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Boar Lump And Old Sow Balding Legs

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Olivitree

Olivitree

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey all,

Firstly, thanks everyone for you help in previous subjects, once day the health questions will end I'm sure of it.

We now have Bandit, he's a lovely boy and already seems to romance the ladies a little more gently than Jester did when he met them very briefly during a quick multi guinea cuddle time (I was very careful to keep my on the ladies rump so no mounting occurred!) he was neutered by the rescue about 4 weeks ago. Before I received this cutey she gave his neutering site a check and instructed me how to check also and told me I should continue to check daily for another 2 weeks until the point where he is also allowed to be put in properly with the girls and he's very likely to be out of the woods. However, the day AFTER I got him, I found a fairly sizeable lump, its higher up than I expected, but still along side his penis, feels a little deeper than expected too, its quite hard and doesn't feel very moveable and maybe around the size of a large ish pea, it isn't spherical it feels a little longer than it is wide and maybe a little flatter.
From what I have read and told to look out for, if this is to do with his neutering site, it could be an abscess, hernia or fluid sack gone hard, presumably there's other options if it isn't to do with his neutering site. The rescue owner was surprised at how quickly it popped up as she was sure it was fine the day before I felt it.

Really, what I want to know is, is there ANY organs I could mistake for an abscess that is on HIS left, reasonably hard, near his penis. is it possible I'm feeling poop or is that more central and deeper? I can't get the exact shape of this lump but it doesn't seem to have changed shape or size in the last couple of days. It isn't causing him pain that he's willing to show me but he's a very nervous pig so probably wouldn't squeal or fidget if I caused him pain, he also seems to be eating and drinking fine. I'm quite likely to take him to a vet regardless as I'm not the most experienced individual when it comes to checking boars for lumps, but as usual, knowledge and experience is always welcome from you guys who know far more than I.


The SECOND issue, not sure if I should have posted this in a separate post or not, is my 5 year 7 month old sow has balding legs, they are a tiny bit flakey but not hugely and she doesn't seem excessively itchy, eating and drinking fine, (at least not itchy when I'm looking at her,) her cage mate isn't showing any sign of balding or excessive itchiness.I haven't changed anything about their bedding except adding a fleece tunnel and fleece cave that i made myself and washed before I put in the same way I wash their normal bedding, they had a treatment of xeno 450 (or what ever its called I've forgotten) not that long ago for running lice, unsure if biting or sucking but i haven't seen sign of them since, they finished a whole course then this balding occurred a few weeks maybe a month later. I'm going to take her to the vet regardless as I think it needs looking at and her broken tooth (diagnosed as having broken because of an abscess the vet diagnosed but chose not to treat as she seemed to be getting better on her own, she has been on a week of baytryl for her split lip the tooth is looking absolutely fine, growing back and looking strong) need another check up just to make sure the healing process is going ok but I want to go to the vet with as much knowledge from experienced guinea owners in my back pocket. This balding was spotted by a vet but not my usual one, she said it could be a mite infestation and that I should keep an eye on it, I have done and as it hasn't improved, i'm taking her back (to a vet I prefer for guineas) but, yes as I said, the more info I can go in with the better particularly if I can't get in to see my usual vets.
 
Hi! Please have your boy checked by the vet. Abscesses can happen upt to 6 months after neutering if you are unlucky. it doesn't sound like a hernia, as they are usually soft to the touch and also rather painful.

Your older girl could also do with a vet trip. It is likely that she has painful legs from her arthritis and is overgrooming herself because of her discomfort; so going on a prescription of metacam (painkiller and anti-inflammatory) may help her. you could also enquire abut supplementing her with vegetarian glucosamine if it bone athritis, which is pretty common in older guinea pigs. She may also have got a bit of dry skin, which shoudl be fairly easy to rectify.
 
