Lily (probably) has an abscess

[Jem]

So my poor Lily has what I think (99% sure) is an abscess, most likely anal gland, due to location. She does have issues with soft poop, and has had soft poop recently...so it makes sense.
I noticed yesterday she wasn't as spunky as normal and this morning was the same so I did a good once over on her and that's when I felt a lump around her butt and upon closer inspection, a little, what looks like bruising, on the lump.
Monday I did noticed a bit of brown stuff on the bedspread, where she often likes to sleep...so I'm assuming that's where it came from...I thought originally it was some smeared chocolate from the hubby from his cookies...
I'm applying warm compresses to the area (as was recommended by the vet's office)...she's not a huge fan, but as long as I don't press hard, she's fine with it.
The soonest I can get her to the vet is tomorrow at 11am. I'm heading off to work soon so I won't be able to do much into the evening (I'm back home just after 9pm), but I could leave a note for my husband.
Other than the warm compresses and just letting her rest comfortably...is there anything else we can do to make her comfortable until tomorrow morning?
Just FYI. She does not have a fever...at least not a high one as her ears are normal temp and nose is fine. Her breathing is relaxed. The only thing I can think of, thinking back over the last couple days is her poops have not been great, but she is still using the litter box. She still eats...just not as much.

 

[Furballsmom]

Other than the warm compresses and just letting her rest comfortably...is there anything else we can do to make her comfortable until tomorrow morning?

Poor Lily, poor you I think you're really on the right track with letting her have a comfortable (as much as possible) calm day today.

 

[Jem]

Just to add...The abscess is pretty big...well in my opinion...smaller than a golf ball but bigger than a marble...IDK about the diameter of a quarter?? Anyway, I'm well aware that it could rupture, the vet even mentioned it could, so I know not to panic if that happens and just clean it up and keep it clean until the appointment tomorrow. I know a ruptured abscess will give her some relief, but considering the appointment is in less than 24 hours...if it does rupture...it's not too big an issue right? I mean, the vet didn't seem too concerned...

 

[fionasmom]

If it ruptures, it still may need to be flushed out and cleaned by the vet, so don't try to handle it entirely on your own. Even if the vet said that it was fine once it ruptured, I still might bring her in as she may need antibiotics.

 

[Jem]

If it ruptures, it still may need to be flushed out and cleaned by the vet, so don't try to handle it entirely on your own. Even if the vet said that it was fine once it ruptured, I still might bring her in as she may need antibiotics.

Oh for sure!! I'm still bringing her in no matter what...I want antibiotics regardless...it's obviously infected and want to make sure this is taken care of quickly.

When I got home and checked her (a bit) she's still very sensitive. I lifted her tail and she gave me a little pathetic trill of sorts, so I didn't investigate further, but it's obviously oozing somewhat...she's is a stinky little girl and left a stain where she was laying. She started purring when I pet her and scratched her face then got up to go eat...that's when I saw the stains.
She's in OK spirits overall...not worse than this morning so I'm feeling a little better about how she's doing....that it doesn't seem to be getting worse for her.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Jem]

So it is an anal gland abscess, and the other one was also a bit impacted...just no infection yet. It did rupture last night so she was actually feeling pretty good today....she was NOT impressed with the vet though as he palpated and expressed some sludge out of her. Poor baby.
She is on anti-biotics for 2 weeks...he wanted her to be on them for a bit longer until our follow-up visit...just to be sure. But because of some other symptoms she has, including a bit of upper respiratory symptoms, he figured it would help with that as well...just in case.

We have been dealing with some, what I assumed were allergy issues with her for quite some time, and doing a lot of trial and error, elimination diet stuff. When I gave all the back story for her, the vet agreed that she most likely has allergies, but we're only going to start tackling that when there is no more signs of infection.

He agrees with me that all the symptoms we are dealing with are probably all related...including the culmination of the anal gland impaction/infection. So when she's in the clear, he suggests we start her on Atopica, used to treat allergies and IF we see improvement then we can really focus on trying to find out what her allergy is. I know she has environmental allergies because she gets sneezy when we open windows in the spring...she actually tends to develop symptoms when my allergies act up...so we both must have some of the same allergies.

I question food allergy as I have done SO MANY different foods including prescription foods, chicken free, different proteins, grain free, hydrolyzed protein diets...and no matter the food, there has never been a difference.
I've also tried different types of litters including corn, grass, wheat, walnut, pine...It seemed her sinus issues flared up a bit with the grass litter but the pine pellets I think, could also be a trigger. Once I'm done with the bag I'm using, I'm trying a different litter again...it's corn based but in pellet form so it's not as dusty and doesn't track as much.

As we try to figure out what her issue is, I also inquired about a fiber supplement to bulk up her poops, and they do carry them so we will discuss that further when I go in for her follow-up.

Does anyone here have a kitty with allergies that gets injections? What is the name of the injection medication?
I asked him about allergy shots, but he did mention that he would have to look into it. They do have allergy shots for dogs, but with how he was talking..it seems we may not have options for cats..at least not yet...Canada takes their sweet time getting medications in the country. That's why he suggested the Atopica medication as it's the one he knows well, has had success with, that is also safe for cats.

He also asked if the other cats are scratching...which they are not...because even though they don't go outside it could be fleas. He mentioned that cats are actually very good at grooming fleas off of them, so we may not actually see them, but he did say that there should be evidence of fleas with the other cats as well, so we dropped that but kinda just put it in our back pocket for now.

Anyway...that's my update! sorry for the novel.

 

[fionasmom]

Search Results for Query: atopica
Search Results for Query: allergy shots
A few of the threads about allergy shots will be in the Lounge and are about members themselves rather than their cats

I am glad that the anal gland issue is resolved and that she feels so much better on that account at least.