic injection and is also on oral anitbiotics and pain pills now. I'm following all the vet's instructions but I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this. I guess I was just curious how common this is or if anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it.

Thank you,
Stacey and Patsy

I am sorry that Patsy is going through this painful experience. Dexter has a chronic anal gland plugging problem. Because I can't do it myself ... he goes to his vet to have them expressed every couple of months or so.

I can tell when they need expressing because he starts looking depressed & he has less energy. Some cats scoot their butts across the floor when they get plugged...Dexter does not. When we discovered the problem he had an infection that needed antibiotics. He recovered & is a healthy boy except for this problem. So far he has not become infected again.

Please do a search on this forum ... "anal glands" sometimes called "anal sacks"...there are quite a few posts. Good luck...keep us updated about Patsy's progress.

Patsy had a very rough night. We discovered she was allergic to the antibiotic. She was up all night vomiting and has diarrhea. So we are changing her antibiotics and I hope that helps. Right now she refuses to eat but she will drink water but that should change once the antibiotic gets out of her system.

Thanks for the update.
A note from Dexter & Sadie to Patsy...
My Goodness Patsy...you are have a rough time. Your Mama is taking good care of you & soon you should be feeling much better. Head butts & purrs from both of us. Let us know how you are feeling.

Patsy went back to the vet today and she was given another antibiotic injection that is time released over the next 5 days. She was also put on a trandermal antibiotic and pepcid that I rub on the inside of her ear to help prevent any stomach upset. She lost 5 oz over night and was severely dehydrated so she was given fluids. I am takin gher back on Saturday for a quick check up to make sure she can get through the rest of the weekend OK. As long as she has her pain medication she seem to act ok but boy can I tell when it's time for her to take it again.

She is starting to eat a little so hopefully she will be back to her old self soon.

It sounds like you are talking good care of your sweet Patsy. She is in my prayers.

Patsy seems to be a little better today. She hasn't had any diarrhea or vomiting since yesterday afternoon. She's eating a little more today and seems more active. She is also more alert. So I think she's probably over the worst of it (Atleast I hope). She must be feeling a little better because she just came up to me begging for a treat.

Stacey and Patsy

Sweet Patsy...Things are sounding better. We can hardly wait for the news that you are well & driving your Mummy crazy like kitties should. She is taking exellent care of you. Please have your mum keep us posted on your progress. We are sending you lots of head butts & hugs.
Love Dexter & Sadie.... :

Poor Patsy. I'm glad she seems to be getting better!

Patsy is much better today. She's still not 100% yet but is pretty close. The last 2 nights she has woke me up because she was hungry. There was dry food out (like always) but she wanted canned. She is starting to play and pick on Princess.

The only bad thing is that when she wasn't feeling well I was feeding her what ever I could get her to eat and now she expects me to spoon feed her, heat up her wet food and get up with her at night every hour to eat. She's also used to all the extra attention and won't let me do anything without her now. As long as she feels better that's all that matters.

I am so glad that Patsy is feeling better. She had a very difficult time.
You are now in training to become Patsy's slave.
Welcome to "Cat Slaves Are Us"
Dexter & Sadie said, "Way to go Patsy!"

Stacey, I am so sorry! I have no help to give but I just wanted to let you know we're reading your thread and sending healing vibes and get well vibes for your little gal! Her needy-ness is also part of her sensing something was wrong and she needs your reassurance and loves. Please continue to update.

I just thought I would give an update on Patsy. I took her for her follow-up vet visit today and things went really really well. Patsy's temperature was normal, she gained back the weight she lost, and she wound is healed. Her vet was really surprized at how well her wound healed. She said that most cats don't heal as quickly as Patsy. The only bad thing was that one of her anal glands have really hard mucus that doesn't come out as well as it should but now that we know it can be taken care of. I have another follow-up scheduled in a month just make sure everything is still going well. Over-all she is back to her normal happy, healthy self!!!!

Patsy and I wanted to thank everyone for their get well wishes.

Stacey and Patsy

Still sending healing vibes until she is 100%!!!

I just read your update. I am relieved that Patsy is doing so well. Dexter now goes to his vet every two months to have his scent sacks expressed & checked. We will adjust that timing as needed. Please, when you take Patsy back for her checkup, update this post. Good luck sweet Patsy.

My cat is suffering from reoccurant anal gland issues, it's very hot and humid-so I'm sure she's dehydrated too, I'm trying to give her suppliments listed on holistic sites . But not sure which ones might help fight infection. Can anyone tell me if cat nip, like mint is an antibiotic for cats? Or if they know how to express an anal gland at home without hurting the cat?

Laura

Hi Laura,
My cat suffers from the same problem. I do not know of a holistic supplement that could replace antibiotics for an acute infection. There might be several available that could help boost your kitty's immune system over time. It is important to keep the fluid in the scent sacks from becoming thick, by expressing them when needed, or they will become infected. It is possible to express the glands at home. You need to have someone show you how to do it. Your cat might fight you so you may need another person to help you do it safely. Maybe your vet's tech. would teach you how. I tried & cannot do it myself, so I take my cat to the vet to have it done. If you discover something that is safe to use that might help our kitties beat this chronic problem...please, let me know. Good Luck
Lei

Originally Posted by xocats

I just read your update. I am relieved that Patsy is doing so well. Dexter now goes to his vet every two months to have his scent sacks expressed & checked. We will adjust that timing as needed. Please, when you take Patsy back for her checkup, update this post. Good luck sweet Patsy.

Click to expand...

I took Patsy back for her one month check up yesterday and she is doing really well. Her anal glands were VERY full again. Her vet said that sometimes when a cat has problems with their anal glands they tend to fill up faster than normal. I'm going to take her back in two months to have them emptied and if they aren't filling up as quickly we will try 3 months nexts time. Of course if I see any signs of trouble she will be back at the vet immediately.

Again, thanks everyone for their get well wishes for Patsy.