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Daisy's Abscess - An Update.*graphic Photo *

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Littlepig&co

Littlepig&co

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For those who are not aware/haven't seen my recent threads Daisy unfortunately had an abscess on her jaw as a result of infected tooth roots. She had an operation on Monday to have it lanced and drained but it soon refilled again. So she went back today for another operation to have it lanced and drained again, but this time a bigger incision made than last time. He said he would do it like how a biopsy is done. I think on Monday, the incision was maybe a little too small and it healed up too quickly. But this time it should hopefully be able to stay open with us keeping it clean and flushed. John (vet) also sent of a swab to the lab just to check what infection we are dealing with and to see if she is on the right antibiotics. She has been put on an the antibiotic Zithromax which she has to start this evening, it is apparently quite strong and specifically targets bacteria and micro-organisms within infections (skin and flesh) etc. So fingers crossed this will work out! Daisy has been ever so brave, she is eating straight away, anesthetics really does not affect her at all. She is being really good with her hand feeding and taking her critical care. She is now on 0.3ml of metacam twice a day and 0.2ml of Zithromax twice a day. I am also giving her 20ml of critical care twice a day so she is getting at least 40ml twice a day, plus she is also eating on her own too.

I am really hoping that we can get Daisy through this, shes such a special little piggy and a real fighter. She is only 3 (4 in December) so I would really like to have a few more years with her at least. I am trying not to to get my hopes up too much yet, but she is gaining weight so I am hoping for the best. Today's procedure and meds cost £173.13, a grand total of £528.13 in just 3 and half weeks. She is worth every penny though. I would do anything for them, would sell a kidney if i had to!

This photo is after Monday's lancing and draining...

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After Today's operation...

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Just to show you how much of a fighter she is...

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Poor girl! I hope that she will recover soon from her op!

PS: I would strongly recommend to use a 1 ml syringe for hand feeding. Guinea pigs have died from asphyxiation when too much went down the wrong way on these big syringes. :(
 
Wiebke said:
Poor girl! I hope that she will recover soon from her op!

PS: I would strongly recommend to use a 1 ml syringe for hand feeding. Guinea pigs have died from asphyxiation when too much went down the wrong way on these big syringes. :(
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Thank you!

Oh my gosh - I did not know. Thanks for letting me know. It would have to be watered down a lot to be able to fit in a 1ml syringe. Is this ok?
 
Wiebke said:
You cut the tip off a 1ml syringe with a pair of scissors and also any bit pf plunger that sticks out. Please look up and follow the instructions in our hand feeding guide - it's all explained (with pics) in there! :)
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
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Thank you very much Wiebke, that guide was very useful! I shall be doing that this evening with a syringe. Daisy has currently been nomming away on some parsley, spinach and basil. She is a fighter this one.
 
Littlepig&co said:
Thank you very much Wiebke, that guide was very useful! I shall be doing that this evening with a syringe. Daisy has currently been nomming away on some parsley, spinach and basil. She is a fighter this one.
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You can give half a syringe full of hand feed or water safely to an adult that has no swallowing problems (as can happen in very weak guinea pigs), otherwise you have to adjust the amount downwards. The same goes for any younger piggies. Always better to give a little and wait until it has gone down. ;)
 
Oh this has brought tears to my eyes! I wish her a speedy recovery what a beautiful guinea pig and good for you for what you are doing. I lost my gorgeous piggy boy the other week and i wouldve spent every penny ive got on him. I really hope she gets well soon. All the best :)
 
She looks like its hardly bothering her at all! :) How are abscesses on guinea pigs kept open to heal? Does it stay open by itself until it heals from the inside? I once had an abscess myself which had to kept open with a little bit of wadding in!
 
Glad she's come round from the op well Jack. She's a lovely little girl and it's great to see you doing all you can for her and giving her a fighting chance. I can tell she's not ready to give up! :) xx
 
The post op care for abscesses is as important as the surgery itself. Abscesses heal from the inside outwards so therefore you must keep it open. The abscess capsule will continue to form pus too, so you need to flush this out, ideally up to twice a day. You may find that a scab forms and this must be removed so that any pus can continue to drain. I am glad to see you are now using Zithromax. It is a fantastic antibiotic when dealing with abscesses, but you must keep good drainage at all times too.
 
Aww, poor little thing! Sundae looked very similar when she had her abscess lanced and drained, although hers was a bit higher (up along her cheek, about midway to her ear.) Plus the vet shaved her fur in the area, which made her look even worse! Keep on cleaning out the gunk and keeping the wound open and hopefully she will be back to normal in no time! It looks a mess, but it's probably actually less painful to have an open wound that the have the pressure and pain of an encapsulated abscess!
 
Thanks, I was also told by somebody else that it's 0.1ml/100g body weight. So I'll do that to be on the safe side but I'll do it in two doses. So 0.4ml twice a day. Need to start her on it tonight.

Also with flushing, I heard that it's not always a good idea as it can send the 'stuff' further down. So we are just wiping the outside with a cotton pad with boiled salt water. Also am syringing some of it on the wound. Hopefully this will be enough.

furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
We would give 0.8 mls once a day, but I know the dose range is quite large and Simon does dose at the higher end.
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Littlepig&co said:
Thanks, I was also told by somebody else that it's 0.1ml/100g body weight. So I'll do that to be on the safe side but I'll do it in two doses. So 0.4ml twice a day. Need to start her on it tonight.

Also with flushing, I heard that it's not always a good idea as it can send the 'stuff' further down. So we are just wiping the outside with a cotton pad with boiled salt water. Also am syringing some of it on the wound. Hopefully this will be enough.
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Just don't let it scab over, and if you are wiping the outside of the wound be quite aggressive in how you do it. It sounds horrible, but you need to make sure it remains open.
 
furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
Just don't let it scab over, and if you are wiping the outside of the wound be quite aggressive in how you do it. It sounds horrible, but you need to make sure it remains open.
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Thank you, I will make sure of that. How will it ever heal if you continually keep it open? Sorry if that's a dim question. Or is it supposed to clear up with the work of the Zithromax?
 
Littlepig&co said:
Thank you, I will make sure of that. How will it ever heal if you continually keep it open? Sorry if that's a dim question. Or is it supposed to clear up with the work of the Zithromax?
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You will see it healing from the inside outwards. Each time you pull the scab off the hole will be smaller and eventually you will just find nice pink tissue and no pus. It will then be fine to let it completely heal.
 
Eventually it will fill in from the bottom up. Sundae has an almost circular scar with no fur from where the abscess gradually filled in, rather than the long/skinny scar you would get from skin edges healing. I found the least painful way to remove any scabbing was to squirt a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the scab. It will foam up, and this almost eats away at the scab and causes it to be much easier to open up. It does take time and we got some pretty noxious gunk out of it for the first week or so, but she did make a great recovery eventually!
 
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