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Abscess

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PJam

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Hi

My Himalayan Guinea pig Smudge developed a hard round lump on his face. I took him to the vets straight away yesterday and they operated on him today. They are keeping him in tonight and I can collect him tomorrow. My concern is that the vet has cleaned out the abscess and filled the cavity with antibiotics and then sewn it up. Is this normal? In the past vets have always left them open to drain and so that they can be flushed out. I am also a bit concerned that they are going to send him home with Baytril as I wonder whether this is the best antibiotic for an abscess?
His bill so far is £84 which I didn't think was too bad considering. Again I don't know how this compares to what other people pay? Its been a long time since I had a pig with an abscess.
 
Hi my Kasper had an abscess that was dealt with in the same way. It healed and didn't need anything done to it at all. I can't remember the antibiotic that he got. It cost me a lot more too. Hope your Smudge heals well x
 
theoretikos said:
Hi my Kasper had an abscess that was dealt with in the same way. It healed and didn't need anything done to it at all. I can't remember the antibiotic that he got. It cost me a lot more too. Hope your Smudge heals well x
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Thank you. It's good to know that what they've done is correct. I am really looking forward to having Smudge home.
 
PJam said:
Hi

My Himalayan Guinea pig Smudge developed a hard round lump on his face. I took him to the vets straight away yesterday and they operated on him today. They are keeping him in tonight and I can collect him tomorrow. My concern is that the vet has cleaned out the abscess and filled the cavity with antibiotics and then sewn it up. Is this normal? In the past vets have always left them open to drain and so that they can be flushed out. I am also a bit concerned that they are going to send him home with Baytril as I wonder whether this is the best antibiotic for an abscess?
His bill so far is £84 which I didn't think was too bad considering. Again I don't know how this compares to what other people pay? Its been a long time since I had a pig with an abscess.
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The best antibiotic for an abscess is zithromax, but not every vet will prescibe it; baytril is still the only licensed AB for guinea pigs.

I am tagging @furryfriends (TEAS) and @MintyAndGarry (TEAS) for you, as they have dealt with a number of abscesses in their sanctuary guinea pigs.
 
I don't have any experience with the sowing in antibiotics method. My Bedo was on zithromax with an abscessed bite wound that needed to be kept open, but healed up very quickly, and I am due for a 2 weeks' check up with my Hywel tomorrow for a dental root/jaw abscess, again on zithromax. Again, he seems to be doing well as far as I can tell.
 
This was a facial abscess but the vet said there doesn't seem to be tooth involvement. They think it may have been hay or something that pierced him but then dissolved just leaving this hard sort of encapsulated abscess. Apparently the contents was very thick and unlikely to drain so they removed everything and filled and sewed it up.
I am concerned that its sewn up and could potentially build up again and expected it tobe left open regardless of the thick contents.
 
PJam said:
This was a facial abscess but the vet said there doesn't seem to be tooth involvement. They think it may have been hay or something that pierced him but then dissolved just leaving this hard sort of encapsulated abscess. Apparently the contents was very thick and unlikely to drain so they removed everything and filled and sewed it up.
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Thanks for the details; yes that makes sense, as the whole abscess has been removed and so cannot refill. What your vet is treating for is simply to prevent an infection.
 
It really depends if they have lanced and drained the abscess (in which case it will probably need to be open to continue draining) or if they remove the entire capsule, in which case it can be stitched closed. I've had both done on different pigs under different circumstances (one major factor is whether there is enough skin available to cover/close the wound. If there is, it's great if they can remove the entire capsule. If not, lance and drain is the only option.) Baytril isn't the best antibiotic for abscesses, but some vets are reluctant to give other antibiotics to guinea pigs. Zithromax is supposed to be really good. My vet uses chloramphenicol, which I've had good results with.
 
Hi , yes this is a good way to treet an adscess, and £84 is very reasonable when you consider the work involved , l think you have a good vet !
 
i've not dealt with any abscesses with any of mine, but know our vets use both close and open methods depending on the actual abscess involved. they also regularly use zithromax aswell as others have mentioned :)
 
Smudge is home and feeling very sorry for himself. I have given him metacam and he's had his baytril. The vets said he didn't eat overnight so he was syringe fed this morning. When I got him home at lunchtime he ate a carrot top and a leaf of spring greens. He has this evening eaten a few bites of cucumber,a few bites of pepper and nothing else. he cries when you pick him up so I don't want to syringe feed him. Would you syringe feed him or is the little he's having enough to get him started?
I have softened some excel in warm water and left it in his cage in case he fancies some later. He's in a cage on his own as I didn't think I should put him back in with his wifey pig.
 
You must syringe feed him. Getting enough food in can really make the difference with how he recovers from the surgery. Offer him the things he likes but top him up with syringe food. If he's not keen on taking much then the little and often approach works best.
 
