This damned anal gland..

 They hadn't suggested it yet.  They usually do it as a last resort thing, I think, as I've only heard of one dog having it done in the time I've been there.

Buddy was starting to have some anal gland issues and abscessing a while back.  My vet did want to remove the glands but I wasn't sure that was the route I wanted to take.  Some dogs will develop incontinence issues as a result.

Someone on this forum suggested a supplement called Arabinogalactan Powder.  She sent me some research on the stuff, and I shared it with my vet.  He said, lets give it a shot and see.  We did, and for Buddy it has helped greatly.  No surgery needed.  In fact, my vet has started sharing it with other clients who have anal gland problems. 

If you want me to dig up that research, let me know.  Here's the link from Amazon.  

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KYNQ5M

I'm no anatomy expert at all but when Foxy the MOstlie Sheltie had his perianal hernia they were convinced it was an absessed anal gland.  apparently they can be very "close" so in my own ignorance I'd probably ask the question "is it *possible* that there is a hernia there that is feeding the abscess from inside?"

His repair was done well *but* we had a tornado literally bounce over my house the next day and the Fox ripped out all those big fancy stitches the vet did to fix the hernia.  And from then on, I used to have to express his gland internally because the whole thing could just get full and we didn't want any pressure being put on that repaired area -- it was ... messy -- my point is I know there is not a lot of tissue between the anal gland and part of the anal/intestinal tissue there and if there was any bulging of the intestine in there that was at all porous, it could sure infect danged easy. (Septic-infected, in fact. He lived with it for years but I was always so careful with it)

Warm compresses to draw out whatever pus might have been left in after the lancing ? It might also not put pus left but clear fluid pooling seroma-like, in which case, alternating warm and cold packs might help to bring it down if he will let you do it. Is he taking the same antiobiotics a second time around or where those changed ?