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Fritz's stitches ...

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Rae1508

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I'm in a bit of a flap - so this was the 2nd place i thought to come (vets first, obviously)

My Fritz had a small op on Monday to remove a lump on his back. That all happened very suddenly - noticed small lump Sat eve which grew significantly on Sunday, vets at 9am Monday, kept him in to remove it, bought my beautiful boy home on Monday evening with an inch long wound and 8 stitches - so that was bad enough.

I was planning on putting him in a small cage on his own, away from Donut, but the vet and nurse were both sure he would be fine back in with her.

Anyway - 8am this morning i looked in and half the stitches were missing. The wound was holding together, but was seeping slightly. I took him out straight away and put him in a small box to prevent him moving about too much and called the vet - who said to take him in at 9am when they opened. Within that hour the wound started stretching apart and blood was pouring out. It seemed so much blood for such a little piggie. At one stage i pulled the two edges together and put a plaster on it (this may sound stupid, but i just wanted to do something) to see if i could help stop it bleeding and take some of the strain off the remaining stitches.

The vet has him again now - they are hoping they can stitch it with just a whiff of gas, so he doesn't have to 'go under' again - and i'm watching the clock til 1 when i can ring them to see how he is.

I'm primarily writing this cos i don't know what else to do ... but also, if anyone has any tips on how to stop it happening again, please let me know. I dont know if he pulled them out himself, or if Donut did it - but obviously i will put him i a separate cage this time.

Thanks for listening
Rach
 
Poor little guy, what an eventful week for you all!

I wonder whether you could "doctor" an old clean sock to form an elasticated bandage that you could pop over Fritz's middle, over the top of the stitches to stop him being able to get at them/giving them a bit more protection?

When you collect him ask your vet/vet nurse whether it would be ok to do this - it may be that the wound needs fresh air? But worth asking. Hope the little guy is ok.
 
Poor Fritz, it sounds like a tricky situation for you all. I second Sandra's suggestion; it would prevent any external factors from causing this again. Do you know what suture thread the vet used? Is Fritx on any painkillers?
It's worth asking the vet to give him subcue fluids also, since he may have lost a fair bit of blood.
 
Thank you both so much for replying so quickly.

I have no idea what the stitches were - all i can say is that they were white and looked like thick cotton - sorry.

They didn't give me any painkillers or anything for him. He wasn't making a lot of fuss this morning and didn't squeak or cry out when i picked him up ... but i could tell he was distressed. It was in his eyes, you know what i mean?

Is the subcue fluids something he would have orally or via a drip - i.e.- do i need to phone the vet to ask him to administer it, or can i ask for some when i pick him up? (Sorry to ask more questions)

The sock idea sounds brilliant, i will certainly be doing that. When i picked him up monday evening i was kinda expected him to be all bandaged up and stuff, i was amazed to see there was nothing on top of the stitches.

Thanks for listening again
 
Subcue fluids are given by injection (subcutaneously). Sometimes it is just warm saline, sometimes it is a branded fluid like Aquafarm or Hartmann's.
You can either ring the vet and ask that he be given the fluids while he's there, or ask when you collect him. Usually 5ml is injected either side of the shoulder. If he is drinking well then it may not be necessary, but it may put your mind at rest knowing he has got a good amount of fluids in him (which will help the body replace the lost blood).

I do think it may be worth asking for painkillers just to ease any pain. With the wound opening up it must have been sore, and I imagine the wound will be sore for a few days until it starts to heal over.
 
You poor girl i'm so sorry to hear all of this :(
I agree what a fab suggestion Sandra see if you can make up a bandage to stop him from scratching out his stitches......they do this no matter what :(
Heaps of healing wheeeeeeeeks and loves for little Fritz xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>
 
Thank you all so much for your kind words and thoughts.

I have called the vets and the receptionist said he was 'done' and could be picked up after 2.

I'm obviously a bit aprehensive about the stitches, but at least he has been fixed (again) and will soon be back with me.

Thanks again
Rach xx
 
Poor Fritz! he cant have been having much fun, let us know how he got on :)
 
Thank you all so much for caring.

Fritz seems really well - all things considered ! He seems quite perky and is chatting away to Donut and munching his way through all the fresh food i've given him. It's amazing really.

The vet managed to do it without knocking him out again. He said the amount of skin he had to cut out on Monday was quite large and that guinea pig skin is quite hard - so it could just be the stitches popped out because of the tension on them - maybe the pigggies didn't chew them (i'm not taking any chances this time though). He seems to have put a lot more stitches in, and put another one in between each of the originals too.

I asked about the blood loss and he said they had given him "fluids". I also asked about painkillers - and he said he tries to keep Guniea Pig's medication to a minimum because they are so fragile. He didn't seem to think we needed to do anything different from last time. He seems to think we were just unlucky and it should be fine now.

As i have said, he is very perky - so i am pleased at the moment. I am watching them closley though, and i am putting him in on his own while i am in bed and at work. I just thought i would leave them together when i am around to keep an eye on them. They love each others company so much (they are father & daughter).

I am working on the sock idea - but the wound is over his back leg, so it's not as easy as i thought it would be. I am on my third sock now, and am planning to just make leg holes in this one, so his leg holds it in place!

Thank you all so much for your support.
Rach x
 
Good to hear your little man is doing better.

I had a guinea pig who had major abdominal surgery when he was 3 months old. To stop him from removing his stitches I got a bandage & wrapped him from front to back legs! he looked like a little sausage! (He didn't get to the first lot of stitches but the second lot he managed to remove when the bandage removed! fortunately his wound was relatively well healed...)

Having experienced a variety of ailments with my piggies I have found that a good bandage is often the best way to go. It is up to you whether to use the crepe or soft bandage. (personally I prefer softer ones as they are easier to move round odd shapes & less bulky) It is usually relatively soft & easy to stretch, so you can have it quite tight to stop it coming off. Plus it can fit around any odd shape - belly, foot, leg.

I would change it at least daily because it will get dirty but it is worth trying. The other thing is don't wrap it too tight & check them during the day - incase the little tinker does manage to worm his way through the bandage. Piggies are determined little furries when they have a mission in mind...

Good luck! :))
 
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