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Large Abscess On Left Hind Leg - Please Help!

Wanted to share an update with everyone. Brought Tarly to the vet for another flushing. The pus has become like a toothpaste consistency. Vet squeezed a fair amount out. Is toothpaste pus a sign that his condition is worsening or is this "normal"? He is still on bactrim and has just started metacam. His appetite is as good as ever. He's like a bottomless pit.
 
hellonasty1982 said:
Wanted to share an update with everyone. Brought Tarly to the vet for another flushing. The pus has become like a toothpaste consistency. Vet squeezed a fair amount out. Is toothpaste pus a sign that his condition is worsening or is this "normal"? He is still on bactrim and has just started metacam. His appetite is as good as ever. He's like a bottomless pit.
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It is wonderful that your boy still has a very good appetite. Make sure that he has always got access to grass hay as that should make 80% of his daily food intake.

In an abscess, there is often blood or a watery filling; this thickens to what we think of as pus as time goes on, but it hopefully also means that the abscess has started to heal now. Hang on in there; as long as your boy still has a good appetite, you can be sure that the infection is confined to the abscess and that your boy still has the will to fight it.

@furryfriends (TEAS) (our 'abscess queen' - but a VERY busy one!)
 
Hi Wiebke.

We've been continuing daily with Bactrim/Metacam and draining. We've been wrapping Tarly's leg with a warm towel before draining and there's still pus oozing out.. The swelling has gone down. Tarly's been using his leg every now and then when he walks. I've even seen him use his leg scratch his head. He's now 448g! He's put on 30g since we last weighed him. Just want to know if there are any side effects from long term Bactrim/Metacam dosages? I am happy to see Tarly making progress, but am conscious of long term dosages moving forward, thank you.
 
hellonasty1982 said:
Hi Wiebke.

We've been continuing daily with Bactrim/Metacam and draining. We've been wrapping Tarly's leg with a warm towel before draining and there's still pus oozing out.. The swelling has gone down. Tarly's been using his leg every now and then when he walks. I've even seen him use his leg scratch his head. He's now 448g! He's put on 30g since we last weighed him. Just want to know if there are any side effects from long term Bactrim/Metacam dosages? I am happy to see Tarly making progress, but am conscious of long term dosages moving forward, thank you.
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Hi! That is wonderful news! :tu:

Please continue and keep the abscess open and drained until the very last speck of infection has come out and the abscess has had a chance of healing from the inside out, otherwise there is a great risk that the abscess will come back again.

When it comes to abscesses, you give antibiotics for as long as it takes - several months if necessary. Abscesses can kill; your priority is to make sure that it heals completely once and for all, whatever it takes in order to give your guinea pig a life to live. ;)\

The recent realisation is that guinea pigs deal much better with long term as well as with higher dosaged metacam than previously assumed because of ther very quick metabolism. It doesn't affect their kidneys in the same way as other animal species.

You can use metacam for years and bactrim for as long as it takes. I have had piggies on metacam for years; one of them, Nerys (the large lady in my avatar) needed metacam for over 4 years of her 8 years long life, once for nearly 3 years of interstitial cystitis (a recurring/chronic form of bladder inflammation, which was diagnosed after her spending months on various antibiotics which didn't help) and in the last couple of years for arthritis in her back legs. She died from an unrelated issue.

My Hywel had two months on much stronger zithromax (erithromycin) when he 18 months old after some rare, life threatening neutering complications and he was on metacam for half year to prevent his swelling from coming up and sticking to the gut again. He lived for another 5 1/2 years until he died just before his 7th birthday.
He had several months of zithromax and maximum dose metacam again (in about 3 rounds of treatment) because of a persistent and recurring jawbone abscess during his last year. Without it, he would have died much earlier.
 
