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Hole In Piggies Head

Kirstie

Kirstie

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi just looking to see if anyone knows what might have caused this? She doesn have a vets appointment in the morning and appears to be unfazed by the pus filled hole in her head. It's about 3mm in diameter I would say and I noticed it this evening. I've had no end of bother with these two wee girls since they were bought in April last year. Lesson about getting from pets at home well and truly learned! Multiple URI each but seemed to be ok from October last year until January when this little lady had a head tilt and suspected inner ear infection. Baytril finished on Tuesday last week after an initial 3 weeks of syringing her ears and now this hole? Poor pig can't catch a break! She's the underpin but mostly gets on well with her little friend and it doesn't look like a bite to me?

Thanks in advance

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The vet will be able to diagnose it properly but if I had to guess I think it looks very much like a sebaceous cyst that one of my boars had. It didn't cause him any trouble but it did grow and had to be removed so I'd be wary about it being on her head.

My vet at the time didn't have a great deal of pig experience so hopefully yours will be better. Maybe they could flush it out completely and it could heal.

Good luck with her, it sounds like you've both been through the wringer!
 
Thank you for replying. It's honestly been endless. I hope it's nothing sinister and it'll heal my little girl will be absolutely devestated if we lose her she's not even a year old yet . She's been getting baytril and recovery stuff for 3 weeks there's been nothing in her head at all I would've noticed. It's just randomly appeared between this morning and me getting back from work. So stressful
 
Yeah, it sounds like you've all had a terrible time.

I think that if the vet can give it a good clean out then she'll be okay. They might want her to stay on Baytril or a different antibiotic for a while longer just in case.
 
I thought that sebacous cysts were firm and not pus filled?
 
The pus inside a sebaceous cyst has the consistency of cottage cheese - looks like it too, and smells like cross between mouldy cheese and old socks.
They can also come up quickly and look nasty when they burst.
However the pigs themselves often don't seem to notice them.
Hope the vet gives a definite diagnosis.
In the meantime I perhaps wash it with saline solution. x
 
Kirstie said:
Hi just looking to see if anyone knows what might have caused this? She doesn have a vets appointment in the morning and appears to be unfazed by the pus filled hole in her head. It's about 3mm in diameter I would say and I noticed it this evening. I've had no end of bother with these two wee girls since they were bought in April last year. Lesson about getting from pets at home well and truly learned! Multiple URI each but seemed to be ok from October last year until January when this little lady had a head tilt and suspected inner ear infection. Baytril finished on Tuesday last week after an initial 3 weeks of syringing her ears and now this hole? Poor pig can't catch a break! She's the underpin but mostly gets on well with her little friend and it doesn't look like a bite to me?

Thanks in advance

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I had something similar on a rabbit once, I took to the vet, she did an awful job of trying to clean it (not there now). Anyway when I got home I did it myself, I got lots of pus out gently squeezing and cleaned with salt water regularly. May need antibiotics on top but mine healed fine.
 
It looks like a cyst or abscess that has ruptured to me. I hope the vet can give you some definite info. You could rinse it out with sterile saline to clean it up, that certainly wouldn't hurt at all.
 
Hi yes so Vet yesterday couldn't really tell me what it was. The pus was creamy and didn't have a smell at all. By the time I got her to the vets the following morning the hole had decreased to 1mm in diameter although the cavity beneath was still there. He has given her baytril for a week and asked me to put some manuka into the cavity before it closed over and she's to go back in a week for review. As it stands this morning her wound had completely closed over although when I touch it I can feel fluid beneath. Whether that's honey or pus/blood I'm not really sure If it grows I will have to take her back Her back for the vet to lance it I think . Poor wee pig!
 
It does sound like a cyst to me. My boy has one for years and it never really bothered him. I'd just be a bit more concerned with your piggy as it's on her head.

Baytril will start to work on it if it is infected, but if it is just a cyst then it won't.

You're doing exactly the right thing. Just keep a close eye on it and if it seems to be growing, or looks unhappy for whatever reason a trip to the vet would be a good idea.

Fingers crossed that it calms down like my boy.

A gross fact for everyone - the pus in a sebaceous cyst will be the same colour as a pigs skin, so my boy had grey pus in his as his skin was black. Nice eh!
 
Hi guys I just thought I'd pop back and give an update on my wee pig. The 'abscess' on her head never healed. Infact it tracked to various different point moving down her nose and towards her right eye until last week her wee eye swelled up and I took her back to the vets again ( for the millionth time) the vet though her eye had an ulcer but that the swelling wasn't related to the 'abscess' however as the initial site was still there with pus clearly beneath it he decided it wouldn't be in her best interests to operate and remove what he thought was an abscess and leave the wound open. On Saturday morning her eye was covered in pud as the pocket has burst. Anyways. She has her operation this morning and on investigation the poor wee lamb has a hole in her skull and that is where the pus is coming from. Without a ct scan the vet couldn't be sure whether the source is in a sinus or elsewhere within her skull. He has cleaned it out as best he can until no more pus came away and is hoping that baytril and then fingers crossed a specific antibiotic that the infection is sensitive to will cure her. If not there is really nothing else they can do for my poor wee girl . She's had a truely horrible time of it but is the nicest little piggy you'd ever want to meet.
 