Ahh, you may well be right on the arthritis, I thought her joints were all fine as she hasn't had any decrease in desire to move around nor has she slowed down particularly she still really enjoys her floor time and trots about all over the place, but I had a really good look at the way she was moving and compared it to Oxford our younger piggy just now and I could see that Tabby lifted herself much further off the ground and seemed to waddle a bit more. I have Bandit booked in tomorrow to get his bump checked out and Tabby is booked in for Thursday.
 
Right going in to a different vet at 6:10pm because I couldn't get my usual vet who is AMAZING with guinea pigs and the only one I could get I wasn't certain about so I thought I might as well reduce their travel stress and go to my local vet who so far have been pretty reasonable(and aren't nearly as extortionate with their prices) and have proven to have very sharp eyes for spotting problems and I didn't feel like paying a lot of money to see a vet that I don't even trust the judgement of most of the time.
However as they aren't tried and tested I'd like to make sure I have info written down and written down correctly.

So for Bandit:
Presumably Zithromax is still the preferred anti-biotic amongst guinea pig owners for abscesses?
Surgery/lancing is still a last-ish resort?
Anything else I should know/need to tell the vet?

For Tabby:
Probably arthritis, possibly the cause of fur loss I'll mention that but let them check her over for mites anyway and see if she has a skin complaint, though her walking suggests she may well be stiff in the joints.
Needs to be on Metacam if definitely arthritis. Are there any possible bad side effects to the metacam I should consider?
Ask about vegetarian glucosamine, is that something I can only get from vets or does it exist else where?
 
Olivitree said:
Right going in to a different vet at 6:10pm because I couldn't get my usual vet who is AMAZING with guinea pigs and the only one I could get I wasn't certain about so I thought I might as well reduce their travel stress and go to my local vet who so far have been pretty reasonable(and aren't nearly as extortionate with their prices) and have proven to have very sharp eyes for spotting problems and I didn't feel like paying a lot of money to see a vet that I don't even trust the judgement of most of the time.
However as they aren't tried and tested I'd like to make sure I have info written down and written down correctly.

So for Bandit:
Presumably Zithromax is still the preferred anti-biotic amongst guinea pig owners for abscesses?
Surgery/lancing is still a last-ish resort?
Anything else I should know/need to tell the vet?

For Tabby:
Probably arthritis, possibly the cause of fur loss I'll mention that but let them check her over for mites anyway and see if she has a skin complaint, though her walking suggests she may well be stiff in the joints.
Needs to be on Metacam if definitely arthritis. Are there any possible bad side effects to the metacam I should consider?
Ask about vegetarian glucosamine, is that something I can only get from vets or does it exist else where?
Click to expand...

If it really is an abscess, then zithromax is the best antibiotic; but if your vet is not convinced about using unlicensed ABs, try for marbocyl, which is a stronger version of baytril and can also work with abscesses. Without a proper examination, it is impossible for us to say what your lump is, and of course any treatment will depend on the diagnosis.

Metacam long term will shorten her life span a bit, but you need to weigh up quality of life against longevity in that case. My Nerys has had arthritis in her legs (and has overgroomed) legs, but she is 7 years old, so I personally don't think that it is a bad trade-off. You can consider discussing other painkillers with your more knowledgeable vet at a later stage.

All the best!
 
eep, hmm Well I like to say "Tabby is only 5 and a half" but, I've lost guinea pigs at age 5 and age 8, so she's in that range that she may or may not last much longer, or she could last another 3 years. I'll have a chat with this vet, see what they think but I'll probably take her back to Jason when I get the chance and have a discussion with him.

Thanks very much for all the info and advice :)
 
Well that was annoying and felt like a wasted vet trip.

I have come back with Baytril for Bandit, will this work AT ALL for the abscess, is there any point using it? I don't want to destroy his gut bacteria for no reason. If it's not any good, I will be heading straight off to my usual vet. She suggested it could be a reaction he's having to the stitches as there are lumps either side in similar positions one is just a lot bigger and harder than the other, presumably roughly where the stitches should have been but to be safe, she gave me the Baytril, I asked about marbocyl and zithromax but apparently neither are licensed for guinea pigs so she wasn't going to do those.

