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Abcess *warning yukky pics*

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PiggiePal

PiggiePal

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My adopted piggy Dory (who I still havent got round to introducing on the forum yet ho hum) has somehow managed to develop what we think is an abcess on his side without me noticing. It's quite big and I can't believe I haven't noticed it before. I took him over to see Alice @ Windwhistle Warren and she helped to squeeze some gunk out and disinfect it with hibiscrub. However I'm off to the vets tomorrow as we just didn't dare pull the scab off it and i'm pretty sure that's how it's going to have to go in order to make sure it is being flushed out correctly :(
I think it's so big that the vets may have to anaesthatise him and he's 5 years old... He's still really active and well in himself which counts for a good thing I suppose.
Does anyone else have any experience of this? I've been told manuka honey helps in the open wound? Any other tips or advice for me. Have uploaded some photos for you to see. Isn't it horrible? Can't believe I didn't see it (it was covered with hair that has been snipped away so looks worse now!).
Really worried about what's going to happen at the vets tomorrow, though at least she's gpig savvy (having to travel 40 mins from Cheltenham to see her!)
Will add photos to match once I remember how to do it :{
 
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Oh poor thing! I was at Windwhistle warren on Saturday. Alice is lovely, I hope she can help you out. Wishing a get well soon to Dory!
 
Thanks DLPL - Dory's a he :)p but I know, isn't he the most handsome thing ever x) will take more pics of his good side ;) He's just knocked my bin over and is sort of rolling around in it hahaha certainly not acting unwell x
 
Shellza said:
Oh poor thing! I was at Windwhistle warren on Saturday. Alice is lovely, I hope she can help you out. Wishing a get well soon to Dory!
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Thanks Shellza - I noticed you were from Gloucester and was going to PM you and see if you know Alice. Hope to see you down there sometime soon? x
 
Poor boy. Hope the vet can help. These things come up so quickly and can catch you by surprise.
Big kisses for the very gorgeous Dory. xx>>> Hugs for you too. Let us know how he gets on.
 
PiggiePal said:
Thanks DLPL - Dory's a he :)p but I know, isn't he the most handsome thing ever x) will take more pics of his good side ;) He's just knocked my bin over and is sort of rolling around in it hahaha certainly not acting unwell x
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oh god sorry, i keep doing this, i think i must have gone through every pig on the forum now and changed their sex!

My mum is as bad, the other day she called her boy Betty by mistake! hes Benny! doh
 
Ouch! Hope Dory gets better soon. He IS handsome! x)

My Boris has recently had an abcsess on his tummy. Like Dory's is appeared in no time at all. Boris' burst, but left a very clean wound and he was treated with hibiscrub flushes and a course of baytril. Hopefully Dory can be treated the same way x
 
oh know looks sore. when my boys have had littler scabs like that I have taken them off and let the pus out and given them a gentle clean. if it's full of pus best to get it out i think but i am obviously not a qualified profesional. good luck.
 
Just an off topic question what caused those abscess? Skin problems? fungal infection?
 
I use warm olive oil to soften the scab so it comes away painlessly, takes about 10 mins to work. You can also use lavender oil too if you have it as it's antibacterial. Then you can clean the pus out more easily and flush out with salt water.

suzy x
 
I use warm olive oil to soften the scab so it comes away painlessly, takes about 10 mins to work. You can also use lavender oil too if you have it as it's antibacterial. Then you can clean the pus out more easily and flush out with salt water.

suzy x
 
The late, great Benjamin had a stonking great abscess on his side once. He had the usual stuff - Baytril - and it cleared up fine. The vet did pick the scab off more than once though with no problems.
Garry, however, was a much poorlier pig when he got his abscess and I thought it would finish him off. But Zithromax sorted him out in a matter of days. That is definitely the route I would take.
 
Thankyou Suzy and Minty and Garry you've made me feel a bit better as I was thinking this was going to be bad for Dory but perhaps with a little Olive oil and care I can get it off without too much hassle!

Anyone heard of manuka honey to help with the wound healing? Will do a search on the forum now to check...

oh, sheisido - Dory doesn't appear to have any skin problems or anything so I don't know why he's developed this :-(
 
Suzygpr said:
I use warm olive oil to soften the scab so it comes away painlessly, takes about 10 mins to work. You can also use lavender oil too if you have it as it's antibacterial. Then you can clean the pus out more easily and flush out with salt water.

suzy x
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How much salt do you put in water to make it salt water - stupid question but i dont want him hurting! xx
 
When Marbles had abscesses, I bathed her in salt water, and kept the wound open until the infection cleared, you don't want it to start healing from the outside, but from within :)
It does look nasty, do you think he's caught himself on something nasty?
Oh, and the vet might use a local anaesthetic.. if the wound is already open, then it should be pretty straight forward :)
 
Please forget manuka honey - messy and in view of your pigge's wound may actually de-celerate healing...piggie wounds/abcesses are differen from humans...


Fot bathing:

Either salt solution: Dissolve tablespoonful of salt in 10ml very hot boiled water and allow to cool ...add a bit more of (still hot)boiled water step by step) if it dosn't all dissolve. Do NOTapply til well cool


Alternatively - make up a 2% solution of hibiscrub in cooled boiled water and bathe.....ie 2g or 2ml in 100ml) .

HTH

x
 
That looks so sore. I really hope he gets well soon, sorry i cant offer any advice. hes beautiful by the way.
 
It may be a sebacious cyst as well as an abcess - the cysts often discharge gunk too and an abcess can form on the top creating that
large crater very quickly.

Let us know how you get on at the vets. :)
 
Poor guy! My pig Linney had something similar... she had what was probably a sebaceous cyst that abscessed on her tailbone, above the grease gland. It was lanced, but the surface area was large enough that the skin above the abscess scabbed up and fell off, leaving something similar to what is shown in your picture. After it didn't heal up after two weeks antibiotics the vet felt it was best to do a full surgical removal, so she went under ga and the vet removed the entire encapsulated abscess and sutured up the healthy skin over the area. It left a large scar, but it's a month later and no more abscess! HTH a bit... good luck to your little guy!
 
Well I went to the vets and they have decided that much as Freela said in her last post it would be best to remove it totally, so he is booked in for an op tomorrow (Thurs).
He's still eating and drinking fine, well in himself and generally all good, so everyone cross fingers for his op. Really worried as he's 5 years old...

Though I was wondering if the vet could whip his balls out too while he's under the anaesthetic then I could get him a girlie to go with...:(|)
 
When Our Oscar chewed a splint off, and in so doing chewed through the blood supply to two of his toes, which he subsequently lost (D'oh!) our vet put some Manuka Honey on the wound. I have to say it never got infected and cleared up really quickly once he started to use that. It wasn't sticky, the vet had a flat roll of it, and it only needed a tiny amount. However, Oscar's wound was covered by a massive bandage. I'd guess your chap may try to lick it off! Just a note on our experience.. our vet is very Piggle Savvy. Good luck with your little guy. He's gorgeous.
 
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