Hi Wiebke

It's been a while since I updated. Good news is that Tarly is still gaining weight. He's 520g now. The swelling on his outer thigh is completely gone and we haven't been flushing for a while now. He's able to run around and move his leg. His toes have also "unbunched". He's still on his daily bactrim and metacam doses. However, the lump on his inner thigh is getting bigger. It feels kinda hard and he squeaks when pressure is applied to it. Our vet lanced Tarly's inner thigh very early on when we began treatment, but no pus came out (just blood). I'm taking him to the vet again but apprehensive. I'm wondering if we should lance again and try squeezing pus?I'm also worried that it could be a tumor. I've found another lump on his back which has also gotten bigger than before. It wasn't really noticeable at first but when I pet him now, I can feel it under his fur. It feels similar to the lump on his leg and also causes pain when pressure is applied. Could this lump also be an abscess? I shaved his leg and took photos. Any advise you can share would be appreciated, thank you

mmexport1510839111894.webp mmexport1510839107541.webp
 
Hi!

I am glad that Tarli is well in himself and that he has been gaining weight.

Please have those two new lumps seen. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you what you are dealing with without an vet visit. It can well be a deep sitting abscess, especially on the leg, but it can be something else. Where is the lump on the back sitting? :(
Guinea Lynx :: Lumps

(PS: The poster is from China)
@furryfriends (TEAS) @helen105281 @Jaycey @Freela
 
Hi Wiebke,

The vet advised us to leave Tarly be since he's been eating and behaving normally, despite his leg. We've increased his bactrim dosage on account of him gaining so much weight. Last night when I picked up him I noticed a hole in his leg (the inner part of his leg where the bump is). I have no idea how the hole got there. I checked his cage and there was no blood or evidence of him chewing his leg. On a positive note, the bump seems to be an abscesss! We initially thought it was a tumour, but am now relieved that it's an abscess...something we can treat. I proceeded to treat the hole with bactine and drained pus out. Is it normally for them to "pop" on their own? The hole isn't exactly small, it's big enough so that I can look inside and see pus within the cavity. Also, as I mentioned, we haven't stopped with the bactrim/metacam dosages. But my understanding is that the swelling should've reduced with the ongoing treatment, why did the abscess on his inner leg never got any smaller?

The lump on his back right above his rump.

We will continue to drain and keep everyone posted with updates.

Thank you.
Terrence.
 
I just wanted to say that although I have nothing medical to offer, I am in awe of your commitment and care for your boy Tarly.
He is very, very lucky to have found such committed owners :nod:
 
You are definitely a very committed lady! You are doing the best you can do with what you have available.

I have assumed that the inner leg lump was an abscess, but that the bactrim is not strong enough to clear it medically. Once the internal pressure was large enough the abscess would burst; thankfully this has happened to the outside. At least the wide opening means that you can hopefully keep it flushed and open to drain from the inside out for quite a long time to allow it to heal from the inside out and to allow all pockets to drain as they are shrinking, so it cannot come back again.

Tarly should feel a lot better now that the abscess has burst. My suspicion is that the lump on the rump is also an abscess. Why Tarley has got these big abscesses at such a young age, I have no idea. :(
 
Hi Wiebke

Thanks for the explanation and thanks to everyone for their support and advice! I think everyone on this forum shares the same belief that we're all morally obligated to do the best we can for our pets. Wouldn't do any less

We drained again today but no pus. Just really dark blood. I've attached a picture here for your reference:


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Any advice or observations?
 
hellonasty1982 said:
Hi Wiebke

Thanks for the explanation and thanks to everyone for their support and advice! I think everyone on this forum shares the same belief that we're all morally obligated to do the best we can for our pets. Wouldn't do any less

We drained again today but no pus. Just really dark blood. I've attached a picture here for your reference:


View attachment 75449
Any advice or observations?
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@furryfriends (TEAS) @helen105281 @Freela @Jaycey @Pound Shilling & Pig
 
I would just keep on irrigating it with sterile saline to keep it clean an keep on monitoring it. It may form more pus in the future or it may be beginning to heal up. You have to give abscesses a chance to heal from the inside out , so keep it clean and watch it closely.
 