For Tabby, I've been given metacam for cats, 0.5 mg/ml and told to give her "one unit" per day, which I was shown to be 0.1ml, is that a high dose? low dose? is it normal for guinea pigs to be given cat metacam?

I also discovered before I went to the vet that Oxford had crusty ears, they have a layer of dead skin and wax that I hadn't noticed before, but I think may have been there a whlie but so smooth and even I thought it was just the colour of her skin until I noticed it was flaking off, very bizzar, is it common in rex/teddies to get this? She had a look in Oxfords ears and seemed confident there was no creepy crawlies, but didn't have any guinea pig ear wash so told me to use saline solution and cotton wool..... another nail in the coffin of me not going back there with guinea pigs ever. >.< Will the saline solution work on a waxy residue or am I just going to annoy Oxford and lose the trust she has with me around her ears for no reason?

Ultimately entirely not impressed with AAS hucclecote. (I have done none of the above yet, I've also emailed my usual clinic to ask them to pass on some questions to Jason when he has time)
 
I am sorry that you have been seen by a vet who is obviously not all that familiar with guinea pigs. Baytril is the still the only licenced antibiotic for guinea pigs. You can give it, but see your regular vets if the lump isn't going down or there are signs of a deterioration. You may want to have the scar seen at some point anyway, I'd think.

0.1 ml of cat metacam is VERY low, about as low as you can get and not just give nothing.

To be honest, I would rather wait and have your boy seen for ear drops that address wax and gunk build ups, unless it is very bad. Teddies are more liable to skin issues that other breeds, but you have to decide on a case-by-case base whether you are delaing with dry skin or with mild fungal.
 
My own vet called me back after my email, love him to bits he is amazing, spoke to me about everything and went through it all in detail, agreed that 0.1 of metacam particularly the cat version is incredibly low for Tabby and her joints, but something I can increase over time to see if it takes affect and told me the max dosage he would work on (about 0.4 per KG to 0.8 per kg at the very highest)

He also said Baytril could work, it has about the same tissue/puss penetration as marbocyl, its a matter of trying it and seeing if it will work as it can vary between bacteria and between antibiotics depending on which it may or may not be resistant to. However he thinks at this late on it may well be a stitch reaction. So as that is both vets that have suggested it could be a stitch reaction and that its best to see if the antibiotics DO work, no I'm not prepared to barrel head first into surgery on this poor chap when we don't even know if it is an abscess, sorry you feel so passionate about it furryfriends but I think caution in this case is better than blind knee jerk reaction which could result in him dying through surgery!
Jason also suggested I give him about 0.4 per kg of my metacam I have too just in case it is just swelling and to deal with any pain he may be hiding from me, quite hard to tell as he's a very nervous piggy so he's acting weird anyway, as he just legs it into his house and hides when we are around anyway.

As for his scar, externally, there's nothing, its all healed up perfectly, might be a tiny little bit of scar tissue but thats healed as far as its going to I think, there is no "wound" anymore, the harder bump is actually deeper down quite a way under the skin, where I would expect his testes to actually have been which is why I think we're at bit of limbo between it being a stitch reaction and an abscess.

We are now nearing 6 weeks from his neutering date, should I put him in with the ladies as normal when we get passed the safety point or should I be looking at getting this thing sorted out first? I think having the company would REALLY help him as at the moment he is terrified of everything but as soon as a lady is near by he perks right up and gets all rumbly, talkative and actually gets curious about things rather that stiff as a plank and staring into the distance or will putting him in with them maybe a bit too much while he has this issue and I'm taking him out twice a day, stressing him out getting antibiotics and metacam into him and then putting him back in again? Poor boy, don't think he had many cuddles with his previous owners and its all a bit alien to him and he's all alone with out lady friends.

With Oxford's ears, Jason agrees with you Wiebke, it probably wont shift the waxy stuff so no point upsetting her over it with just the saline solution and suggested an ear wash I could use instead so I'll be looking into picking some of that up soon.
 
