[107barney]

I dealt with something worse - and everyone thought it was a retrobulbat abcess. A CT scan was needed and it pinpointed the location of the infection so a drainage on the mouth could be made. Your vet is right that these dont usually drain on their own. Usually retrobbar abcesses occur due to a tooth problem. As for anesthesia, protocols can be modified if you're at a speciality hospital that deals with high risk cases. My dog as I said didn't have an abscess -- his salivary gland leaked. Because everyone thought it was an abscess I learned all about them and it is very scary.