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Emergency Vet Appointment This Morning, Toffee Aka Buffy, Very Worried

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That sounds perfectly acceptable @Goth Mummy. There's nothing wrong with wanting to explore the options and it's also important that you get the best care possible. If it has filled up again already, even if the antibiotics work to kill the infection, she will still be left with a pocket that is likely to continue to cause problems. If it's close to the surface it shouldn't be too difficult to excise or open and flush to allow it to heal from the inside out.

It's also important that they test what they've aspirated out of it to make sure the antibiotic they are giving is the best one. Different bugs need different drugs to combat them and lab tests will show what antibiotics this abscess is most sensitive to. Otherwise it just means prolonged treatment with antibiotics which we know isn't good for piggy tummies.

Hope you have a good discussion and remember you are always entitled to ask for a second opinion if you aren't happy with what you are offered.
 
Thanks @MerryPip that is helpful. I'm always worried that vets think I am a nuisance.

My nearest forum recommended vet is Chine House, which I use for my horse and I am a regular client there so I know they are excellent. They are quite a long way away (they do call out visits for horses on certain days in our area) but I would be more than happy to take her there for a planned operation (It just was not really practical to travel there between dropping my kids off at school and getting to work for an urgent appointment - it would take hours against current Nottingham traffic!)
 
ahh shes a gorgeous little fuzzy lady-such a lovely colour :love::luv:
... jazzy trousers too ;)
...right now i'm going to show my ignorance now... what is a PITA?

The abscess does look rather big, that must hurt did you manage to get her any painkilling medication? Just thinking back to my tooth abscess & i was nearly climbing the walls!
Like Freela says it may be a case of not enough skin to work with for a removal, but sounds like an open drainage hole&flushing will be necessary as opposed to working near the throat with all the extra complications that could be involved with a removal in this area. However i personally would want more than baytril or just one antibiotic to clear something that big on its own.

Oh &don't worry i mentioned to my vets receptionist on a previous visit about me being there again ,being a paranoid piggy parent... she just smiled & replied with
"no, its alright we like you because we know you care about them"... (i was rather chuffed)

Good luck &Healing vibes to Beautiful Buffy xx
 
@GPTV yes and the abscess was much bigger than that yesterday that is after it was drained!
It was golf ball sized. I have had a tooth abscess too and I remember the pain well.

I asked the vet to ring me back with details of surgical removal (if it is possible) or lancing.

PITA means pain in the <insert word too rude for the forum> ;)
 
Once a vet described me as having a "overly heightened awareness" which I interpreted as meaning I was over anxious. I would rather be like that than neglectful!
 
Wow that does look big :( It's amazing how quickly they come up though. One of mine had hers in exactly the same place, even though it was very close to the major artery Simon Maddock removed it all in one piece, his surgery was so neat & after a short course of Zithromax it healed beautifully! I would say if you can I would take her to him, he is wonderful :) However if you can't make it that far, you could try my vet, Sarah at Animates in the recommended vet link (Put in Bourne Lincolnshire) She has removed an abscess from the same piggy (I know poor little girl!) underneath her front leg & performed a hysterectomy 6 weeks ago on my eldest girly & you can't even see the scar. Is it Chine House in Leicester? My vet recommended Craig Hunt as the Exotic vet there :)
 
@Poppy'sMum

do you know what caused your piggie's throat abscess?
Yes, its Chine House in Leicestershire - good to have another recommendation for them, thank you.
 
Poor thing! Abscesses often refill in guinea pigs, and simply aspirating them and giving them Baytril is not really enough to clear one. I would say either removing the total abscess or doing a good lancing and draining and then diligent flushing and draining while it heals. Lots of luck to you, and keep us posted!
 
@Goth Mummy
Have messaged you...needs lancing, and flagyl (metronidazole) . poor Buffy :( these little piggles cause so much worry! x
 
@Goth Mummy we don't know what caused it, there was no puncture wound so hard to say.If you see Craig maybe he will recommend removal? It definitely needs removing if not then lancing & draining by the vet & left open to heal.
 
