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Specialist Lump On Tummy

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Once the abscess has been drained, the trick is to keep the wound open allowing the wound to heal from the inside. It will mean making sure the wound doesn't close and you will have to remove the scab. It definitely isn't for the faint hearted but is a necessity. Soaking the area with warm boiled salty water is recommended. I use one teaspoon of salt mixed with a pint of water.

You will need to flush the wound with saline and a syringe and push the pus outwards. I know it sounds daunting but your vet will show you how to do it properly if you ask and you will get used to it.

I haven't dealt with an abscess myself but have dealt with an infected eye socket after an eye removal and the principle was the same.

I was too scared to do it at first so took Eliza to the vets daily until I felt confident enough. But we soon got used to it.

I wish you and Dwynwen lots of good luck vibes for your journey xx
 
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i don't have any advice regarding abscesses, sorry. but was also going to mention zithromax, although i know they use it regularly there anyway. it's a brilliant one. sending vibes x
 
Dwynwen is home! Obviously shell shocked but have put her in a cage next to Eira and have been able to tempt her to finally eat with a bit of grass and parsley. Here's a picture. The scar is on her tummy. The shaved but you see in the picture is where the abscess is which will have to be drained in a week or two and then the fun will really begin!

She is now on metacam, Zithromax, gut stimulant and another drug to avoid adhesion to the gut wall- poor little thing.

Thanks again for all your excellent advice and good vibes x
 

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Definitely brighter today. Still not liking syringes- be it food or medication- but she is eating hay, cucumber, carrot tops and parsley. I am constantly being outwitted by a guinea pig in trying to get her to syringe feed- she dodges her head better than any of the rugby players yesterday- but we get there in the end! She just had a little clean to get rid of damp patches from sitting but even those are not as bad today. Going back to the vet on Thursday for post op and to hopefully get sorted with the abscess.
 
Hello everyone. Dwynwen a bit quieter today. Put her and Eira in a run yesterday and things were fine to begin then it started getting a bit chattery (never happened before) so I separated them again. Finding it v difficult to syringe feed D- never had this much trouble. Have tried to put her in a fleece 'sausage' of a blanket but she struggles hard and we are nervous about the abscess on her tummy. She does eat a bit of hay, fruit and veg but I don't think it is enough. Also she is eating grass in moderation (don't want to give her too much spring grass) but as soon as I try to trick her by putting the syringe food on it won't touch it. As I said before, being outwitted by a piggy! Any ideas of how to get her to eat more of the syringe food?
 
Just had a decent lunchtime syringe feed so hope that may be a sign of things to come. Unfortunately, when I put Eira with Dwynwen on the sofa this morning for a morning chat it quickly descended into the beginning of a fight with teeth chattering and mumbling squeaking. Just managed to grab Eira in time. Got bitten in the process but at least they didn't get at each other. Going to restrict it to through the bars hellos for a while.

Does anyone have any examples of piggies who fall out during sickness but then get to be friends again?
 
Pogwen said:
Just had a decent lunchtime syringe feed so hope that may be a sign of things to come. Unfortunately, when I put Eira with Dwynwen on the sofa this morning for a morning chat it quickly descended into the beginning of a fight with teeth chattering and mumbling squeaking. Just managed to grab Eira in time. Got bitten in the process but at least they didn't get at each other. Going to restrict it to through the bars hellos for a while.

Does anyone have any examples of piggies who fall out during sickness but then get to be friends again?
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@Pogwen yes I have had this experience when one of my piggies had an op. I think the others can smell that they are different or can smell the anaesthetic on them. Wiebke helped me to re-bond them later by giving me great advice. I would keep them separate for a few days whilst she is recovering then do the bonding bath/rebonding then :)
 
Poppy'sMum said:
@Pogwen yes I have had this experience when one of my piggies had an op. I think the others can smell that they are different or can smell the anaesthetic on them. Wiebke helped me to re-bond them later by giving me great advice. I would keep them separate for a few days whilst she is recovering then do the bonding bath/rebonding then :)
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Thanks for your advice. I am definitely keeping them separate and think a bath when the time comes may well help. I suspect it is Dwynwen, who has had the op, who started the fracas. The worry is that she is likely to have another op in the next week or so for her abscess so the time they are apart will be even longer.
 
Just dropped Dwynwen off with the vet for her to have her op on her abscess tomorrow. It is a risky op as the abscess is very deep. Please send positive vibes
 
Pogwen said:
Just dropped Dwynwen off with the vet for her to have her op on her abscess tomorrow. It is a risky op as the abscess is very deep. Please send positive vibes
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I am very sorry! Fingers very firmly crossed for Dwynwen!

Please make sure that you ask how soon she can have painkillers after her operation. If she needs to go on an antibiotic, we recommend using zithromax for stubborn, hard to reach abscesses and infections deep in the body.
Please also make sure that you have got everything handy to hand feed if she is not eating well or at all after her operation. Contact the vet (or out of hours vet) asap if she remains apathetic or goes downhill.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
See the vet asap if she is showing any swelling or sudden loss of appetite, as that can indicate a return or an infection.

PS: I love her name!
 
Thanks Wiebke. She is already on Zithromax in the run up to the op and has been hand fed for the last week as well as being tempted by a bit of grass, hay, cucumber, spinach etc etc. She has also been on metacam after her op last week. Unfortunately the abscess had grown again in that time so she has to get it done. Please keep everything crossed for my little gorgeous girl x
 
I will - it looks like she is in competent hands, anyway!
 
