Boar Neutering + What To Ask The Vet?

[Jeniva]

Hello all. Going to the vets at the weekend to discuss neutering my boar.
I trust the vet to be good with piggies, and Han has had an op with him before. I had to however push for a strong antibiotic as he had a post-op infection. I THINK it was zithromax but I'm not 100% certain.
I'm going to ask the vet lots of questions. And I want to ask for an antibiotic to be used immediately after his op. Han has poo troubles and often gets quite grubby down there. I'll clean him constantly after his op, but I'd feel a lot happier with a good antibiotic as well (I want to avoid abscesses as best I can). Baytril in my experience does nothing with abscesses. What would you guys recommend? The rescue I was talking to I think suggested one beginning with C.

How long do you keep your pigge the 'hospital cage', temp cage that gets cleaned frequently, after neutering? How long to limit his movement, when can i put him out in his run?
How long until it's fully healed?

 

[Wiebke]

Ask your vet which method he is using for the op, what is the recovery practice, will they keep your boy in overnight if recovery is not going smoothly, what meds will be put on when he comes home post-op.

In the best case, a boar should behave as if nothing untoward has happened, but that is not always the case. Operation scars start closing after 2-3 days and should be fully knitted within 10-14 days. How soon you boy is fit to pick up his normal life depends on what kind of recovery he has.

Post abscesses can happen until about 6 months after the op, but if they happen, it is usually in the first few weeks; they are the most common post-op complication. Your boy is going to be put on an antibiotic to hopefully prevent an infection in the first place. Just keep checking daily for any signs of swelling in the groin area (not necessarily an abscess) for the first 2-3 weeks, then gradually extended to once weekly.

You may find our tip in our post-op care guide helpful: Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[Jeniva]

Ask your vet which method he is using for the op, what is the recovery practice, will they keep your boy in overnight if recovery is not going smoothly, what meds will be put on when he comes home post-op.

In the best case, a boar should behave as if nothing untoward has happened, but that is not always the case. Operation scars start closing after 2-3 days and should be fully knitted within 10-14 days. How soon you boy is fit to pick up his normal life depends on what kind of recovery he has.

Post abscesses can happen until about 6 months after the op, but if they happen, it is usually in the first few weeks; they are the most common post-op complication. Your boy is going to be put on an antibiotic to hopefully prevent an infection in the first place. Just keep checking daily for any signs of swelling in the groin area (not necessarily an abscess) for the first 2-3 weeks, then gradually extended to once weekly.

You may find our tip in our post-op care guide helpful: Tips For Post-operative Care

Thank you for the reply. I've seen two methods online, one where the incisions seemed closer to the penis and the other which the incisions seemed higher up ?
What antibiotic is best to keep abscesses at bay?
I think the vet will probably say baytril but I really don't see the point in it

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for the reply. I've seen two methods online, one where the incisions seemed closer to the penis and the other which the incisions seemed higher up ?
What antibiotic is best to keep abscesses at bay?
I think the vet will probably say baytril but I really don't see the point in it

You have to discuss with the vet which antibiotic he thinks will do the trick. You still have the option to switch to a stronger antibiotic in case you get to deal with an abscess.

 

[RosieMaia]

When my boy was neutered, I wanted to discuss every bit of the surgical procedure - mostly because it was all new to me. We did that during the pre-op check up. We discussed:
- the anesthesia (isoflurene) - this is when I met the anesthesiologist
- central line and fluid therapy during the surgery (it was not required, but the anesthesiologist recommended it, stating that in her experience, it speeds up recovery)
- incision sites (our vet used the classic method of making a tiny incision on each testis)
- whether the vet will remove the fatty tissue surrounding each testis (she didn't. The advantage of removing them is that it makes abscesses more unlikely. However, if they are left in, they decrease the chances of hernias, and because hernias are more dangerous than abscesses, she doesn't remove the fatty tissue).
- what kind of suturing will be used to close the inguinal canals. Some organic/boviune sutures can cause irritation and aseptic inflammation in guinea pigs.
- how will she close the incision site. She said that this depends on the thickness of the skin there, but said that if possible, she prefers a degradable intradermal suture (so the pig doesn't chew on it), covered with glue for better hold and to keep the wound cleaner.
- what medication he will be on post-surgery (antibiotic - baytril, pain relief - meloxicam, probiotic, and a gut stimulant - metoclopramide). What is different from what I've read about the UK protocol is that they asked me to clean the wound twice daily with diluted hibiscrub the first 3 days, and that a gut stimulant is always a part of the post-surgical protocol as a preventative measure against gut stasis, which can be a side effect of gas anesthesia.
- scheduled a post-op check 7 days after the surgery
- was given Critical care and sterile sheets to use on top of puppy pads as bedding. After day 3, I switched to just using puppy pads. After the post-op check on day 7, I was given the green light to start using our standard paper bedding again.

To be honest, I felt that hibiscrup + baytril + sterile sheets was a bit overboard, but I guess you can't be too careful, especially if it's a messy, long-haired boar.

 

[Jeniva]

When my boy was neutered, I wanted to discuss every bit of the surgical procedure - mostly because it was all new to me. We did that during the pre-op check up. We discussed:
- the anesthesia (isoflurene) - this is when I met the anesthesiologist
- central line and fluid therapy during the surgery (it was not required, but the anesthesiologist recommended it, stating that in her experience, it speeds up recovery)
- incision sites (our vet used the classic method of making a tiny incision on each testis)
- whether the vet will remove the fatty tissue surrounding each testis (she didn't. The advantage of removing them is that it makes abscesses more unlikely. However, if they are left in, they decrease the chances of hernias, and because hernias are more dangerous than abscesses, she doesn't remove the fatty tissue).
- what kind of suturing will be used to close the inguinal canals. Some organic/boviune sutures can cause irritation and aseptic inflammation in guinea pigs.
- how will she close the incision site. She said that this depends on the thickness of the skin there, but said that if possible, she prefers a degradable intradermal suture (so the pig doesn't chew on it), covered with glue for better hold and to keep the wound cleaner.
- what medication he will be on post-surgery (antibiotic - baytril, pain relief - meloxicam, probiotic, and a gut stimulant - metoclopramide). What is different from what I've read about the UK protocol is that they asked me to clean the wound twice daily with diluted hibiscrub the first 3 days, and that a gut stimulant is always a part of the post-surgical protocol as a preventative measure against gut stasis, which can be a side effect of gas anesthesia.
- scheduled a post-op check 7 days after the surgery
- was given Critical care and sterile sheets to use on top of puppy pads as bedding. After day 3, I switched to just using puppy pads. After the post-op check on day 7, I was given the green light to start using our standard paper bedding again.

To be honest, I felt that hibiscrup + baytril + sterile sheets was a bit overboard, but I guess you can't be too careful, especially if it's a messy, long-haired boar.

Brilliant info, thanks very much.Sounds like you had a very good vet! Mine isn't much of a talker so he probably wont mention much of the after care. I had a lot of puppy pads anyway, but not sure what I could put on top of it?

 

[RosieMaia]

She is amazing really - she has been the vet for our pigs for 15+ years, we met when she was still a student trainee at the hospital, and I was 10 years old. She did the routine checkup for my very first guinea pig, and told me she also liked guinea pigs.

Now she's an assistant professor and heads the department working with small animals. My questions were answered in such details partly because there were vet students in the room, who also got to observe the procedure.