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Abscess Returning

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Lady Kelly

Lady Kelly

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So Isobel was at the vets on Christmas Eve having her abscess drained and went on antibiotics and metacam. She has been fine since, started gaining weight initially but its paused. I thought I could feel a slight bump on her cheek again didn't know if I was imagining it as she seemed fine in herself and her teeth were fine. Well now she isn't fine, her front teeth are slanted and although she is eating she is struggling a bit, especially with harder foods. Tomorrow I will be on the phone trying to get an early morning slot one day where I can pop her in and leave her there for the operation. In the meantime I have made some pellet mush with a small amount of added oats in the hope to help boost her weight as much as possible to make the operation easier on her, she quite enjoyed it earlier and ended up with a green beard :))
 
Aww bless her. Wish I could have seen the green beard! Sending lots of healing vibes x
 
There's normally a 50/50 chance whether the abscess is going to happen once and go forever or the abscess will come back over and over again. That's what I heard from someone who owns guinea pigs so it looks like your going to have to drain it quite often until the abscess slowly withers away and is back to normal!

Healing vibes specially from rainy Northern Ireland! Xx
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Which antibiotic did she have last time? x
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I can't remember which one it was now. I know it wasn't baytril as my vets don't usually give that one it also wasn't the banana smelling one. I suspected that it would return as it was drained with a syringe and not opened up but on Christmas Eve there aren't many other options.

She's been eating at least two pellets and been munching on hay. She isn't too low a weight but considering she managed to get up to 1100g previously she seems small (though I am reassured by her not feeling skinny/bony)
 
Sending Isobel healing vibes and very best wishes for a speedy recovery. Hope that pesky absess dries up for good this time.
 
Lady Kelly said:
I can't remember which one it was now. I know it wasn't baytril as my vets don't usually give that one it also wasn't the banana smelling one. I suspected that it would return as it was drained with a syringe and not opened up but on Christmas Eve there aren't many other options.

She's been eating at least two pellets and been munching on hay. She isn't too low a weight but considering she managed to get up to 1100g previously she seems small (though I am reassured by her not feeling skinny/bony)
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You need to get it marsupialised and then with a good antibiotic, ideally Zithromax, you should clear it completely. It will need flushing daily and it is important to keep it open, which will mean pulling any scab off as soon as it forms. It sounds like the teeth have been affected by the abscess. Will your vet be sorting the teeth out too?
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
You need to get it marsupialised and then with a good antibiotic, ideally Zithromax, you should clear it completely. It will need flushing daily and it is important to keep it open, which will mean pulling any scab off as soon as it forms. It sounds like the teeth have been affected by the abscess. Will your vet be sorting the teeth out too?
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I will see what they say when I get in but if not I will book in with Simon as I've been down there with Jemima not too long ago
 
They have confirmed that they would treat it as a dental appointment. Need to be there at 8.20am tomorrow which is the time I usually leave home so early start for me!
 
Poor thing! Abscesses are prone to returning... it can take time to let an infection heal from the inside out. After it is lanced and drained again, be sure to keep it open and irrigate the wound to keep it from healing too quickly and trapping more pus inside again. I believe there is a sticky post about abscess care at the top of the page, it was really helpful to me when dealing with Sundae's abscess.
 
Freela said:
Poor thing! Abscesses are prone to returning... it can take time to let an infection heal from the inside out. After it is lanced and drained again, be sure to keep it open and irrigate the wound to keep it from healing too quickly and trapping more pus inside again. I believe there is a sticky post about abscess care at the top of the page, it was really helpful to me when dealing with Sundae's abscess.
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Considering I nearly vommed at the vets when they drained it the first time, I'm really looking forward to this experience :))
 
I love dealing with abscesses! I think I need to get out more :D Seriously though, the aftercare is just as important as the surgery itself. It is essential that you keep it open and flush it well. Ask them to show you how, as all abscesses are different.
 
So there is no abscess. It's a swollen gland I could feel. Teeth are overgrown possibly from the abscess so they are sorting those out for me and checking for infections/ other problems
 
Glad that they identified what it is. I had no idea that abscess can lead to teeth over growth. Hope that they sort out the problem and that nothing serious comes of it. Sending you lots of love and some good vibes.
 
