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Found a pus filled lump!

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jess_2745

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I've just bathed Maisy as she gets very matted hair on her bum.

What i thought was a matted piece of hair is actually a big lump. Its about the size of a 10p piece id say. Its squishy- you can sort of change its shape.

There's a small hole at the top. When i gently squeezed it some cottage cheese like pus came out and then blood started to come out.

She'll let me touch it but obviously doesn't like it being squeezed!

I'm thinking possibly an abcess or something of the sort. It doesn't seem like a tumour.

Is there anything i can do or is this a vet job? Any advice appreciated!
 
here is some information about lumps: http://www.guinealynx.info/lumps.html

Personally, I have not much experience with them, so I can't tell you which variety it is, whether a burst abscess or a cyst.

In any case, it would be good if it could be seen by a vet.
 
Yeha, just been looking at that.

Apparently due to the nature of guinea pig pus being thick they have to have the whole thing removed!
 
You need to get your guinea pig to the vets asap as she might need antibiotics. Until then you can manage the wound yourself.

Boil the kettle and pour about 250ml water into a bowl. Dissolve a teaspoon or two of salt into it.

Let it cool so that it is hand hot. Then soak a cotton wool ball in it, squeeze out the excess water and bathe the wound. This will help to gather the pus into one place. Do your best to encourage the pus to come out.

Repeat this several times a day. The aim is for the wound NOT to scab as this will trap the infection inside and could be fatal. A weeping wound is actually a healthy one.
 
There is not really any way for us to tell: the vet might be able to give some more advice about what cause it.
 
Puss filled lump.

I don't pro-port to be an expert, just a Guinea pig lover. I have come across this before. Yes, it's best to get things checked by a vet. However as it's the week end, out of hours will be very expensive. Is the piggy showing any other signs? Listless, not drinking eating ect? If they are, a trip to the vets asap. If not and the piggy is running around like normal, lancing the wound is good as you've already done. Keep an eye on, check again in the morning, If it's scabbed and dry the worst is over. If not, still wet and puss filled, clean wound again. Lance if needed. Check again Monday, if still wet a trip to the vets for antibiotics is needed. Does she have a cage mate? This is probably a bite to the rump.

As I say I'm not an expert and don't report to be. Just have done this with my piggies and talk from experience. I have one with a tumor and they don't present like this. Don't panic. Hope this helps. Bunny. X
 
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"If it's scabbed and dry the worst is over"

Not an assumption it would be wise to make. Abscesses can rupture internally if the surrounding sac is weak and there is no other outlet. If infection is still present and the pus is still forming it needs to be flushed regularly until the infection is clear.

Your vet should be asked to take a culture to identify the bacteria. Flagyl is often most useful with abscesses.
 
I believe if it's an abscess, the smell is quite pungent. I have first-hand experience of abscesses, not with sebaceous cysts in guineas, but my understanding is that cysts tend not to have a particular odour to them. I would, at this point, suspect a ruptured sebaceous cyst.

Do pop her to the vet on Monday, in the meantime as the others have said, keep it clean by bathing in a saline solution once or twice a day.
 
Ok thanks everyone. If it was life threatening or she seemed unhappy in anyway i would phone the vets immediately. But if poss it would be better for me to go on monday. Me and OH have been off work for 2 weeks as i had a miscarriage at 12 weeks so a bit low on money, its not that i dont want to pay.

I will definately take her anyway, whether its Monday or before. She's eating and drinking fine and running around. I'm bathing it in salty water and it doesn't smell at all.

By the looks of it if it is a sebaceous cyst it will be a case of draining and keeping clean, which shouldn't be too bad lol.
 
To be honest, that's what I would do.

My vets don't offer an out of hours service and I would have to contact an agency. Goodness knows how much that would cost! Obviously if it was an emergency it would just have to be done but as long as she's stable and you are keeping an eye then waiting until Monday would seem to be to be appropriate.
 
I took her to the vets today and he said he thought that it was an abcess type thing as there was pus in it.

The took her in to lance it and said that it's actually a cyst which needs totally removing. They tried to get hold of me but couldn't so just drained it as they didn't want to do anything without my permission. The vet said it will fill again so it needs to be removed once it does. However, even if they remove it it may come back or she might develop them in other places.

I've been told to keep her inside on fleece until the wound heals and shes on 0.8ml of Baytril once a day.

Does all this sound right?
 
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I am glad the vet discovered what it was. 0.8ml Baytril once daily may be given at a more ideal rate of 0.4ml twice daily, this is a normal dose for an adult guinea pig. Watch out for loss of appetite, less activity and any change in the poops, these can all happen with Baytril although some pigs are totally unaffected. The use of a probiotic around 1-2 hours after each dose of antibiotic will also help to reduce any effect the Baytril may have on the gut.

Cysts can be removed if they continually refill and rupture, but I can't comment on what the chances are that the lump will recur and how quickly it could happen. After being lanced, the refilling is a common "problem" with cysts, the main risk is that the cyst can rupture (burst, as happened with your guinea) and there's a small chance of infection, but it's not a dangerous medical problem so to speak.

I can't tell you what to do, your vet sounds more competant than many on what you've mentioned he's done so far. I can only say what I would do if my pig were in this situation based on what you have described; I would be inclined to monitor the cyst and drain (squeeze) whenever necessary. If it does close over, refill then rupture again, bathe the area with saline/salt water and again monitor the situation, or discuss the removal of the cyst with the vet.
 
Thank you, yeah i thought that 0.4ml would be better twice daily so i've changed it to that. She also hates the taste so trying to get 0.8 in at once is a bit of a challenge.

She seems ok at the minute, eating fine etc and i've got probiotics as well.

I'm not really sure what to do. It was only a tiny hole and i couldn't get much out so i don't think squeezing it out is an option, plus it hurt her if i squeezed too much. Also i don't really want her to have a cyst which will keep filling and rupturing. At the minute I'm inclined to have it removed once it fills again and then go from there. If she gets anymore cysts i don't want to keep putting her through operations. Plus i don't think guinea pigs cope well with having lots of aneasthetics even if they're months apart do they?

I think at the minute its a case of wait and see what happens. It's so horrible having to make decisions when you aren't sure whats best.
 
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