I'm in Scotland near Edinburgh. She's been quite bright since she came home. Very pleased to be back with her hoomans and eating critical care with gusto. I just feel so heart sorry for her . Poor wee pig
 
Kirstie said:
I'm in Scotland near Edinburgh. She's been quite bright since she came home. Very pleased to be back with her hoomans and eating critical care with gusto. I just feel so heart sorry for her . Poor wee pig
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You sound to have things under control. Glad she's enjoying her CC. Hope she's got plenty of pain relief, too.
 
Yes she has metacam. She's already had it at the vets though so I haven't given her any more. She is sleeping on the heated mat thing I bought her atm. I hope I've done the right thing for her It's so difficult to know isn't it.
 
Kirstie said:
Yes she has metacam. She's already had it at the vets though so I haven't given her any more. She is sleeping on the heated mat thing I bought her atm. I hope I've done the right thing for her It's so difficult to know isn't it.
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You have metacam to give at home also over the next few days?
 
Yes I have metacam to give at home. She has eye drops, baytril, metacam and critical care. She had a post op check tomoro afternoon with the nurse aswell.
 
Kirstie said:
Yes I have metacam to give at home. She has eye drops, baytril, metacam and critical care. She had a post op check tomoro afternoon with the nurse aswell.
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Good stuff. Are they culturing the pus? To find the best piggy safe antibiotic?
 
Yes they are in the hope that the flush out of the wound with iodine and a specific antibiotic that the infection is sensitive too will rid her of the problem. But in the meantime started her on baytril until they know. Fingers crossed. X
 
I don't have a massive amount of experience with abscesses but I think if it is behind bone then the usual tactic of flushing it won't be an option.

Having the pus cultured would be good and use the best antibiotic for the job. I know Zithromax is great for abscesses.

I know you're too far from Simon Maddock at Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton but I would definitely recommend you asking your vet to contact him to see what he thinks. Simon is really busy but he's spoken to another vet for me before. He might have a idea to try.
 
Agree with jaycey. What is her name?
 
The vet or the piggy? . She was quite bright this morning so far. Back she vet this afternoon for a wee check x
 
Back at vets today as her breathing really hasn't been great for the last few days. I felt the baytril was doing nothing for her at all. She's been on it so often in her wee life she's probably resistant to it now. Anyways she's continued to take 120mls of recovery formula off me a day and her weight has gone up from just under 700g to 801g in 9 days so I'm ridiculously pleased that at least that is heading in the direction I want. We are still waiting for the cultures to come back to see what antibiotic the infection is sensitive too but in the mean time we have switched to septrin and I asked the vet to increase the metacam as I felt it wasn't enough so he has put her on the highest dose she can have for her weight. This evening she had groomed herself and after a supervised play with her piggy pal she has gone into her carrot cottage and fully laid done chooken legs an all so I think she's feeling a lot more comfortable. Hoping for a piggy miracle still but at least for tonight I think she's feeling a bit better. Piggies name is Sweetie. Her friend is Belle. Little girl loves my little pony and one of them is called Sweetiebelle .
 
So glad that Sweetie is looking more comfortable on her increased pain relief. And it's good that the vet has switched antibiotics. Any idea when the culture is likely to come back?
 
They sent it on Thursday so he thinks it will be Tuesday or Wednesday. Her breathing has been worrying me as she is working hard. I've been steaming her in the bathroom a couple of times a day and she's had bisolvon to help decrease the secretions in her wee nose. Hoping the big increase in metacam will help reduce the inflammation and breathing will get easier. I also have saline and f10 for a nebuliser but thought I'd just wait a day or so to see how the metacam helped before I bought that. I'm sure you can imagine my costs are mounting higher and higher. I will of course buy her one of she needs it but thought I'd just give it 24 hours first to see what happened. It amazes me how such little creatures can just work their way right into your heart. I can't even talk about putting her to sleep without blubbing. Hoping very much so it won't come to that for her as she's fighting so hard. Her name is very apt. She is the sweetest little piggie whose favourite pastime is to give kisses to my 7 year old and be hand fed parsley
 
Hoping that your little one makes a good recovery. And so sorry you've had to go through all of this.
 
Ok so cultures are back and the bug is resistant to basically everything except penicillin base and Zithromax? Which the vet said is similar and NOT safe for piggies. I know they have been treated before and the vet recommends giving it with a probiotic and or using her piggy pals poo To syringe back the good bacteria. Just a quick question for those who have done that before. How do I do it. What are the right poo'd and how do I identify them? And what do I do to make the poo soup? Thanks guys x
 
Zithromax is used by several piggy vets @furryfriends (TEAS) vet uses it for tooth abscess. I would suggest getting your vet to speak to an experienced piggy vet about Zithromax possibly.

I am sure that Simon Maddocks (details below) may be able to pass on advice and doses range to your vet, Simon is one of the most experienced Guinea vets in the country
Cat And Rabbit vet Clinic
Simon Maddock & Kim Maddock
1 Limehurst Road
Northampton, Northamptonshire NN5 6LP
01604 478888

Poo soup is made by mushing the poo of a healthy piggy with a little water and syringe feeding it to the poorly one.

Sending love to Sweetie
 
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