Exactly what Furryfriends has said, my piggy is a prime example of this, she has now got problems with her teeth alignment because of a brewing abscess, even though she hasn't actually had one. @Lady Kelly it's best to see Simon, my girl had to have a month on Zithromax & has had 3 dentals in 6 weeks, it has to be done that regular to have any chance of sorting them out long term x
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Exactly what Furryfriends has said, my piggy is a prime example of this, she has now got problems with her teeth alignment because of a brewing abscess, even though she hasn't actually had one. @Lady Kelly it's best to see Simon, my girl had to have a month on Zithromax & has had 3 dentals in 6 weeks, it has to be done that regular to have any chance of sorting them out long term x
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I have seen Simon with a different piggy before so I am aware of his talents. My own vet, whilst not able to excise the same skill in dental, is highly competent and skilled so I will see how Isobel fares after this op. If she needs further dental work I will not be hesitant to travelling to Northampton as I do not want to put her at risk of unnecessary GAs
 
Lady Kelly said:
Considering I nearly vommed at the vets when they drained it the first time, I'm really looking forward to this experience :))
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I read your update, I'm glad you won't have to do it again! I think that Sundae's abscess cured me of squeamishness for life. Of course, I do have three kids, so I have already been pooped on, peed on, barfed on, etc. At this point I consider it a point of pride how much gunk I can get out of an abscess! LOL!
 
I'm so glad she's okay, and yay to no flushing! I remember tying a scarf round my nose when I had to do it!

Random question for you @furryfriends (TEAS) . What do you think of curved tip syringes for flushing? I've only ever had to sort out an abscess once and I did you a curved syringe. Would you recommend people getting one for their piggy medical kits or are regularly syringes just as good, or better? x
 
Jaycey said:
I'm so glad she's okay, and yay to no flushing! I remember tying a scarf round my nose when I had to do it!

Random question for you @furryfriends (TEAS) . What do you think of curved tip syringes for flushing? I've only ever had to sort out an abscess once and I did you a curved syringe. Would you recommend people getting one for their piggy medical kits or are regularly syringes just as good, or better? x
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I do it the way Simon does and use a large syringe with a needle attached. You don't insert the needle into the wound, but it helps you direct a good powerful flush exactly where it is needed.. I have never used the curved syringe so can't comment on it.
 
Freela said:
I read your update, I'm glad you won't have to do it again! I think that Sundae's abscess cured me of squeamishness for life. Of course, I do have three kids, so I have already been pooped on, peed on, barfed on, etc. At this point I consider it a point of pride how much gunk I can get out of an abscess! LOL!
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Haha my vet started to talk about her rabbit and having to scrape the infection off the jawbone. I think she enjoyed seeing me go pale!
 
Just been to check on Isobel and she was out in a hay ball. She's not touched her veg by the looks of it even though I put her favourites in (cucumber, pepper and tomato). However I have never seen so many poo's from a post op piggy before! There's tons, all shapes and sizes (not surprised by smaller ones but slightly surprised by some very long very thin ones) but poo's are definitely a good sign
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I do it the way Simon does and use a large syringe with a needle attached. You don't insert the needle into the wound, but it helps you direct a good powerful flush exactly where it is needed.. I have never used the curved syringe so can't comment on it.
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I have used a curved syringe for Sundae's abscess (I actually had it left over from when I had dental surgery!) I actually found it really helpful. The tip was smaller than any other syringe I had and the curve made it easier to angle the syringe into the opening of the wound. I would definitely recommend it for a medical kit if you're able to track one down.
 
Hope it is much better. Glad to be here to learn from each other and especially on issues one might not have experienced with own pets.
 
Well I phoned the vets again as she doesn't seem to have eaten much and still seems a little lethargic (but brighter than this morning) they gave advice on the phone as it would take me over an hour to get there in rush hour traffic and I wouldn't make it before it closed.

Then straight afterwards she took a syringe feed a lot more readily so hoping she's just a slow recoverer! I brought Daisy in for a play to see if the company cheered her up (which it did for 10 mins until Daisy started annoying her too much). Here's a quick snap

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@furryfriends (TEAS) how long does it take before teeth overgrow again? She's eating well but not enough hay. More pellets than normal. She still looks like she is struggling and is only maintaining weight not gaining or losing
 
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