PJam said:
Smudge is home and feeling very sorry for himself. I have given him metacam and he's had his baytril. The vets said he didn't eat overnight so he was syringe fed this morning. When I got him home at lunchtime he ate a carrot top and a leaf of spring greens. He has this evening eaten a few bites of cucumber,a few bites of pepper and nothing else. he cries when you pick him up so I don't want to syringe feed him. Would you syringe feed him or is the little he's having enough to get him started?
I have softened some excel in warm water and left it in his cage in case he fancies some later. He's in a cage on his own as I didn't think I should put him back in with his wifey pig.
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I completely agree with @furryfriends (TEAS) advice!

It is vital that you step in with syringe feeding promptly to keep the guts going and maintain his weight and therefore the strength he has to fight through. Eating is not very comfortable for him right now, but food in his belly will inevitably perk him up, so you need to be tough right now. He will also be a lot less stressed if he is back with his friend.
Weigh him daily so you can adjust the top up amounts accordingly. Hopefully, he is going to pick up in a day or two when the pain and discomfort from the GA and the operation is wearing off. Unfortunately, you can't wait for that long for him to find his appetite again.
BE STRONG FOR YOUR BOY AND SYRINGE FEED NOW!

Here is our syringe feeding guide with lots of tips: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Ok so how watery does the food need to be. I have poured hot water on his excel pellets and just need an idea of how liquidy to make them please.
 
PJam said:
Ok so how watery does the food need to be. I have poured hot water on his excel pellets and just need an idea of how liquidy to make them please.
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Have a look at the syringe feeding guide; there is a picture of how it should look. Ideally you find a balance between too dry (and not easily syringeable) and too wet, when you just syringe brown water, but no fibre. The guide will also help you to adjust the syringe for easier feeding to prevent the fibre from getting stuck in the syringe.
 
Thank you. I've been upstairs and popped him back in with Sophie. He has perked up no end.:hug:
 
PJam said:
Thank you. I've been upstairs and popped him back in with Sophie. He has perked up no end.:hug:
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Usually only the very first few syringe feeds are difficult to get in. Once a piggy realises that it is feeling so much better after it, it becomes a lot more cooperative. Did you get any painkiller when you picked him up?
 
I already had Metacam so rather than sell me more they said to use that.. Will he be ok if I syringe feed twice tonight and once at 5am before work then again at 12noon after work tomorrow? I can't take the day off so he will have to be left and I don't have anyone to come in and feed him inbetween.

I've just managed to syringe 4mls of food into him and 1ml of water. I've left him now to relax and will go up later and do it again. I will put some probiotics in his water then as well.
 
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1ml syringe. I only had that and a 2ml but tye 2ml is a bit fat for his mouth.
 
I always use a 1 ml syringe with the end cut off. I find them the best. Do little and often and keep a note of how many mls you are getting in each time. Over a period of time you should be able to get quite a lot in. If he is feeling a bit sore he might not want too much in one go, but hopefully as he feels his tummy getting fuller he will be happy to have more. xx
 
As the syringe feeding guide is showing you where exactly to cut; syringe feeding is much easier if you cut off the tip of the syringe and the plunger. The very rough rule of thumb is that you feed the more often the less you can get in in one sitting, but during an acute crisis of illness or initial post-op blues, you aim to just get as much in an as you can over the course of 24 hours to keep your piggy going until it is feeling well enough to start recovering and eating more. Please be aware that half a 1 ml syringe is about a mouthful, so always until it has gone down safely before you syringe the rest. That way you prevent things from going down the wrong way.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Best of luck!
 
Smudge is doing ok. He still doesn't seem himself but he's had todays Metacam dose and his Baytril. I've syringed some food into him and he's currently sitting eating some carrot tops and kale.
This is him and Sophie a few weeks ago..Smudge is on the left of the picture.
11947638_10206011532100717_4264802405641746620_n_zpsv5nrew7h.jpg
 
Absolutely over the moon to report that Smudge finally started eating hay tonight. I've been worried sick about him all day but it seems he is on the mend. His face doesn't seem as swollen this evening either although he does scratch at it occasionally so I will need to keep an eye on it.
 
Thank you I have only had them 8 weeks and Smudge is still very fast and not the easiest to catch.
 
I just cleaned out all the pigs and weighed Smudge and Sophie. Smudge has lost 100grams since Monday. I assume this is due to three days at the vets and the op etc. He is eating ok now. Also Sophie has lost 20 grams, this may not seem much but I'm concerned about her weight loss. She seems to be eating ok though. Is it possible Sophie was just missing her friend and the trauma of him being gone has caused her to drop weight? I'm going to weigh them both every couple of days to keep an eye on things but am a bit shocked that Sophie's weight has gone down.
 
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