This was after Ziggy's op done by the lovely Simon :)
DSCF1461-001-1.jpg
 
No problem at all :) If you can get her to Simon at the Cat & Rabbit clinic in Northampton, that really is your best bet to get it surgically removed, or as I said, my vet would probably be able to do the same thing for her x
 
Update on Toffee aka Buffy

I'm very concerned tonight as her abscess has definately got bigger:
15590674658_3d1c988f0b.jpg


She now has diarrhoea (I presume this is a side effect of the baytril) so I weighed her and she has lost 100gms since Sunday (this picture was taken on Sunday)
15590674678_800230cdb5.jpg


She is seeing a different vet at another practice tomorrow as my current vet did not want to lance and drain the abscess, he wanted me to keep her on the antibiotics and bring her back for another go at needle aspiration.

I'm really worried, but hoping that we actually get somewhere positive tomorrow. x

edited to tag @guineabecs
 
Oh wow that has really grown, hopefully the vet tomorrow can help and will agree to Zithromax too. If she has diarrhea you could give her some Dioralyte to help rehydrate her.
 
Thanks Helen, I didnt know that they can have dioralyte but we have some in the cupboard so I can syringe her some now.
I'm very upset that it seems like the vet was was dismissive of my concerns when i rang back (three times!) but maybe I just don't understand the reasons the vet had :(
 
I'm glad you're seeing another vet. The previous one did not seem terribly knowledgeable about guinea pig abscesses, as Baytril and needle aspiration are not really the standard of care. I hope you get some answers and some more definitive treatment. Poor girl, it looks uncomfortable!
 
Thankyou @Freela
I have just got back from the referral vet, she is a poorly pig now and the vet thinks her best chance is complete surgical removal under a GA. The vet did discuss lancing with the other senior vet and they decided on surgery. She is booked in at 8.15 tomorrow. Paws and fingers crossed please as she really does not look well. X
 
I really hope everything goes well tomorrow. I wish little Toffee the best of luck.
 
Good luck. She is having a rough time. What a pity the first vet opted for aspiration :( Hopefully she'll feel loads better for being rid of that big lump of infection (and a change of antibiotic, Baytril has it's place but it can make them feel awful while it does it's job...)

I really hope all goes well for you both. x
 
The vet said to stop the baytril as it was not working and that they would prescribe an off licence drug which I would have to sign a disclaimer for @MerryPip

Its such a shame she has had such a dreadful week :-(
 
Good. I know Baytril is the first line and I think the only licensed antibiotic for piggies but it doesn't do well for everything. It's worth getting them to culture the abscess so they get the right, most effective drug for her first time rather than potentially having to change again.

I've found generally my boys seem to do much better with Septrin and have less side effects but it depends on the infection as they aren't all suitable for everything although Baytril is a good all-rounder, and despite some not so good GI side-effects it is actually effective for many common infections, which is why it's the most frequently prescribed and licensed one.

Poor girl, hopefully on the mend soon...
 
Hi @Goth Mummy When I took Rupert to the vet when he had noisy breathing the vet gave me a choice of antibiotics. Baytrill or Septrin. I hadn't had good results feeding my guinea pigs with Baytril so I chose Septrin. Rupert gulped that up with no problem. As you know I agreed to a swab for Rupert. When the vet phoned me with the result he told me that Baytrill would not have have been suitable. So if you can I would agree with @MerryPip - try and get a culture to ensure the best antibiotic is prescribed.
 
Goth Mummy said:
Thankyou @Freela
I have just got back from the referral vet, she is a poorly pig now and the vet thinks her best chance is complete surgical removal under a GA. The vet did discuss lancing with the other senior vet and they decided on surgery. She is booked in at 8.15 tomorrow. Paws and fingers crossed please as she really does not look well. X
Click to expand...
I will be thinking of her. It's so stressful. For what it's worth, one of my pigs had a horrendous abscess on her face and pulled through just fine. Sending lots of get well vibes!
 
Thankyou all for your good wishes for my poor little pig.
The vet tonight also gave her Fibreplex to settle her tummy as she has diarrhoea.
 
Oh gosh poor toffee :( I'm so sorry to read this. It definitely looks bigger now :( at least this vet is more pro active and is dealing with it quickly. Good luck toffee, I have my fingers crossed, but I know you will be just fine :) you will be back with ripple before you know it!! :) xxxxxx
 
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