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Abscess in the cheek and throat - advice for drainage?

hana<3pigs

hana<3pigs

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey guys - had to take Angel Cake to the vet yesterday because I found two abscess on her cheek and throat.

The vet was able to puncture two abscess with a needle and extract some puss. Later she told me to massage the puncture sites to encourage further drainage. I've been applying cotton rounds soaked in betadine and warm water before applying gentle pressure, but I can't seem to get anything out? TBH I can't even see where the needle went in.

Thinking of taking her back to the vet later this week to see if it needs to be lanced, but I'm worried about causing unnecessary stress from travel.

For now, I'll continue with the soaking and massages. She's also on another course of antibiotics (poor thing JUST completed a 14 day course of Baytril for a URI too), and I'm feeding CC with Fibreplex daily. Any more advice is greatly appreciated xx
 

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A small needle puncture will heal over very quickly and thus prevent any further draining of pus.

Sometimes antibiotics will work (but you need the right antibiotic - azithromycin is a good one for abscesses but it is very strong), but often by being stitched open with daily flushing with a syringe of saline directly into the hole, abscess capsule removed surgically.

If there is pus left in there then that can be a much bigger problem than stress of travel, particularly if the antibiotic isn’t ideal for abscesses.

Are you weighing her daily also?

If you are worried, please do speak to your vet
 
Sending healing vibes to Angel Cake.

I’ve had a piggy with a tooth root abscess but his was lanced and stitched open so it could drain and was easier to clean. Good luck. I hope she’s feeling better soon.
 
Thought that might be the case, and she's been prescribed something called "septrin suspensin" and a shot of meloxicam.

You've just reminded me - the vet said she was reluctant to do anything surgical with the abscess' - giving local anesthetic and lancing was meant to be a last resort. Guessing it has something to do with her age: she's a senior. Might try to get her into our usual vet next week.

And yep! Been weighing daily since I first noticed URI symptoms about a month ago. Her weight has been all over the place - with a general variance of between 10g and 30g from her optimal weight.

Poor thing - found her with the side of her cheek bleeding. Must have been scratching at it.
 
You can certainly see if the septrin will work but be prepared that it may not be enough.
If you make an appointment with your usual vet for next week anyway, then you should know by the appointment whether the septrin is helping.
Any speck of pus left inside and the abscess will start up again unfortunately.

What is her dosage of meloxicom? Once or twice a day?
Is it cat or dog version?

10-30g is within normal fluctuations
 
Absolutely - this is a good plan! Her 10 day course will be finished by then too, so we'll see the full effect.

It's metacoxx 1.5mg/mL for dogs, and the dosage is 0.6mL once daily. She has been receiving this exact dosage since the 10th of October.
 
I've never had any luck with abscesses short of opening them up and draining fully with a flush, repeated over days or weeks until it heals.

We found vaseline a great way to keep the opening fresh but keeping ingress of muck at bay. Dilute antiseptic fluids to clean out and keep moist those tricky bits of goop.

Angel Cake is a sweetie, hope she feels better soon!
 
Looks like Angel has scratched or bumped the abscess on her cheek again, and this time it's ruptured. There's a large hole there now - I've tried my best to sanitize the area and have stripped her bedroom clean once more. Tonight, I also noticed that she's lost a fair amount of hair from her belly.

I'm very worried and will be phoning the vet first thing to try and have her seen by someone.

Thank you GuineaDobbin for your advice - it certainly came in handy this evening. And thank you and Merab for your kind words!
 
For some reason I didn't get notified of this until now! A wider opening is no bad thing, now you can really get to work on the thing.

I find a good supply of cotton swabs, tweasers, hibiscrub/f10/saline solution and possibly a syringe the vitals for an abscess! I hope she's feeling a little better and you're feeling less anxious.

I shall leave you with some words of wisdom from a philosopher I admire:

"Better out than in, I always say."

-Shrek
 
Hi everyone,

Sorry for the late update: I've been in the hospital for the past couple of weeks.

I took Angel to a new vet today to discuss draining her abscess under local anesthesia, as my regular vet couldn’t perform the procedure. Unfortunately, the appointment didn’t go as hoped.

The abscess on her cheek has healed, but the one in her throat is still there. Additionally, her left eye is now bulging and red (see photo below). The vet believes these issues are related and suspects an underlying dental problem that could be causing the abscess and possibly a growth behind her eye. I was shocked to hear this given that her teeth have always seemed fine at previous check-ups in August, September, and October.

As a senior guinea pig, Angel Cake’s age complicates things further. The vet mentioned that a CT scan could help confirm what’s going on, but it would require general anesthesia, which poses significant risks for her. There's also the fact that dental disease requires ongoing surgeries. Given Angel's age and current condition, the vet felt that the risks outweighed the potential benefits.

The vet gave me two options:
1. Surgery: We could take a risk and put Angel Cake under general anesthesia to remove the abscess and the eye, but this carries a high risk of complications, especially during recovery.
2. Palliative care: We could focus on making Angel as comfortable as possible in her remaining time.

I'm feeling a lot of guilt because I thought I had been doing everything right for her. Most of all, I just feel lost. My priority is to keep Angel comfortable and happy, but I’m not sure what the best course of action is. Any advice is most welcome and thank you for your ongoing support.

P.s. I'm considering taking her back to the vet in the city - the one that suggested lancing the throat abscess - but can't decide whether this is a good idea or just wishful thinking.
 

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So sorry that you are in such a difficult situation.

I don’t know if this will help but I was in a similar position with my Phoebe a few years ago.
I had a very good vet and they also referred her to an exotic specialist.
The outcome was a choice of very expensive tests and high risk surgery or palliative care.
I knew that the tumour behind her eye was terminal and so opted for palliative care.
She lived happily at home for the rest of her life and passed away in her own cage with her own family.

IMG_5768.webp

There is no need to feel guilty as you have done everything you possibly could.
Sadly there are times when there is nothing that can be done and we have to make difficult decisions.
Palliative care gives time to make lots of memories, give Angel as many happy today’s as possible and take lots of photos.

Hugs 🤗
 
I'm so sorry it's bad news.

Sometimes you can give all the care and love in the world and their bodies find a way to confound you.

If the throat abscess is causing discomfort, then opening it up with some local anaesthetic wouldn't be too risky if it isn't deep. Although the task itself is a bit grim, the ongoing treatment of an abscess is good bonding time with a pig, I've found they usually come to accept and trust me more during prolonged care.

Regardless, stock up on good bottle of painkillers. We never know how long we have with our little friends, but we can make them as comfortable as possible, especially towards the end. Lots of cuddles and treats and good too.
 
Hello all - I just wanted to post a quick update!

The abscess on Angel's chin burst and I had to rush her to the vet. She was prescribed anti-biotics and daily flushing of the wound. Well, it's all healed splendidly! Moreover, her eye no longer bulges and there is no red tinge to it either. She's also been gaining weight and will soon hit her optimal weight range!

After speaking with our primary vet, I've booked an appointment with the specialist clinic to see what's happened. Wish us luck!
 
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