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After Surgery Care.

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Tiamolly123

Tiamolly123

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My little baby boy is off for his chop tomorrow. Do I start syringe feeding straight away or wait to see if he eats first.
Any tips gratefully received.
We have requested the same vet that put Molly down. Nobody could have foreseen she was riddled with cancer.
The vet was as devasted as us.
So how do I keep him happy, do I remove him from being beside the girls
 
I left mine near his girlfriend so it wouldn't stress him not being near his friend mine ate straight away but not as heartily as usual so I just supplemented with syringe noon & bedtime (same time as his painkiller) I used his normal pellets mushed up /sloppy, his pain medication was one dose a day but I could tell it was worn off each morning so I upped the dose a little bit & divided into twice a day one noon & one midnight , he recovered great in fact he was up & at it same night
 
I'm sure all will be fine. My two boys ate afterwards and didn't need syringe feeding at all. They recovered better than any of our other pigs after surgery, although Scruffy did have a woozy moment so I just cuddled him and he was fine. Humbug developed an abscess soon afterwards and Scruffy had one a couple of months later but both cleared up without problems...squeezing the puss out was gross but had to be done!

They do like some company and other pigs know when they're not well. Have a look at Clove (grey one) snuggling up to Kiwi after Kiwi's surgery, they didn't normally snuggle like this:

IMG_0549.webp
 
JenniferG said:
I'm sure all will be fine. My two boys ate afterwards and didn't need syringe feeding at all. They recovered better than any of our other pigs after surgery, although Scruffy did have a woozy moment so I just cuddled him and he was fine. Humbug developed an abscess soon afterwards and Scruffy had one a couple of months later but both cleared up without problems...squeezing the puss out was gross but had to be done!

They do like some company and other pigs know when they're not well. Have a look at Clove (grey one) snuggling up to Kiwi after Kiwi's surgery, they didn't normally snuggle like this:

View attachment 57447
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so true one of my pigs are unwell and all the other gilrs have been grooming her and snuggling with her which is not normal.
 
Best of luck for tomorrow, hope all goes well and sending lots of recovery vibes. Have a read of this thread Tips For Post-operative Care x

Make sure he comes home with pain relief and I would recommend some gut stimulant also, helps to be prepared.
 
sport_billy said:
Best of luck for tomorrow, hope all goes well and sending lots of recovery vibes. Have a read of this thread Tips For Post-operative Care x

Make sure he comes home with pain relief and I would recommend some gut stimulant also, helps to be prepared.
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Will do, he can't even take a friend with him, all the rest are girls
 
Tiamolly123 said:
Will do, he can't even take a friend with him, all the rest are girls
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He wouldn't know so don't beat yourself up. He has a mum that loves him and is going to take very good care of him when he comes home.
 
Just wanted to wish your boy good luck for today.
Sounds like you have really thought it through and are totally prepared.
 
Ok Gizmo has been chopped, we have had a few problems, for 12 hours he wouldn't eat or drink. So we gave him some critical care, put some probotics in his water & he drunk some then.
Next problem Gizmo is in the end of the girls cage, with a barrier, he looks so depressed & seems to hide in his igloo 24/7. We did think of getting a boar to keep him company but then that defeats the object of rehoming 5. Shame they don't loan you one for 6 weeks.
I'm a bit stuck on what to do, he's now eating & drinking. But what about the blues.
 
I'm glad he's recovering, is he on pain relief? He's bound to still be feeling some pain and generally not happy about the experience, he'll pick up I'm sure. He has the stress of recovering from surgery, I really wouldn't introduce him to a new pig now.
 
I think it's probably the after effects of all the medication after the op. Please contact your vet if you are concerned, they generally won't discharge them until they can eat/wee/poop. I would make sure the barrier is safe, a separate cage in the same room or nearby is better, if he smells the girls he might try to get in with them & do himself some harm to his wound & also he isn't safe to not impregnate them for at least 6 weeks I believe.
 
All they gave him was a long term painkillers & antibotic. I think I would have been happier if I could have controlled his pain, I have medicine here.
 
Tiamolly123 said:
All they gave him was a long term painkillers & antibotic. I think I would have been happier if I could have controlled his pain, I have medicine here.
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have you got pain relief for at home? Please ask the vet for some if not, this is needed for sure.
 
Mine wasn't given antibiotocs, but was given a big bottle of Loxicom, 0.6 once a day, but it was wearing off well before next dose & I could tell he was off colour then so I gave it him twice a day 12 hours apart, after a few days I lowered the dose, I'm hoping your boy has bucked up now he has pain relief plus Loxicom is anti inflammatory as well so helps with swelling too
 
Tiamolly123 said:
My little baby boy is off for his chop tomorrow. Do I start syringe feeding straight away or wait to see if he eats first.
Any tips gratefully received.
We have requested the same vet that put Molly down. Nobody could have foreseen she was riddled with cancer.
The vet was as devasted as us.
So how do I keep him happy, do I remove him from being beside the girls
Click to expand...

No, he can stay next to the girls while healing, just as long as he does not mix with them until he is 100% safe 6 weeks afterwards. ;)

You see how well your boy is coming round post-op. Ideally, he is just picking up as normal like my little Nye did, who was neutered on Tuesday. No extra care needed whatsoever; he's not even needing any antibiotic or painkillers. His cavity was packed with whatever he needs. As I write this, Nye is as chipper as usual, tucking into the hay and being at the grids with every rustle that reaches his ears.

Only if your boy is not eating properly and is not pooing/peeing much post-op, then I would offer syringe feed and water and certainly do it again during the night, the more often, the worse off he is. Many piggies are worse off on the day after the op when all the drugs wear off. Weigh daily at the same time to check the food intake and check the privates for any signs of swelling in the first two weeks daily, then every second day for another two weeks, twice weekly for another month and then weekly until 6 months post op with his normal check-over.
Here are our post-op care tips in detail that tell you when you need to syringe feed, what to look out for etc., when to contact your vets immediately after the op and in the days following: Tips For Post-operative Care

This is how it should ideally be:
Post-op Bum Wiggles (video)

There are different methods to perform the operation. It doesn't matter which, just that your vet is using the one he is happiest and most confident with, so your boy is under GA for as shortly as possible. The wounds should look neat, tidy and be small. There should be no funny lumps.
Nye pre-op and post-op:
IMG_3278_edited-1.webp IMG_3294.webp

PS: If you want to get into the gory details of a neutering op with pictures, then this thread here from a vet nurse is for you: Guinea pig castration explained
 
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