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Abscess Care

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Poppy231

Junior Guinea Pig
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My guinea pig (adopted her 3/4 weeks ago), developed a lump on her nose in the space of 24 hours. She was bit in this location 2 weeks ago by another pig. This morning it looked a bit scabbed over. Took her to the vets this morning who brushed the scab off and it’s now an open wound. Been given antibiotics, anti inflammatory and pain relief and hibi scrub. I was told to dab the hibiscrub on with cotton wool but reading on here it’s better to flush it. Any advice?
 
Hi and welcome

Could you please post a picture of the abscess and its location? You can upload pictures once your registration has been fully passed. We recommend to use the Attach Files button by the post when you write it. Our more experienced ascess care member can then tailor their advice better. If the abscess is fairly shallow, then dabbing may be enough or just a little flushing compared to deep, large and pouchy abscesses, which can hold a lot of infectious fluid and take a lot longer to heal out.

Use the hibiscrub solution for flushing; others with more experience can advise you on the concentration but basically any mild antiseptic will do, including home-made saline.

Initially it is a clear but distinctly smelling fluid; once you have smelled it once, you'll instantly recognise an abscess. This will co opaque and will look more and more like infectious gunky fluid as the days go on. You need to remove any scabs that start building up over the opening each time after about 2-3 days (not pleasant at all) and keep this up for as many days as possible.

A minimum of 5 to ideally 10 days in order to remove any tiny spot of infection from the abscess pouches so they cannot restart another abscess later on. The abscess heals from the inside out and not the other way round.

It is not pleasant at all but it is necessary in order to prevent a return. Other members with more personal experience than me can help you better. Abscess care is my personal least favourite bit of piggy care; especially dental root ones ones. . But I hope that this gives you a bit of a start.
 
When My Jemimah had an abscess it was on her back and I was advised to flush it with the Hibiscrub.
I think it probably depends on the nature of the wound and location.
A nose wound may not be as deep and so more difficult to flush, in which case bathing with cotton wool, or a cotton bud may be easier.

Some of our health experts are currently off so it may be a while before an expert is around.

Glad you were able to get her seen so promptly and treated.

Welcome to the forum.
 
Poppy231 said:
Thank you both so much! Not had this before so been worrying and researching!
Click to expand...
What online research does not provide is perspective. You always get the whole lot of worst case scenarios and horror stories plus miracle cures but not so much the vast bulk of the 'normal' or minor cases, which are not considered worth reporting.
We are here to help you with that and to provide practical tips and ongoing moral support for as long as it takes.

From the location, yours is likely from an infected scratch or something similar. I hope that it heals well.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions or concerns you may have along the way; no matter how small. There is very often somebody who has a had a similar experience.
 
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Poppy231 said:
Thank you so much and for being so kind! It is the exact spot where she got bit by another pig a couple weeks back! (These pigs are now not together).
Click to expand...

Abscesses resulting from bites are not at all uncommon; I am very sorry that a situation arose.

Please make sure that you work off any abscess scabs (not pleasant but necessary) in order to to get the disinfective into the abscess and prevent a recurrence.

Bites to the face are an instinctive defensive reaction from a cornered piggy on edge that is reacting to the slightest movement.

If you'd like to learn more about bites and behaviours, you may find these links here both helpful as well as interesting:
- " Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)
- A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours
- Guinea Pig Behaviours in their Context
 
Just wanted to say well done for not hesitating and talking her to a vet straight away.. they fill fast if left. One of my boys had one on his neck and it grew from small ball I found by accident because I was scratching his chin to three times the size whilst we waited for surgery appointment over the weekend.
It's refreshing to see people take action and seek medical advice promptly.
Hope you can work out their pairing next. Maybe speak to the rescue about piggie dating to find better match once everyone is feeling better.
Sending healing vibes
 
You've had good advice, my experience is that flushing is the only way to be absolutely sure of cleaning out an abscess, where possible using a syringe to get a little hydraulic action working on it.

I use vaseline to hold the wound open and keep it fresh between cleanings. Not having to pick a scab off means a gentler start to a session and a happier peeg results.
 
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