In the original photo, you can see that the area is puffy and moist with puss. In the second photo, the skin is dry - no more puss! The discoloration is due to treating the area with betadine, a disinfectant, 2x a day for 5 days after I pierced the area myself with a sterile needle to get out the puss. The tear in the middle (revealing the lump underneath) happened during the struggle of getting the puss out - I did not pierce or cut that area; it just tore when he tried to reject my advances!
I gave him Zithromax for 3 days initially, but stopped b/c it was mixed 12/31/07 and, according to may sources, "no good anymore."
You can see the lump inside is smaller and drying up, too. There is also scar tissue on the internal skin - more than I think would be caused by treatment. I think it was an infection due an injury, most likely a bite. I'm glad he wasn't someone's dinner!
Yes, we have come to love this big guy (5' and 610 grams). He has such a great personality. Parting will be such sweet sorrow, but I hope to see him around the yard all summer.
Thanks, y'all!