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Chewed skin off and can't lay down. Help!

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Olivitree

Olivitree

Junior Guinea Pig
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Recently my guinea pig has been back and forth to the vet more times than he ever has done in the past put together.

He was losing hair, chewing it off, we took him to the vets, the vet said lonely because i was in college and not cuddling enough. Then it got much worse and we took him back, vet said mites. Now it's got even worse with being swellings/liquidy sacks, we took him back the vet said possible organ problems, probably liver issues, the liquid they got out was clear, the bulge on his neck has gone down as he leaked out all over the place, he's probably on the way out but too happy to put down so just lots of cuddled and food.

Now he's chewing his skin off on this bulge on his neck which is less full but still there. Trying to stop him itching we've put a number of things on. I'm not sure if the stuff we've put on is any good, or harmful to piggies.
We've used Savlon and Sudo creme. Hasn't harmed him at the moment.

He's not a comfortable chap, he's so knackered because he can't sleep properly because when he lays down he lays down on the chewed bits, I really don't want to have to put him down with out making sure I've tried everything I can with in reason.

Currently he's all bandaged up to stop him wounding himself further.

Other than this, is there anything else I can do?

We're thinking about talking to a vet but we have a feeling they'll either just give him antibiotics, which he probably can't handle anymore or say put him down.

If this is a liver problems theres nothing that can be done about the underlying problems but I want to make him comfortable at the very least!
 
Has he been checked for fungus as the cause for the itching in the first place?

I am so sorry - you must feel so gutted about this!
 
I'm so sorry to hear about this it is heartbreaking when a piggie is unwell.
A long time ago (about 13 years) we rescued a little boy, his name was Bumper and he had a cyst type lump on his neck, this lump would swell up and then burst and leak everywhere, we took him to the vet and he was treated for absolutely everything but nothing cleared this lump up, in the end we just kept it as clean as possible and made sure it was drained as best we could, Bumper lived for a few years like this, he wasn't unhappy or unwell. The difference is Bumper didn't bite his lump and he wasn't bothered by it, it was on the side of his neck so he just lay down on the other side. I'm saying this because I hope your vet manages to cure it but if not maybe your little one will adapt as Bumper did - he made it to about 5 years old. Please let us know what happens.
 
A reaction to mites can cause a swelling at the front of the neck. The lump could be a sebaceous cyst or even an abscess, although pus is usually a creamy colour. Is there any chance of a photo?
Bepanthen ointment, from any chemist, is good on sensitive/raw skin.
 
alcesterpigs said:
A reaction to mites can cause a swelling at the front of the neck. The lump could be a sebaceous cyst or even an abscess, although pus is usually a creamy colour. Is there any chance of a photo?
Bepanthen ointment, from any chemist, is good on sensitive/raw skin.
Click to expand...

Nah he's got a few sebaceous cysts, one on the back of his neck, one on the rump and a very small one on his shoulder.

He called these "lumps" as in a shorter name for a medical condition, something to do with the lymph system/glands not reabsorbing liquids and such, hence possible organ failer.
I would take a photo but we just put his bandages back on. I will do next time they need changing.

What it is though is he looked like he had just got REALLY fat, except he was still pretty skinny on the back(he's 6-7 years old so he's getting a little on the skinny side in his old age, eats like a horse though).

Thanks for the bapanthum idea!
 
Wiebke said:
Has he been checked for fungus as the cause for the itching in the first place?

I am so sorry - you must feel so gutted about this!
Click to expand...

No, the vet has only really done identification by eye as he's an old man of a guinea pig so a lot of tests would be quite stressful to him but we might take him back tomorrow and see about some anti fungle shampoo.



A note to add on to the original post, I found him on his back... he's been running in a very haphazard way recently, I don't know if thats because of his sore chest or because he's got something else going on, I'm wondering if he fell over and got stuck, or he had a fit... I think this chaps going down hill faster than I thought if it was a fit :(
 
Photos of the problem, thanks to my mum for holding onto him while I took the photos.

