Hi there
 
I have a question about abscesses.  I never had problems with them and then
suddenly they started appearing last year.  First my Jack had an abscess on
his left side in May last year.  It was a big abscess, probably 3/4 of an
inch.  He *doesn't* get bitten at all!  Nobody dares bully him, nobody even
plays rough with him.  My Jack is a quiet guy, 5 1/2 years old now.  So I
had no idea why he got an abscess as he never has a scratch on him!
 
As soon as his abscess cleared up- Dana got one.  It was right behind her
ear, there were 2 tiny holes inside her ear and some of the puss came
through these 2 holes but they closed up after a few days so she was left
with a lump but the antibiotics worked well and the abscess was just
absorbed back into the body or whatever, it went anyway.
 
Then when she was better, Mason got a huge abscess on his right side.  An
inch in diameter.  I separated Mason from the others before the abscess
burst, I'd had this feeling that Jack "infected" Bella and Bella infected
Mason so I separated Mason so he couldn't infect anybody with the bacteria
from the abscess.  It was the last abscess for a while.
 
In October my Tom got an abscess then.  Right on his chin below the left
canine tooth.  It took a while for this abscess to clear and it's eaten
away at the flesh so Tom has a right dent there now and his canine tooth
is more exposed.  No idea why he'd get an abscess there...
 
Then Bella got an abscess on her neck in December, I believe that was from
a bite wound.  She also got an abscess about 2 weeks ago and it was on her
upper right front leg and had left a big hole (for a leg) that needed
stitching.  I can't see how that would be from a bite wound...
 
And now Jack has come down with an abscess again!  No way is that from a
bite!  Exactly 2 weeks ago he had an infection in/ under his nose.  The bit
under his nose was very swollen and infected, it was so swollen that it was
impossible for him to close his mouth, it was so badly sticking out.  He
had a bit of discharge coming out of his nose, the vet thought he may have
the flu or something, his temperature was 106 degrees Fahrenheit.  He was
put on antibiotics, 2 days later the swelling had almost gone completely,
by the time the antibiotics finished, he was alright again and 6 days later
he was happy and war dancing again.  Tonight I notice that there's an
abscess right under his nose where the swelling had been!  It's just opened
up, not a lot of puss and some blood.
 
How can this happen?  The abscess that Jack had last May just appeared.  He
doesn't get bitten, he doesn't get scratched.  Dana's abscess couldn't have
been a bite and neither Mason's or Tom's.  And now Jack again!  Is there a
bug that can cause abscesses from the inside?  I just can't figure out how
it could have happened.  The vets don't have a clue.  For years I don't see
any abscesses and now it seems there's an abscess epidemic...
Please help...
 
Best wishes from
Ulrike
and Jilly, Jack, Bella, Tom, Mason, Baby, Dana, Fox, Reno, Rose, Jasmine,
Barney and Spike
 
Missing Angel, Hope and Igor
 
West Wales Ferret Welfare
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.ferretlove.freeserve.co.uk
Last update 20/12/00
[Posted in FML issue 3324]