I don't have much experience of abscesses as the abscess queen looked after my Tim when he had one behind his eye. Just wanted to say what a lucky boy he is that you and your wife found him.
 
Hi Everyone,

Quick update on Tarly. Still flushing his abscess on his leg. There's pus coming out every other day. The opening is healing over but we're doing our best to keep it open. The pus is kinda like toothpaste and sometimes more "watery". We're still giving him metacam and bactrim. It swelling has gone down considerably but the pus keeps coming. We will continue to flush and give him medication but it's discouraging that he's not fully recovered yet. On a separate but related note, we shaved the bump on his back. It seriously looks like it's another abscess and it looks like it's going to pop? It's soft and mushy and Tarly squeeks when we apply pressure on it. I suppose this means another trip to the vet for another lancing and another series of flushing. Here's a pic:
mmexport1512571752145.webp
My question is why is the bump getting bigger if Tarly's been on steady dosages of Bactrim and metacam for 2+ months?
 
hellonasty1982 said:
My question is why is the bump getting bigger if Tarly's been on steady dosages of Bactrim and metacam

Hi there it could be scar tissue, part of the natural healing process! Though if it continues to swell and or get get infamed then it may need lancing and draining
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Hi Guys

Guess what happened this morning? Tarly's abscess popped! The timing couldn't have been better since my last post was about the bump. The pus was thick. So we're now flushing 2 abscesses on Tarly. Do you think I should change the antibiotic? Maybe to something stronger?
 
In the UK, the best antibiotic for abscesses is considered to be Azithromycin, as it is stronger than Baytril. It isn't licensed here for guinea pigs, but it works well and is tolerated ok by most pigs (my Zebedee is on it again for yet another URI). Hopefully you can get a version of it where you are.
You are definitely a very devoted piggy-parent, coping so determinedly with now 2 nasty abscesses!
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
In the UK, the best antibiotic for abscesses is considered to be Azithromycin, as it is stronger than Baytril. It isn't licensed here for guinea pigs, but it works well and is tolerated ok by most pigs (my Zebedee is on it again for yet another URI). Hopefully you can get a version of it where you are.
You are definitely a very devoted piggy-parent, coping so determinedly with now 2 nasty abscesses!
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Hi,

Is Azithromycin prescribed to people? I don't have access to tablets/pills, only liquid form that is injected via syringe. Can I give Tarly the pill form typically prescribed to people? There's still quite a bit of pus coming out from his leg. The abscess on his back is tough because I can't squeeze the surrounding skin to push the pus out thought have been able to get some of it out.
 
The one I have, produced by Pfizer under the brand name 'Zithromax', is made for human use. It is in powder form, I mix up enough powder with tap water to last for 5 days (as it goes off after that), and administer it orally using a 1ml syringe (not hypodermic!). I don't know anything about tablet or injectable forms I'm afraid.
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
The one I have, produced by Pfizer under the brand name 'Zithromax', is made for human use. It is in powder form, I mix up enough powder with tap water to last for 5 days (as it goes off after that), and administer it orally using a 1ml syringe (not hypodermic!). I don't know anything about tablet or injectable forms I'm afraid.
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Hi,

In terms of dosage, how much should I give him? I can get in powder form each bag is 0.1g. How much water should I mix it with? Tarly weighs 563g.
 
Hi there, I'm afraid I am not qualified to answer your question re dosage, I can only tell you what I do.
The packaging on my Zithromax says "200mg/5ml // Powder to prepare // 15ml (600mg suspension" and that "each 5ml of suspension contains 200mg azithromycin as azithromycin dihydrate" and tells the pharmacist to mix it with 9ml of water. My vet dispensary divides the powder into 2 bottles and I add 4.5ml of water to each bottle when I need to start using it. (My guinea pig weighs about 1100g)
But these instructions are for the particular medicine that I am prescribed for my guinea pig.
The powder form which you can get may have a different amount of active ingredient. You would need check that information and to get your vet to tell you how much water it should be mixed with and how big a dose to give to your pig.
I hope this helps, good luck with getting treatment for Tarly. :nod:
 
I’m currently treating my Jemima’s for an abscess- her second. My vet doesn’t recommend antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. I clean the abscess each day with hibiscrub and gently manipulate the abscess to get the pus out. Jemima isn’t keen on being caught for treatment but a bunch of parsley helps as do cuddles. Good luck with Tarly - he’s so lucky to have such a caring owner.
 
