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Anaesthetic safety

Potterpig

Junior Guinea Pig
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We have pretty much come to the decision today with our vet that no matter what we throw at Buzz's abscess it seems it's never going to completely go away without surgery. He's booked for Thursday.

The vet has warned me that anaesthetic risks are a lot higher in pigs that dogs and cats for example. I am terrified! Has anyone got any experience with anesthetic? He's healthy, and he's only got a tiny tiny amount of pus now coming out once a week but we've exhausted all the options now. The capsule is still large so the vet feels over time it would cause more problems. I asked what she would do if he was her pig and she said the surgery. Am I being neurotic again? He's a fit, healthy 950g piggy.

I'm not particularly worried that this won't be the end of the abscess drama but I'm worried about the anaesthetic.

Thank you 😁

115362

Photo of Buzz trying to hide from the vet 😂
 
I say go for it too. I have just had my sow recently go through a big spay operation, with a cervical tumour removed atbthe same time and uterus removed. She came through fine. She is 3 years old and is also the same weight as your pig. The key aswell is the vet thats doing the operation though.

Is there no way you would book him in at Northampton, cat and rabbit care clinic? My local vet
 
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I say go for it too. I have just had my sow recently go through a pig spay operation, with a cervical tumour removed atbthe same time and uterus removed. She came through fine. She is 3 years old and is also the same weight as your pig. The key aswell is the vet thats doing the operation though.

Thank you, I'm glad your little one is going well. I forgot to say he's about 16 months we think. He's young. I've got to take woody in with him they said. They'll regret that when they discover he's the noisiest pig in history lol x
 
He has age on his side aswell then. 👍

My sow aka Dot is about 4 weeks post op now.

My vet did say to me. It is the senior boars that he has lost the most of during or after an op.
 
He has age on his side aswell then. 👍

My nearest exotic is cj hall in sheen. I was going to get a second opinion from them maybe but I know realistically there's no winning this. I don't think I could hand him over to someone I didn't know well, she's very good and they even give buzz a nick name he's been in so often. I know that doesn't mean much really but to me it shows they care about him and will take great care of him on my behalf. They're familiar with buzz and his problem, we must have had thirty appointments or more since this started!
 
My nearest exotic is cj hall in sheen. I was going to get a second opinion from them maybe but I know realistically there's no winning this. I don't think I could hand him over to someone I didn't know well, she's very good and they even give buzz a nick name he's been in so often. I know that doesn't mean much really but to me it shows they care about him and will take great care of him on my behalf. They're familiar with buzz and his problem, we must have had thirty appointments or more since this started!
Another good sign that i noticed you said. Is they they asked you to bring both in
 
Anaesthetics are always a worry but if the vet is confident and he's otherwise healthy then much better to have the surgery now before the abscess gets worse. We've had 3 pigs who have had surgery with anaesthesia, the biggest worry was neutering Theo as he was our first pig to have an anaesthetic and it was elective surgery, Blodwen had anaesthesia to get 6 nasty back teeth with big spurs filed down, and Tallulah had anaesthesia for an abscess removal which was quite risky due to her being tiny and a skinny pig with a weird metabolism, but they all survived! There is no risk free anaesthesia but removing a whole abscess capsule is much better than leaving it I would say, if it comes out cleanly the whole thing might be fixed and healed in a week rather than weeks or months of flushing and draining...
Best of luck and healing wheeks, but I would say trust the vet, if they think they can remove the whole abscess before it gets bigger that's definitely the best option- Tallulah's abscess removal had some weird complications due to her unpredictable inbred skinny pig physiology but I would still make the same decision again and get the surgery straight away if any of my other pigs got an abscess!
 
