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Lump on Crempog's cheek

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Pogwen

Pogwen

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello all,
Crempog has a lump on her cheek which you can feel when you stroke it. She is eating well. We took her to the vet this morning and he looked inside her mouth and couldn't see anything. His advice is that it is either a tooth abcess (but possibly she would not be eating as much) or a growth, in which case we just have to wait and see.

I feel a bit helpless and wonder if anyone could give me any more advice. I believe the vet is competent and don't know of any guinea pig specialists in the area.

As I say, Crempog is well in herself, just a bit quiet occasionally.

Thanks
 
Has the vet prescribed any antibiotics? If it's an abscess it needs to be lanced and drained. I really don't like this 'wait and see' attitude. How did the vet look in his mouth? Was it just using a scope or was it using the buccal pad separators?

One of the Sanctuary piggies is recovering from a tooth root abscess. His was lanced and drained and he was initially on the antibiotic Zithromax, although we have now changed to Marbocyl and he's making good progress. Zithromax is usually the very best antibiotic to use for abscesses but Archie had been on it for a long time, as he has many problems, and we felt a new antibiotic might just be needed to completely get rid of all the pus.
 
I am sorry, but I have not a lot of expereince with lumps. Please keep a beady eye on the weight, eating/chewing habits and the size of the lump, if necessary with pictures. If the lump continues to grow or the weight to drop, you need to see a vet asap and ask for a strong antibacterial antibiotic like zithromax . Weigh daily, the acceptable daily variation is about 30g/1oz.

http://www.guinealynx.info/lumps.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html
 
Going for a second opinion to a vet a little further away. Don't really want to upset Crempog too much with being taken around but she doesn't seem to mind too much. This one takes a particular interest in Guinea pigs and rabbits.
 
Love your Avatar, which one is Crempog? Both look cute, that nose up curiousity is adorable

Hope it all goes well
 
I would definitely not 'wait and see' on this. Not to scare you, but I lost a piggie to a dental abscess a couple of years ago- it got very bad very fast and spread to her jawbone (osteomyelitis) and then to her bloodstream (septicemia.) What I learned from that experience is that dental abscesses often spring from an underlying problem with the teeth (it turned out that my poor piggie had an underlying malocclusion- the teeth should be checked out carefully if there are any tooth root problems.) I also learned that Baytril is not the best antibiotic to treat abscesses and that you need to be proactive in asking for a stronger and less 'typical' antibiotic. I was not as educated then and just went home with the Baytril, which messed up her digestion and did nothing for the abscess and things just spiraled out of hand very fast. Had I known then what I know now, I would have been a LOT more assertive in asking for a better antibiotic and something to protect her gut and maybe the outcome would have been better. Again, not trying to scare you because I have seen many piggies on the board overcome the same problem... I'm just urging you to be proactive and to be assertive enough to demand stronger antibiotics, because from what I've seen on the board that seems to make a huge difference. Lots of luck and keep us posted!
 
Crempog is the brown one!

Thanks for all your replies, got another appointment at 4.30 with a vet that has a particular interest in GPs and rabbits.
 
Much happier with the second vet who gave her a much more thorough exam. We are going to see how it is each day and judge if it is getting any bigger and how she is in herself. She is still whistling very loudly for cucumber when she hears it being chopped!
 
Ok, glad you felt better about your second opinion. Do keep a close eye on your pig. Could be any number of things, but i would think more likely to be a dental or skin abcess so please watch your piggie closely, and maybe get some antib's if she is not better soon.

x.
 
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