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Abscess On Neck - Surgery Needed

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Kahlua&Houdini

Kahlua&Houdini

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all,

OH and I are really down after taking Kahlua to see Jo at Beaumont Sainsbury today. If you've read my introduction thread you'll know that we've been dealing with her abscess in the two weeks we've had her - cause unknown. We thought we'd done really well with draining as it's flat with a teeny hole but when we went in today we were told the pus had solidified underneath and this was common in small animals with the only option being to remove it. The estimate for the surgery was an eye watering £250-£300 and up to £400 if we add in the recommended x-rays. This was harder for OH to take as he's currently not working and we've only had them for two weeks.

Apart from that, eyes, nose, ears, teeth and gut were fine and Jo said she couldn't hear any signs of the respiratory infection so this seems to have cleared up with the Baytril we have been giving her. She has also put on weight which is a promising sign.

We're just really concerned about losing her and the aftercare aspect of it all, especially with racking up those kinds of bills after two weeks. The abscess is superficial we're told, so I'm optimistic at the moment. We've booked her in for Tuesday morning and she may have to stay in a few nights.

Has anyone got success stories or advice on what to prep/ask the vets on the day?
 
:D Welcome to the forum! Very sorry you are going through this with your piggies, after only just two weeks of ownership. I haven't any success stories re; abscess surgery ( just the opposite actually, but I won't tell you about it). But wishing you lots of luck and sending healing vibes and wheeks! One thing: stock up on Critical Care. You may need it if she survives the surgery. Also, as you only have the two piggies, it would not cost you very much to get them insured at Exotics direct.com. Peace of mind for the future.
 
Sounds like she is in good hands at the vets so am sure you have nothing to worry about/ @Abi_nurse works there so am sure she can put your mind at rest.

I would say the main things after the op are hygiene and syringe feeding if needed. We have a guide on here I can link to if you need it. I would keep her on either vetbed, towels or puppy pads in the days after the op.
 
Thank you both. I'm trying to stop myself from reading the horror stories at the moment!

I have puppy pads so not a problem on that front and also find with syringe feeding as we've been doing that with the Baytril and Loxicam. Do I use puppy pads straight or put fleece/towels on top?

Should I take the hay out of the litter trays and just provide a rack for her? And do we separate her from her companion or not?

Sorry for all the questions!
 
I think they can go on them straight, I think Debbie who has been looking after my Tim post op has done that.

I would keep them together unless her companion starts bothering her or the wound. You could always split the cage down t he middle if so as it is a c and c isn't it? I would put the hay in a pile. Others may come along with different ideas though.
 
Sorry to hear this.

Yes, these abscess's are very often like this. If Jo has said it's superficial then I would be optimistic. We have done quite a few abscess surgery's and although I can't comment as I haven't seen your little one, I would find hopeful it's relatively superficial as it means less invasive surgery.

Sometimes the recovery (mainly the wound healing) can be long but this depends in how large it is as often we sometimes have to leave them open if we cannot excise the abscess completely. This may mean you might have to flush the wound daily. She will likely be in twice daily pain relief and gut stimulants and potentially antibiotics.

Please try not to scare yourself with stories online. Jo is great, we have anaesthetised a lot of piggies together and I can say for sure shes in good hands. In fact we did a three hour bladder surgery on a piggie today together. The little chap was well looked after and is recovering well.

x
 
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Thank you @helen105281. I'll try that and rethink if she starts chewing them like some others I've read about. Yes I should be able to find a way of splitting the cage and have extra grids and lining if needs be.

Great, thank you @Abi_nurse. OH and I are feeling more optimistic. I want Tuesday to hurry up so we can see how it all goes! Desperate for her to be 100%.
 
Thought I may add, you might want to bring Houdini along too during the stay in hospital. Often having companions in hospital can be very positive for recovery and helps keep stress to a minimum during their stay.

x
 
We will! Asked Jo about that today as we've brought her to every appointment so far. It'll be quiet without them if they have to stay over long :(
 
So sorry you are dealing with this all after two weeks! I've had pigs treated for abscesses before. It sounds as though you have already lanced and drained it and now they are looking at doing a full removal? I've been through both with my pigs. With lancing and draining, the wound is kept open and there is the need to keep rinsing/cleaning out the abscess to allow it to heal from the inside out. With the capsule completely removed, the wound is typically stitched up and there is less aftercare (or even no aftercare) required. One of my pigs had a large abscess that wouldn't heal removed from her lower back and the entire area stitched shut- it was not a problem, she did very well and the abscess never recurred. Another one of my pigs had an abscess lanced and drained on her jawline and also did very well. I had one pig who didn't do well after an abscess lance and drain, but was dealing with a vet who was not up to standards at the time and think she might have had a better outcome if she had been treated by someone with more experience. Try not to worry too much- the odds are very good that she will do just fine!
 