Another good sign that i noticed you said. Is they they asked you to bring both in

She's constantly sought advice on how to proceed once it didn't respond to the initial treatment. I always like to throw the 'what would you do' line in too and she's honest. I'm going to be a wreck til he's home and eating etc by himself x
 
After my Dots op, when she was put back with her husboar at the vets. The nurse said she picked up alot being with her companion. Just goes to show
 
She's constantly sought advice on how to proceed once it didn't respond to the initial treatment. I always like to throw the 'what would you do' line in too and she's honest. I'm going to be a wreck til he's home and eating etc by himself x
Just keep yourself busy if you can. I washed my car after i dropped Dot off and done a load of things i needed to catch up on
 
Anaesthetics are always a worry but if the vet is confident and he's otherwise healthy then much better to have the surgery now before the abscess gets worse. We've had 3 pigs who have had surgery with anaesthesia, the biggest worry was neutering Theo as he was our first pig to have an anaesthetic and it was elective surgery, Blodwen had anaesthesia to get 6 nasty back teeth with big spurs filed down, and Tallulah had anaesthesia for an abscess removal which was quite risky due to her being tiny and a skinny pig with a weird metabolism, but they all survived! There is no risk free anaesthesia but removing a whole abscess capsule is much better than leaving it I would say, if it comes out cleanly the whole thing might be fixed and healed in a week rather than weeks or months of flushing and draining...
Best of luck and healing wheeks, but I would say trust the vet, if they think they can remove the whole abscess before it gets bigger that's definitely the best option- Tallulah's abscess removal had some weird complications due to her unpredictable inbred skinny pig physiology but I would still make the same decision again and get the surgery straight away if any of my other pigs got an abscess!
Okay this has made me feel soooo much better thank you! Yes this has been 6+ weeks of draining and trying everything under the sun. It was like a golf ball and now it's like a marble but not much pus left. But the vet doesn't think that's the end because of the size of the capsule x
 
I was in hospital a couple of years back when Comet needed some dental work done and I had to do a bit of organising to get him to the vets, sign the paperwork, pay what I needed, get him home again, and have him kept an eye on overnight, just in case. Now, he didn't get more than a small whiff of gas, but I was still wary, especially since teeth were involved. Apparently he just spent his time endearing himself to everyone and pretending he wasn't the troublemaker he absolutely was, lol.
I would go for it, especially if an abscess is involved. I know @Betsy had to do the same thing for one of her guinea pigs a while back. It's always a worry with anaesthetic, even with humans, but if you trust your vet to do the operation, I'd get it done.
 
Last year my Chirstian had a HUGE abscess removed. He was under for just over an hour. He got so cold during the surgery that the vet nurses made little slippers for his feet out of bubblewrap!:wub: I was a nervous wreck all day until I collected him. I had to syringe feed him for about 3-4 days (and nights!).

Here is the abscess.

Christian Abscess 1.JPGChristian Abscess 2.JPG

How that fitted into such a small body is still a mystery.

Here is his impressive scar.

Christian Scar Day 1.JPG


You wouldn't know he had had it done now. It did take him quite a while to get over it as he had major surgery. All I could see of the abcess from the outside was this.

Christian lump from outside.jpg
 
I would go for it, especially if an abscess is involved. I know @Betsy had to do the same thing for one of her guinea pigs a while back. It's always a worry with anaesthetic, even with humans, but if you trust your vet to do the operation, I'd get it done.
I was just replying to this thread at the same time as your were @Lorcan - Spooky!👻
 
@Potterpig - you have built up a good relationship with your vet and I know she will do her very best for little Buzz.. xx
 
I know it's scary but think of it this way, what is the alternative? Of course we all know now that the alternative is to keep on treating the abscess which will never seemingly heal and he will suffer for it even with prompt treatments and medication. You should be reassured that you have taken action to avoid unnecessary surgery but have reached the point where surgery has become necessary.

Yes with anaesthetic there is a risk, there is always a risk. Even as humans we have to sign before surgery to accept the risk. I have had 8 occasions where pigs have had operations and had anaesthetic. Not a single one has passed as a result of the anaesthetic and all have come round after the operation. At the end of the day, deciding to do this now while Buzz is otherwise fit and healthy helps to put him in the best possible place to recover without problems.
 
Thank you all so much! That is one mega abscess! Buzz's must have been about that size to start with! Eek! Is he likely to need syringe feeding? I do have critical care but would likely need some more. I am so nervous it's unreal. My poor buzzy bean 😭
 
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