Clinical signs of an intra-abdominal abscess are often vague, such as lethargy and inappetence. Bloodwork is often similarly non-specific. Some patients do present with more overt signs, such as fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and an inflammatory leukogram. Abdominal ultrasound or CT can reveal a fluid-filled mass; differential diagnoses include cyst, pseudocyst, and necrotic tumor. Ultrasound-guided aspiration of the fluid, with cytological assessment, may allow diagnosis, although there is a riskof rupturing the abscess in the process. In some cases, an abdominal abscess is not recognized until a celiotomy is performed.
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