Abscess?

[anji1971]

So my sister was over this afternoon, and I was showing her the snakes, and when I picked up Stitch, the little Dekay's, I noticed a rather good sized lump right beneath his vent opening.
Now I must confess I've been less than attentive to the poor guy this past week, what with the Butler's drama and all, but I did handle him about a week ago, and there was nothing wrong then.
I turned him over and took a close look, and there seemed to be a 'crusty' spot right at the vent. I squeezed the lump gently and something I'm guessing is pus came out -- it looked like pus and smelled faintly of snake-musk.
He didn't seem to be in distress, so I squeezed gently again, and more came out. I kept doing this until a whole mess of the stuff had drained, and what came out was beginning to be tinged with blood. The lump is noticeably smaller now, but he was bleeding a bit.
I smothered his little tail end in antibiotic ointment, and put him back home to rest a bit.
Now, I need to know what else I should do! Should I try soaking him? Is there any other topical treatment I can use?
I'm going to empty his tank after dinner and replace the aspen with paper towel, so I can see if he is bleeding or anything else is oozing out. It's also his feeding day, so I'm going to check to make sure he's pooping properly as well, although there was fecal matter in the tank from last feeding, so I don't think he's got any sort of blockage.
Any more input would be greatly appreciated................shutting up now!!

[adamanteus]

Anji, this can happen sometimes if conditions are a little too dry. Is that possible? Uric crystals can dry out and form almost a 'scab' around the vent. A good long, slightly warm soak should sort Stitch out.

[anji1971]

You know, James,
dryness could be a problem. His last two sheds weren't complete, and I had to soak the last 10-12cm of skin off him.
Although it's the big ugly oozing lump I'm most concerned with. Can dryness cause that too?

[adamanteus]

I'd have to see a photo, Anji. But the 'crustiness' of the uric crystals could cause sores, these could turn a little bit nasty I guess.

[anji1971]

I'm going to post a photo as soon as I've fed the kids their dinner. I'm wondering if it's not more than just an abscess -- the pus seems to be coming from inside him, not just a surface thing, and the swelling is all around the perimeter of his body in that spot. Well at least it was until I squeezed the daylights out of it!
I'll try to get some decent visual aids up as soon as possible.

[anji1971]

The bulge seems to be more prominent on the one side. It's gone down some since I drained it, but I'm still a bit worried.........

[anji1971]

[adamanteus]

It does look to be infected, doesn't it?
I would continue the treatment you've started, keep a very close eye in him, and if it doesn't start to improve pretty quickly I would go to the vet.

[anji1971]

Considering the amount of gunk I squished out earlier, I'd definitely say it's infected! How often should I try to drain it? I don't want to hurt the poor guy, but I don't want this spreading to his bloodstream and killing him either. Is there something I can add to a soak that will help as well as the ointment?

[adamanteus]

Probably twice a day is enough. I guess you could use povidine or similar, but you need to see rapid improvement or visit the vet.