Grease Gland Worries...

[Heykids!]

Hello and Happy Easter to you all!

I was checking my boar's grease gland today and it was a bit mucky. However, the majority of the black gunk just scraped away and wasn't too much of a problem to remove. He did seem to have some hair stuck in it which I gently removed with some tweezers as I thought it would be best to try and remove it so that it wouldn't clog it further - however I'm worried I've done the wrong thing and left him a bit sore and there may have been a very small trace of blood. I've had another look tonight and bathed him with some diluted hibiscrub. I don't think there is any pus present as I think the white/cream area in the middle (as shown in the picture) is more of his hair which I am reluctant to remove/poke about at.

Do you think the gland looks a bit swollen/sore or possibly even infected? Should I make an appointment with my vet in the morning?

Thank you so much. A worried piggy parent who's feeling very guilty.

 

[worried val of york]

I am no expert but that looks like a sebaceous cyst which has burst. I took my guinea pig to the vet who squeezed the pus out.

 

[Heykids!]

I am no expert but that looks like a sebaceous cyst which has burst. I took my guinea pig to the vet who squeezed the pus out.

Having looked at pictures of grease glands I didn't realise that the "hole" wasn't normal - I'll getting him looked at tomorrow. Thank you for your quick reply.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Yes I think a vet visit would be wise just to double check that it is just a mucky grease gland that's got a bit swollen or as @worried val of york said a cyst. Don't feel too guilty my boar has a very active gland that never seems to be 100% perfect I suppose but I keep at it haha. And try not to worry whatever it is its good you've found it quickly.

 

[Heykids!]

Yes I think a vet visit would be wise just to double check that it is just a mucky grease gland that's got a bit swollen or as @worried val of york said a cyst. Don't feel too guilty my boar has a very active gland that never seems to be 100% perfect I suppose but I keep at it haha. And try not to worry whatever it is its good you've found it quickly.

Thank you Jesse's pigs for your lovely and reassuring post.

Does anyone have any ideas of how long it could have been there? Is there something I could have done to prevent this - or has it developed as a result of me not cleaning his grease gland? I treat my piggies like kings but it seems I'm always getting something wrong.

 

[ChloeCee98]

I haven't had my boar long how often do you have to clean this ?x

 

[Lady Kelly]

Ouch that does look painful and not like a grease gland. I would think there is something going on either a sebaceous cyst or some infection. If it's a cyst then you haven't caused it and couldn't have prevented it. Some grow very slowly, cause no problems and don't need treating. Others need treatment. My late Peter had one on his back which got very big but it was there for around 2 years before bursting. It also only burst with a pinprick hole so I kept it clean and squeezed the pus out myself whenever it refilled (he was elderly and already on end of life care so I didn't want to stress him with vets visits unless necessary).

Chloe, you may never have to clean it, it all depends on the piggy. I never had to clean Peter's but when bumble had ovarian cysts and other problems I had to clean hers a couple of times

 

[Jesse's pigs]

With my first sow I never even knew she had a grease gland and I never had to clean it. However my boar Mo has an active grease gland that needs washing reasonably regularly to prevent it getting too built up or infected. It looks way better then it has but still not perfect. The vet said to give him a salt water bath to prevent infection when we first went to see her and now I wash his bum with salt water once a week and use fairy liquid to remove the build up of grease- though not alot as I realise it dries out the skin. It could be it's just the cyst that is causing the grease gland to flare up etc especially if you haven't noticed it before. they're funny things grease glands.

 

[Heykids!]

With my first sow I never even knew she had a grease gland and I never had to clean it. However my boar Mo has an active grease gland that needs washing reasonably regularly to prevent it getting too built up or infected. It looks way better then it has but still not perfect. The vet said to give him a salt water bath to prevent infection when we first went to see her and now I wash his bum with salt water once a week and use fairy liquid to remove the build up of grease- though not alot as I realise it dries out the skin. It could be it's just the cyst that is causing the grease gland to flare up etc especially if you haven't noticed it before. they're funny things grease glands.

Thanks Jesse's pigs. I'm thinking that it may have got more active than usual as he has a new cage mate! I say "new" - they're been together 3 months now but although 98% of the time they're fine - they are still asserting their dominance over one another!

He's booked into our vets at 3.10pm so will let you know what they say.

 

[Heykids!]

Hi everyone.

Clegg has been to the vet and he seems to think that it is, indeed, a cyst. He did at one point wonder if it may have been a bite but I think he was more inclined to say that it was a cyst. His advice was to leave it be - no need to clean as he didn't think it was infected and to just keep an eye on it and continue to monitor it. He said that if it gets bigger then we may need to consider having it removed but for now to leave alone.

Does this advice seem correct to you - he literally just felt the lump he didn't lance it, squeeze it or get anything out of it.... In fact, he didn't seem overly concerned or worried. I wouldn't say my vets are necessarily top notch when it comes to guinea pigs but they know me very well and I have a very good rapport with them so they know how much my piggies mean to me and how much I care for them.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Well it doesn't look infected but I would be concerned about a decent enough size opening for the risk of infection to get in and cause problems. Especially with it being so close to the ground. However if your vets aren't particularly cavy savvy it may be that an operation with them carries a higher risk for such a small animal. Did they indicate what they thought would happen? I. E. do they think it will disappear off its own back (this is not my experience and not what i've heard as being normal on the forum). If you are not satisfied with what was done then I would say there would be no harm in seeking a second opinion

 

[Heykids!]

Well it doesn't look infected but I would be concerned about a decent enough size opening for the risk of infection to get in and cause problems. Especially with it being so close to the ground. However if your vets aren't particularly cavy savvy it may be that an operation with them carries a higher risk for such a small animal. Did they indicate what they thought would happen? I. E. do they think it will disappear off its own back (this is not my experience and not what i've heard as being normal on the forum). If you are not satisfied with what was done then I would say there would be no harm in seeking a second opinion

Thanks for your advice Lady Kelly. The vet I saw today is probably the best one that my vet surgery has. Clegg will be five in September and has had other problems recently including breathing issues (which they believe to be allergy related) so he may be reluctant to put him under anaesthetic. He didn't mention what he thought might happen just to monitor it to see if it gets any bigger.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Thanks for your advice Lady Kelly. The vet I saw today is probably the best one that my vet surgery has. Clegg will be five in September and has had other problems recently including breathing issues (which they believe to be allergy related) so he may be reluctant to put him under anaesthetic. He didn't mention what he thought might happen just to monitor it to see if it gets any bigger.

I would say both age and breathing issues are a factor and will make any operation riskier. My late Pete developed his higher up around 5, it burst when he was 6.5 and then I cleared pus out and cleaned it 3 times before he passed aged 7. It's difficult when they get old and often quality of life is going to be the most important