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Benjamin has an abscess...and I'm about to cry...

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awwwwwwwwww Benny boy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
sorry to see that NASTY horrible abscess came back or it's newest strain did :)>>>

From experience i found a few times this would happen SIGH..........just be vigilant and keep cleaning throughly the wound site and anything else that comes up........but yes ask for more meds as well

Healing wheeeeeeeeeks of loves and gentle kisses for this little trooper xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>
HUGS for you sweetie i know how much hell you're going thru......believe me so many of us do you are NOT alone we're all here for you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
That really is a small incision.
I do not use antibiotics in a case like that. Treatment, as is often the case, wait, watch, do nothing let the pig get on with his life.
Maybe that is not what you and others want to read but my comments are based on experience.
I can understand your concern, unless you have seen many, many cuts, lumps etc you cannot have a reference for what is large or small.
I have just looked at the photo from last w/e, there has been a big improvement since then.
I sometimes think vets. cause more anxiety than a little, eg refer him to a specialist vet etc.
Flush the wound by dripping the solution onto the area from a syringe or from a cotton bud.
 
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Sending my vibes to Ben.

He'll get over it! It's more a case of persistence; Ben will be eager to get on with his life as usual.

All the best!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
That doesn't look too bad! I am sure you feel it more than he does, bless him-he looks like a v chunky lad!
 
alcesterpigs said:
That really is a small incision.
I do not use antibiotics in a case like that. Treatment, as is often the case, wait, watch, do nothing let the pig get on with his life.
Maybe that is not what you and others want to read but my comments are based on experience.
I can understand your concern, unless you have seen many, many cuts, lumps etc you cannot have a reference for what is large or small.
I have just looked at the photo from last w/e, there has been a big improvement since then.
I sometimes think vets. cause more anxiety than a little, eg refer him to a specialist vet etc.
Flush the wound by dripping the solution onto the area from a syringe or from a cotton bud.
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Thanks for the advice about flushing the wound. However, although it is now a much smaller hole than it was, there is still pus and other nasty stuff behind it which may still be developing. They haven't said they will do surgery lightly - it would only be as a very last resort if the Baytril and next the Zithromax don't work for him. I know myself how stubborn infections can be in the human world - I had a major ear infection which developed into perichondritis and lasted 9 months - and it took lots of different medications (about 15 different antibiotics and surgery) to shift it. Advice to lay off the antibiotics and just wait came very close to killing me, so I'm not about to withdraw antibiotics from Benjamin just to wait and see what happens. At the moment, he is quite happy in himself, so I don't think he minds me trying to help him too much!


lavenderjade said:
That doesn't look too bad! I am sure you feel it more than he does, bless him-he looks like a v chunky lad!
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He was bang on 1300g this morning...all good! He's eating normally and he's also been living in the run with Dave for the last 10 days so that may explain the weight loss...bit more running around than normal...he may be toning up!:))
 
Sometimes it is better if the incision is not sutured so that any pus can drain out easily. However, there are so many variables that it is impossible to give a definitive answer as to which incisions should/not be sutured initially.
Another possibility is a suture abscess in which case the sutures are removed sooner than later. Typically sutures are removed after about 5-7 days.
If the wound did need further exploration it could be carried out under local anaesthesia.
 
After all of my typing!!!
It looks on the photo that he has some sutures!
Even better then, it should drain freely with out too much help, as long as you keep the scab from forming. That is the difficult part!
 
Anyone eating tea, stop now!

It's been pretty much open all the way - he developed another pocket of pus which we managed to get out of it on Thursday night. So, now, the pus is forming a plug there too...grrrr...such a nightmare! So, I shall be poking around with cottonbud later to try and get as much out as I can!
 
Pevidine is Povidone Iodine, whereas Hibiscrub is Chlorhexidine Gluconate. Both do the same job just as well as each other, I have both but tend to stick with P.Iodine.
 
