Cyst

[Bugsy-Malone]

just got back from the vets with my 2 year old boar. Basically had a large lump in his neck/ throat area. Vet suggested sedating him and doing exploratory. Turns out it was a cyst filled with pus. He's lanced it and put a drain on it. Going back in two days to remove drain.
Cost £140 including pain killer meds and antibiotics.
Have separated him from his mate so his drain isn't chewed on.
Would the cyst have been ok left ? Vet says it may refil.
He's fine at the moment and eating and running around.

 

[piggieminder]

I'm not qualified to answer your question but hopefully someone will be along soon who is. Just wanted to send you boy healing vibes and hope he gets better very soon.

 

[sport_billy]

@Wiebke @Jaycey @furryfriends (TEAS) @helen105281 @Abi_nurse @Pound Shilling & Pig @Elwickcavies @Freela @Adelle

 

[Wiebke]

Depending on the size and location of the cyst, leaving it to grow further may have caused problems if it started pressing on things. For the same reason your vet may have thought twice about a removal operation as the risk for damaging something vital may have been too great.

Cysts can refill.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Hi, a cyst filled with pus is an abscess and definitely should not have been left as it would have continued to grow. An abscess under the throat such as you describe is not uncommon in piggies.

If small enough they can be surgically removed but once they get bigger (which they do very quickly) this can be tricky due to the proximity of major blood vessels and thyroid glands

A few years ago a piggy of mine, Songbird, had what you describe. The vet had hoped to surgically remove it but once she started operating found it too close to vital structures, as mentioned above, for this to be possible and so opted to flush it and stitch in a drain. She also put Songbird on zithromax, which is a powerful antibiotic but the best for treating abscesses. The vet was very worried about the pus filling up again but Songbird made a speedy and complete recovery.

I cant remember now how long the drain was in for but it did not bother her at all and I put her back with her friends and they didn't bother with the drain either.

If it fills up with pus again I would suggest asking your vet for zithromax, if not already on it. It is an antibiotic which not all vets are familiar with.

Hope you boy continues to recover

 

[Betsy]

Hopefully you have caught it early enough. Years ago my Lenny had a pus filled cyst or abscess in exactly the same place under his neck. It came up so fast I didn't notice until it had burst and was then self draining (YUK). I got an emergency vet appointment where they flushed out all the yukky stuff and put him on antibiotics and anti inflamatories for a week. Unfortunately a couple of days after the medications were finished he trotted off over the Rainbow Bridge. I didn't feel bad because I had done my best for him and if I hadn't taken him to the vets I would have felt terrible.

Sending loads of healing vibes to your piggy!

 

[Freela]

Cysts or abscesses can cause problems if allowed to continue to grow. Should an abscess leak inwards (and not to the surface of the skin, releasing the pus) it can also cause internal infection. So having it lanced and drained is probably the best approach. Can you clarify whether it was a cyst (filled with a sebaceous substance) or an abscess (filled with pus?) Even a sniff of the drain might be able to tell you- abscesses are pockets of infection and smell very rank. Cysts are more benign. If it was an abscess, you may want to keep on irrigating the wound even after the drain is removed to allow it to heal from the inside out, and the vet may prescribe an antibiotic along with the lance and drain.

 

[Bugsy-Malone]

Hi he is currently taking metacam for pain relief and Baytril.
The vet is removing the drain tomorrow. I have separated him from his mate as they chase each other on occasion so felt it best he has a quiet few days though I hope the new environment isn't stressing him more.
The vet said it was a cyst filled with a pus which was thick and gunky but never mentioned it being an abcess. He seems fine at the moment is eating well though hiding away (due to being in a different cage I feel). My main concern is I am going on holiday in 2 weeks and have a pet sitter coming in. She doesn't seem to be experienced with guinea pigs but will alert her to his problems.
The vet also advised cleaning his wound daily but I'm not sure if I do this once drain removed.
Thank you for your advice.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

How did it go today @Bugsy-Malone ? Was the vet pleased with his progress?

 

[Member AR6]

Ruby went through th same thing, it's a worry and always when you are going away. I had to bathe Ruby's but in the end she had it removed as it seemed to keep opening and in the end the vet removed it. She did very well though