My cat has a swollen paw abscess. Should it be drained or helped at home?

Question

When I went to the vet, they told me my cat had an abscess on his paw pad and gave me ointment and oral treatment. His paw pad is very swollen and entered, with no nigns of going down. Were they supposed to drain it. Can I help speed the process of natural drainage at home? Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 1 year and 4 months old

Linda G, MS, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello. Sometimes draining is appropriate, sometimes not, so I would guess your vet did not think it was a good idea to open this up. With time, the antibiotics should work, but it may take several days. If Shade will allow you to apply a warm compress, or soak the paw in comfortably warm water, this should help with the swelling. 5-10 minutes 2-3 times a day should be adequate. If the paw is not showing signs of improvement in 72 hours please check back with your vet to reassess what might be ongoing with Shade's paw. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My cat has a swollen paw abscess. Should it be drained or helped at home?

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