Abscess - please help

[Cassiekelly]

Hello my guinea pig Spot has a large abscess on his back. We have took him to the vets and he has to get it surgically removed. It really needs done because of the size of it. I don’t know what to do because I know there are risks involved with doing the surgery.

If I do the surgery and everything goes okay will my guinea pigs get on after or will it cause problems between them

 

[GPTV]

Is it definitely an abscess if its on its back?
They can also get fatty lumps or sebaceous cysts that are harmless unless they get infected.

Abscesses are filled with smelly pus, but sebaceous cysts have a cottage cheese consistency that doesn't really smell.
Has the vet tried to drain any of the contents with a needle?

My grace had a facial abscess on her cheek & it was removed, it took about 5wks of meds(the antibiotic Zithromax) & about 3wks of flushing/cleaning it, but you wouldn't have known to look at her 2 months later.
She bounced back even though she was an older girl (5 or 6yrs)

Most of the battle is finding a good vet

Oh & I never separated Grace from the others, no need.
Xx

 

[Cassiekelly]

Is it definitely an abscess if its on its back?
They can also get fatty lumps or sebaceous cysts that are harmless unless they get infected.

Abscesses are filled with smelly pus, but sebaceous cysts have a cottage cheese consistency that doesn't really smell.
Has the vet tried to drain any of the contents with a needle?

My grace had a facial abscess on her cheek & it was removed, it took about 5wks of meds(the antibiotic Zithromax) & about 3wks of flushing/cleaning it, but you wouldn't have known to look at her 2 months later.
She bounced back even though she was an older girl (5 or 6yrs)

Most of the battle is finding a good vet

Oh & I never separated Grace from the others, no need.
Xx

No the vet tried to squeeze some puss out and she said it’s an abscess because of the size and the liquid inside. The vet also said that there was no point putting him on antibiotics because it’s really big and wouldn’t help. Spot is around 2 so I’m hoping he will be okay after the surgery

 

[Freela]

The best surgical treatment of an abscess/cyst, if there is enough room to repair the skin afterwards, is to remove the entire thing, including the capsule of skin around the pus/contents. The skin can then be stitched up over top. One of my pigs had this done with an abscess on her back and it was a very easy procedure and recovery. The other method of treating an abscess is to lance and drain it- opening of the capsule, squeezing out the contents, and then leaving it open to continue to drain, along with an antibiotic. This will require more aftercare, as the wound is left open and you will have to continue to irrigate the area and express any pus while it heals. Make sure you know going in what process the vet is using and why. It's also good to know that the vet has experience with anesthesia for small animals, etc. It's always best to go with a vet with as much experience with guinea pigs as possible, though I realize that it's not always possible to get to a small animal or exotics or specialty vet. Inhaled anesthesia is safest for the little guys, so you may want to ask about that too.

As for your pigs being okay together again post surgery, personally I've never had a problem taking a pig out for a procedure and then having them not be accepted upon their return (their companions were actually always really glad to see them!) But I have sows, so hopefully someone with boars can weigh in as well.

 

[Betsy]

First (for those who don't know) I should explain that I have very unique herd in that I have 2 boys living happily with 3 girls which is NOT recommended and only works cos the 2 boys are so laid back they are almost horizontal and I have a VERY dominant girl who is there as soon as anything starts to diffuse the situation.

Anyway, my boar Christian had a life saving abscess removal last May and I had to keep him separated in the hospital cage while he healed and learnt to eat properly again (I was syringe feeding him day and night for around 2-3 days and nights). I have outside piggies and he was inside so not in view or hearing of the others. Everyday while he was in the hospital cage(around a week) I'd bring the others inside for floor time so that they could smell him and he could smell and hear them. When Christian started to get a bit more interested in life and food (about day 3), when the others came in I would put Christian with them for a bit and gradually build up the time each day (I don't know if this would work with everyone but it worked for me). They accepted him back and were very pleased to see him and were chatting away happily to him. I only reintroduced him to the herd when he had started to eat for himself again.

The vet said I had to keep him separate to monitor his eating, pooping and weeing. He had a massive and long operation (over and hour) to remove an abscess around the size of an egg that was just about to burst and was adhered to lots of blood vessels, his stomach, his penis shaft, his femoral artery ...... He only just survived and at one point the vet nearly phoned for permission to pts. I am very lucky to still have him.

 

[Reggie&Chunk]

Have a look at my thread, my Chunk had his abscess operated on. I was very nervous about it but it was the best thing we could have done. If you are in the UK and can get to Northampton, please do, they are brilliant.

Dental - Any experience of abscess under jaw?

 

[Lady Kelly]

If your vet is good with guinea pigs there's is a certain element of just trusting them. Yes there are risks with surgery but abscesses do not just go away on their own. Instead they grow quick til they rupture and if it does burst this could be more dangerous as infection can get in as well as potentially being so large that there is not enough skin to close it back over. My Donald had two small abscesses removed from his neck a year and a half ago and I know it's worrying but as long as you are putting them through surgery for the right reasons there is no reason to feel bad about it

 

[Wiebke]

Hello my guinea pig Spot has a large abscess on his back. We have took him to the vets and he has to get it surgically removed. It really needs done because of the size of it. I don’t know what to do because I know there are risks involved with doing the surgery.

If I do the surgery and everything goes okay will my guinea pigs get on after or will it cause problems between them

Hi!

Please keep your piggies together as much as possible. In my experience with cyst removal and other operations, the companions have not interfered with the wound and the company has served as much needed stress reducer.

All the best with the operation!
Here are our post-op care tips. You will hopefully find them very helpful: Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[Cassiekelly]

Hi!

Please keep your piggies together as much as possible. In my experience with cyst removal and other operations, the companions have not interfered with the wound and the company has served as much needed stress reducer.

All the best with the operation!
Here are our post-op care tips. You will hopefully find them very helpful: Tips For Post-operative Care

Thank you I will definitely try to keep them together as much as possible and I will take a look at the post operation tips