Hi All,

We're going to try Baytril. Bactrim doesn't seem to be doing the job as there's still pus every other day. The Baytril is 15mg per tablet. Tarly is now 590g. What would be correct daily dosage for him? I also read in other sites that some pigs will lose their appetite and get the runs. Is there anything I can give him to minimize the side effects? Thank you!
 
may I give you an advice? I am not expert of abscesses, but my male piggie who was neutered two months ago last week developed a sort of an abscess in his right testicle. It is a different story and my piggie's abscess which looked like a quite big ball was lanced by himself after 3 days, just when I was at the phone with the exotic vet. I went to the vet then, when the abscess was empty and the testicle had this sign:
100_8090.webp
the vet (a very expert one) proposed me a different treatment: no Bactrim, no Baytril, no antibiotics which can affect methabolism and appetite, but only a cream (Silver Sulfadizine) which is a HUMAN product for bad sores, burns and similar troubles. Sulfadizine is also an antibiotics and can be licked without any effect on the piggie; the silver acts as an antiinflammatory and painkiller. I had to fill the scrotum with this cream once a day using an insuline syringe (no needle) putting the top of the syringe INTO the hole (the vet squeezed the part and some pus came out, but no smell). Moreover here in Italy all the piggies are adviced to get a little supplement of vit C daily (I give him 2 drops of vit C INTO HIS MOUTH; I use the pediatric drops); in these days I was adviced to double his dose of vit C and I am giving him 4 drops (=24mg).
After 5 days I guess I can stop the cream as the testicle now is almost totally closed and no cream goes inside from the hole; this was the sign the vet was waiting for; he said "when the cream cannot be put inside, you have to stop". Consider that in the first days of the treatment I filled the scrotum with two full syringes!
This is my piggie's zone of abscess, the pic was taken few minutes ago for you:
100_8117.webp
there is no visible hole, no black, no sign of infection.
If I were you, I would give it a try and the cream is sold in China, too
This is the italian box we can buy at the chemist's

sofargen-1-crema-trattamento-antibatterico.webp
 
@hellonasty1982 I would do as advised by your vet. I haven't had any of my current piggies on baytril but one of my Rainbow Piggies was on it and it was such a long time ago I can only remember that I disguised the taste (very bitter) with a bit of orange juice. Somebody will be on soon to advise the best course of action as regards to lack of appetite, the runs etc.
 
Oh and here are photos of the ultrasound of Tarly's leg. From what the vet can see (and again, not a vet experienced in treating pigs) the black circular area by his leg is the abscess. We've been draining every other day. 1514096396091.webp 1514096396091.webp 1514096395021.webp 1514096395394.webp
 
Hi Everyone,

We've got some bad news. When I checked Tarly's leg, I noticed a huge lump between his left hind leg and testicle. It's pretty big, about the size of a walnut and hard to the touch. It causes him pain when I apply pressure to lump. I kiss the can't believe we didn't notice this before. Our vet also didn't pick up on this but I'm not surprised to be honest as he's got 0 experience treating pigs. Not sure what we can do now as we've tried everything we could given the resources we have. We gave Tarly 2 doses of Baytril (2.5mg each time once a day) but he's constipated so we stopped. Prior to that, he's been eating and drinking normally (and putting on weight). Our vet advises against surgery as he can't guarantee that Tarly will wake up afterwards. At the same time, I am conflicted just "counting down the days" so to speak. Just to clarify that we've been flushing the abscess on his leg only. We haven't done anything to the huge lump we discovered yesterday. I'd appreciate ANY advice from you. I am morally conflicted and want to cure Tarly so he can have a long happy life. Thank you.
 
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