The amount of liquid in his neck has gone down considerably, which is good ish, but it's still sore all around his front legs where he's chewed. He's not in a bandage at the moment because I think it made him fall over (there was quite a lot of it, not easy bandaging a piggy with out over bandaging! O.o)
 

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Poor little chap he looks really sore, they can fit you know if they have a bad case of mites. You could contact chrissie at gorgeous guineas to see if she can help you, perhaps attach the photos to the email, here is the link http://www.gorgeousguineas.co.uk/p/category/0509067949-Shampoos/. usually if there is no scurf/dandruff it is mites that are the problem, rather than a fungal problem. Sometimes the mites can be under the skin though which will require a course of ivermectin to clear them up. I think you can get this over the internet. You may be able to use tubigrip the sort that you use for ankle support on humans instead of the bandage, just make sure it is not too tight, perhaps get large.
 
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I hope you can find a solution to the wee chaps problems hun.
 
Did the vet call the condition cervical lymphadenopathy? All it means is that the lymph nodes in the neck are enlarged.
They can get a wet chin if there are dental problems, or if they are Vitamin C deficient, which is not very likely.
 
Are you still using Savlon? If so, which product?

When the vet checked for the fluid and found it to be clear, was this before or after it had burst and before or after you had started using Savlon?

If you are using the liqiuid antiseptic product, this might be contributing to the irritation and continuing fluid inflammation as it contains chlorohexidine gluconate which is prone to causing dermatitis. If you need to bathe the area to keep it clean, I suggest you bathe in salt water rather than use Savlon or similar product.

However I have found that a one off spray with the Savlon povidine iodine dry antiseptic spray can be useful on skin wounds/isolated ringworm patch as it is microbicidal and fungicidal - the pig is put off chewing and the wound remains dry rather than wet. Suggest you discuss this with your vet before trying it in but it might give the area below his chin a chance to "settle down" and stop causing him irritation .

xx
 
Thanks for your help everyone, sorry I haven't responded sooner.

Saddly we had to put jack down he was in a lot of pain on the 18th, he couldn't move or be picked up with out being in pain, in the end we just couldn't really keep him alive in that state.

The vet who put him down told us he had quite a large abdominal tumor, I'm surprised the other vet didn't pick that up, however, either way, it was for the best I felt he was not happy in the end.
He's going to be sorely missed though... I suppose ultimately this is good bye from me for now actually, I've got no more piggies, I might hang around and offer advise I suppose but that'll be it from me I guess.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about Jack, but you did what was best for him.

Please don't leave the Forum, though. I don't have any piggies now, and have very happily remained a member - I love to see the pictures of everyone else's piggies, and you never know when you might be able to help someone with advice based on your own experiences.
 
I am so very sorry that you had to let poor Jack go; it's such a heartbreaking decision. You tried your best for him.

I hope that you will stay on the forum; people with experience and those that support piggies in rescues. are always needed!

BIG HUG
 
so sorry to hear about jack you made the right choice it is always a hard choice to make to have to say good bye to piggie he's not in pain & you did everything you could sending hugs xx
 
Oh hun, I'm so sorry to hear that your have lost little Jack :( You did everything in your power to keep him happy and comfortable.

Sleep well Jack x
 
Thanks everyone, wasn't quite expecting this responce, I really appreciate it all. I think I've been persuaded, I'll stick around, I'm sure it wont be too long before I get piggies again anyway, once I strike out on my own and get my own place and I'd like to help people as much as they have helped me if I can.

Thanks again peeps, it's going to be a tough time for a while, he was pretty much the first face I saw when I got up, when I came home from college and the last face I saw before I went to bed because everyone works and I always fed him just before I went to bed. Didn't spend much time not cuddling, feeding or watching him.
 
So sorry you lost him...RIP Jack.
I can sympathise with how you feel - Porthos was everything to me and I still miss him more than I can say. He was my only constant since I moved away from home and life is a sadder place without him...

Do stick around though - even though I'm piggyless too I still find that this is a lovely place to come and talk piggy with other like minded people. x
 
Just want to echo what everyone else has said, I am very sorry Jack passed away, its horrible when they go but I know that eventually you will be able to look at photos of Jack and smile and remember his piggie little ways. I agree with everyone stay on the forum (I'm a new member) as once a piggie lover always a piggie lover, we went 8 years pigless because of having young children before getting 2 lovely little girls and I can't believe we waited so long. Jacks best legacy is giving your love and expertise to another little piggie.
 
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