I'm really just following instructions! They've been good so far - thorough and as gentle as they can be with him so I'm happy with that. Seem to be working in a logical way with medication and options too. Time will tell I suppose...will go and get Ben in a bit and bathe him yet again!rolleyes
 
As in many areas of life, fashions come and go, even in guinea pig treatment.
It is currently out of favour but Hydrogen Peroxide used to be widely used in cleaning out abscess cavities. I take what I hope is an opened minded approach, ie if it worked years ago with no untoward side effects why not use it now? Which I do from time to time with good results.
Alternatively, as above, you can flush the cavity with sterile saline solution, as sold for cleaning contacts lenses.
The antibiotic Metronidazole (Flagyl) can be more effective than Baytril in dealing with deep seated infections where necrotic tissue (dead flesh) is present.
 
I've not seen anything "against" Hydrogen Peroxide really, other than suggestions that it can slow down the healing. Which, in my humble opinion, isn't strictly a bad thing when it comes to abscesses!
 
"Which, in my humble opinion, isn't strictly a bad thing when it comes to abscesses!"

Interesting.........wait for it.............WHY!?
Surely, the quicker the area heals the better?
I need an answer, if only to stop me from wasting a lot of time on Google!
 
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Usually in other medical situations, the quicker an open wound heals heals the better...but not so much for abscesses. Abscesses need to be kept open for a few days to facilitate the drainage and flushing. For the first couple of days at least it'd be useful to use H.Peroxide to help prevent the wound healing over quite so fast, then when it's been clear for a couple of days switch to a 'milder' solution like saline/P.Iodine/C.Gluconate.
 
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Good boy - and all the best for your efforts with Ben's abscess!
 
He took his medicine OK again tonight. Then came my part...picking off the scab....yuck!:)>>> Bit of pus underneath so flushed it best I could. Left if open so it's red and there were a couple of tiny pus spots in it. Squeezed around it a bit more and two small blobs of gunk came out at either end. Drizzled some of the pevidene solution into it. Will see what the morning brings.:)
 
Be careful to squeeze from behind the abscess to lessen any possibility of driving the infection deeper into the tissues.
 
Well, picked off the scab again tonight...:)>>> Delightful! I can only really do it every other day as otherwise there's nothing there to take off. Had a good poke around and some pus still came out, but I would like to say slightly less than before. He was very good throughout - let me have a right good rummage!xoxo
 
I find that, rather than squeezing, it can be very effective to sort of massage the surrounding area quite firmly. Deeper pus will then come out.

May I ask: what does it smell like? Is it ammonia, or very sweet?
 
Lucinda said:
May I ask: what does it smell like? Is it ammonia, or very sweet?
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I've not really analysed the smell as such...it just smells 'infected' to me. One of those smells that won't leave me in a hurry! I wouldn't say ammonia-ish though. Will have a go at describing it better next time!

I have been massaging around the abscess rather than squeezing it (bad choice of words on my part there...). Kind of using circular motions. Ben really does spend most of his time these days wondering what on earth I'm doing to him!

Took his medicine well tonight. Onwards and upwards still!
 
It's just such a long haul.

I wondered about the smell because Rocky's had three distinctive smells. First it was that heavy, sweet, smell of decay. Then it changed to ammonia. Then it went sweet and flowery. I am fascinated by the microbiology aspect of it all.
 
Well, bathed Ben's 'wound' tonight and it has more or less healed over. Took off the tiny scab that was left and it all looks clear to me. I'm not jumping the gun, but I'm hoping we're heading in the right direction!

He's still eating, drinking and pooing as normal, so that's also good. He does have two light scratches near his wound...why can't the boy behave himself?!

We're back at the vets on Saturday so hopefully the antibiotics between now and then will work wonders...:x


Looking a little self important!
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Proving that he still likes his grub!
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Ben's wound as of today...with the additional little nip marks...rolleyes
4701_89523528809_517543809_1843764_3011799_n.jpg
 
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