Expecting the girls back tomorrow as Jo told OH Kahlua is recovering well and the abscess definitely wasn't dental related. Missing their wheeking already!

@helen105281 @Abi_nurse I prepped the loft below where they have their hay and put it in bags, ensuring they are unable to fit their heads in. Underneath the newspaper are puppy pads and I've left the rest of the cage as is (fleece and picnic blanket). I'll put a pile of hay in the red litter tray tomorrow. Is this sufficient or should I add/take away anything?

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That looks ok to me. The only thing I would maybe do is swap so the puppy pads are on top or they will be sitting on wet newspaper.

Am so pleased the op went well.
 
Glad they're back home. The girls &I just wish kuhlua a speedy recovery :luv:
I bet the squeaking in the background will help u sleep better tonight knowing theyre both home safe &sound :nod:
Xx
 
They are both super cute! I really enjoyed meeting them. Great to have some squeaky pigs in the ward, as they're often very unwell and not squeaky while in hospital. Sorry I didn't reply yesterday, I didn't get home until midnight. : (

Speedy recovery to Kahlua, she was a start patient. : )

x
 
Abi_nurse said:
They are both super cute! I really enjoyed meeting them. Great to have some squeaky pigs in the ward, as they're often very unwell and not squeaky while in hospital. Sorry I didn't reply yesterday, I didn't get home until midnight. : (

Speedy recovery to Kahlua, she was a start patient. : )

x
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You deserve to rest! Thanks so much for looking after them. Glad to hear they were still loud away from home :)) we certainly missed it here.

They've been eating a lot so hope this is a good sign. Small concern is that Kahlua squeaks out of discomfort/pain when you lightly touch her stomach but not sure if this is due to surgery soreness or other factors.

Thank you @GPTV
 
Just thought I'd update this thread I'm case anyone experiences anything similar and wants a conclusion - especially any owners in London yet to see a vet.

So after we got Kahlua home, she was still eating, popping and acting normally, although she did her own version of slow zoomies for a couple of days afterwards. We syringe fed baytril 2 x a day and loxicom 2 x a day using the towel method and although resistant at times, it wasn't so stressful as she became more used to it. It has to be said that the stitching was very clean and Kahlua didn't tear at it. Houdini had a sniff every now and again but we kept them together.

OH took her back 5 days after taking her home and Jo was pleased with progress, dropping loxicom to 1 x a day and keeping baytril dose. All went well that week but one day after work I noticed a scab above the stitching, panicked and PM'd Abi who reassured me it didn't look serious as she had seen the original wound when Kahlua was in care.

Took her back for her final appt this Weds just gone but don't remember who we saw but she had experience with treating guineas. We got a 'well done' and Kahlua barely complained when getting examined. Vet said she'd healed wonderfully, the wound looked super clean and once the scab fell off you'd never know it was there. She also put on weight. We are to continue with the baytril for 5 - 7 days and take her off the pain meds.

We've followed instructions and Kahlua is doing great! Her fur is growing back around the stitches, she doesn't seem like she's in pain at all and her behaviour hasn't changed. The scab fell off yesterday so all is well really.

For anyone looking for a vet in London, I'd highly recommend Beaumont Sainsbury for the level of care, understanding and experience of the staff there. We were given our full timeslot plus extra as they tended to Houdini for safe measure and they answered all of our questions.

Also special thanks to @helen105281 and @Abi_nurse for answering all of my queries and reassuring me. It hasn't been a smooth run with the first pair of guineas we've owned but so, so worth it as they've got the most amazing personalities and really make coming home that much better.

Sorry for the long post but a lot has happened and hopefully this will help someone in the future x
 
I'm so glad that she made a good recovery! That's great news! :)
 
Great news,
It always amazes me how quicly they heal :hug:
 
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