I don't think Furry Friends meant an operation, just that the wound needs to be kept open and flushed daily so the abscess can heal from the inside out, otherwise you will be trapping the infection inside. That is if it is an abscess of course.
 
helen105281 said:
I don't think Furry Friends meant an operation, just that the wound needs to be kept open and flushed daily so the abscess can heal from the inside out, otherwise you will be trapping the infection inside. That is if it is an abscess of course.
Click to expand...
There is no wound or head, from the start I've stated its a deep lump with no external presence which is why I found Furryfriends comment a bit too knee jerk, we'd know what it was for certain if it did have an external presence, it WOULD be an operation to get into it to actually see what it is let alone provide an open wound to keep it drained by, hence why I'm approaching it cautiously as its an unidentified lump at present bar speculation of what it could be.

As I said its been nearly 6 weeks since the neutering now, it was about 4 or 5 weeks when I found the lump and there was only a completely healed up scar on the outside when I got him.
 
Best of luck with the lump and the ear!

At least you and your vet have got further options with stronger antibiotics if the baytril doesn't work.
Please respect that furryfriends is extremely busy at the moment with a record number of sanctuary piggies/pet service business, so she has only very limited time to look into the forum. It is easy to overlook a detail when flicking through a number of threads; it has happened to me as well when I am very tired and very busy. ;)
 
Olivitree said:
There is no wound or head, from the start I've stated its a deep lump with no external presence which is why I found Furryfriends comment a bit too knee jerk, we'd know what it was for certain if it did have an external presence, it WOULD be an operation to get into it to actually see what it is let alone provide an open wound to keep it drained by, hence why I'm approaching it cautiously as its an unidentified lump at present bar speculation of what it could be.

As I said its been nearly 6 weeks since the neutering now, it was about 4 or 5 weeks when I found the lump and there was only a completely healed up scar on the outside when I got him.
Click to expand...
It can still be an abscess even if it is deep and it can still be lanced and drained. I do have a lot of experience of dealing with abscesses (rather more than the average guinea pig owner) but if you do not wish me to add my thoughts then I won't. As Wiebke has pointed out, I am extremely busy dealing with sanctuary piggies (some who have abscesses too) so will just get on with what I am good at.
 
I'm sorry if it seemed like I was belittling your advice, it was not intended if so and I do value all advice however I'm just not prepared to take ALL advice given to me instantaneously, I just felt that it was too much of a rush decision to make when there is no evidence alluding to a definite identification and I felt it wiser to follow the advice of two separate vets and the lady I got him from, also an experienced guinea pig rescuer who neuter all their unbonded males, so is no doubt pretty experienced too and considering I haven't been told by anyone else that I should lance this unidentified lump I figured I was taking the most sensible course of action in hanging back to see how it gets on with the current treatments when he is currently a happy healthy piggy bar being people nervous.

Should my favoured vet Jason suggest lancing when I take Bandit in on Wednesday I'll be sure to go ahead but until that point I think I'd rather go with the bulk of advise rather than the minority particularly when the majority is coming from actual vets, one of which who is very much qualified and experienced to treat specifically guinea pigs.

Thanks all for your advice so far, hopefully Jason will be able to give me a more comprehensive identification of this lump and ensure the right treatment is applied.
 
I am sorry if I have misunderstood, but I am very busy and only read through the posts that look relevant. You made the following quote, so as far as I was concerned it WAS an abscess:
'I have come back with Baytril for Bandit, will this work AT ALL for the abscess, is there any point using it?'
I presumed from that quote that it had been diagnosed as an abscess. I am not trying to tell vets how to do their job. I do not profess to know more than a vet. All the work I do at TEAS is done in association with an excellent guinea pig vet.

Having now read all the posts, I see that the vet you initially saw was not your normal vet, and you are now happy with the veterinary care your guinea pig is receiving.
 
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