Thank you for your positive vibes. Delighted to say that Dwynwen is round from her anaesthetic and already eaten hay- which she didn't do last week. I can pick her up at 4. I know this is just the start of the aftercare process but am delighted and can't wait to start getting her better.
 
That is very encouraging news! I hope that she can recover completely this time!
 
Quick update: she went in for her third op in as many weeks on Thursday. She had the pad (which had been put in to protect her abdomen whilst the wound was open) removed so the vet must have thought the inner abscess wall is thick enough to protect her insides whilst the abscess is still open. She is eating little bits of grass, celery and spinach but I am mostly hand feeding her. We wash her wound with antibacterial solution given us by the vet twice daily and then cover it in medical grade manuka honey - poor thing must feel like a lozenge! As with most recovering (I'm being positive) piggies, she has moments of brightness and getting excited about grass (little wheeks when she smells it compared with her usual shrieks but it is something!) and then has to rest.

We have put the two girls in an inside run today with bars between them (as they went fro each other two weeks ago) as want them to be able to see each other. Unfortunately, that resulted in a lot of teeth chattering and grumbling from Dwynwen with Eira then joining in a bit (but nowhere near as bad as D). Dwynwen then backs off to the far corner of 'her' side whereas Eira is constantly sniffing the barrier between them and seems confused. I don't want to stress either of them unnecessarily but think it is important that they still see and smell each other. I keep holding one or the other up to the other's cage to do just that. (they are in a two-tier cage - on in the top and one in the bottom. they used to have both floors between them). it is sad to watch as they took a little time to get to know each other and had started being more friendly before all this so I am hoping it will be just a stage that they can work through when Dwynwen is well. (it is her that starts it which makes me feel that it is more to do with her being tired, grumpy and a bit in pain - understandably - than Eira not recognising her scent)

Next check up is Friday so I will keep you updated.

x
 
Wishing you all the best! It is a difficult and trying time for you. I hope that Dwynwen is continuing to recover well from her big operation. As you say, due to the extent of it, it is going to take some time. Dwynwen is obviously not feeling fit enough to cope with Eira and to defend her top spot. I hope that they will get together again once Dwynwen is feeling better in herself. Best treat any reunion as an introduction on neutral ground with all the trimmings.
 
Wiebke said:
Wishing you all the best! It is a difficult and trying time for you. I hope that Dwynwen is continuing to recover well from her big operation. As you say, due to the extent of it, it is going to take some time. Dwynwen is obviously not feeling fit enough to cope with Eira and to defend her top spot. I hope that they will get together again once Dwynwen is feeling better in herself. Best treat any reunion as an introduction on neutral ground with all the trimmings.
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Thanks Wiebke. I do get the feeing it's going to be a lengthy process. It is heartbreaking on top of everything else when your little girls fall out!
 
Pogwen said:
Thanks Wiebke. I do get the feeing it's going to be a lengthy process. It is heartbreaking on top of everything else when your little girls fall out!
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HUGS

I know and I really feel for you! Just don't push with your girls as long as Dwynwen is feeling so rough. Recovery is always two steps forward and one step back, and it often doesn't go quite to plan. You are very caring and diligent owner and are doing your very best to try and make both your girls as happy as you can in this difficult time.

It is the natural response for very ill animals to mave away from the family/group/herd when they are not well; this is an instinct that has developed to ensure the survival of the group as much as possible. Dwynwen is still in that phase.
 
Thanks, that makes me confident in how we are approaching it. We will just put them in neighbouring runs about once a week for about 15 - 30 mins for now and keep spoiling both of them separately!
 
Pogwen said:
Thanks, that makes me confident in how we are approaching it. We will just put them in neighbouring runs about once a week for about 15 - 30 mins for now and keep spoiling both of them separately!
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I would either leave them completely apart or in neighbouring places. the short meetings will rather serve to upset them, as they cannot work through any issues. If you feel that Eira is unhappy, I would rather put a rag that you have wiped over Dwynwen in Eira's cage for snuggling up.
 
Good idea about the rag! They are in two separate tiers of a cage and have been for three weeks now. That seems to work and if you think just leaving them as that for now would be best then I'll do that.
 
I would wait with any meetings until Dwynwen is feeling noticeably better in herself.
 
The vet was happy with her wound yesterday but she had lost a bit of weight in the last week. I had been concerned about it and had managed to keep it stable for the three days prior. He's given us some high energy food which is a powder you mix with water. I am alternating that with the recovery food (which gives her more to chew on). She still eats bits of grass and dandelion leaf and a bite of the odd veg but is nowhere near feeding herself so I am trying to up her weight. Her metacam and zithromax doses have been nearly halved so I am hoping that may help her appetite. I am going back to the vet on thursday when, if the wound is good, the abdominal wall has thickened enough and her weight is better, he may remove the stitches which are keeping the wound open. Had her on the lawn for 5 mins in the sun and she ate a little bit of grass. I'm very worried about her weight and trying to feed her up- at least 4x a day 10ml. She has been biting at material so I have put in a little cardboard house that I gave them for short periods. She is having a real go at that. I wanted to enrich her life a bit rather than just sitting in the cage. Do you think that is ok or will it fill her up with empty calories? I won't leave it in there for long. Any other hints for getting her to eat. I am offering her little bits of everything, sometimes it works (and then after a bite or two she doesn't want it), sometimes it doesnt. Most of the time she shows interest but mouths a bit then not bothered. Others, she has a bite. X
 
it is great that things are healing off well, but the lack of appetite is a bit worrying. I hope that it is just due to the zithromax.

I would continue to top her up with hand feed, just as much as she will have after a dinner. Lots of fibre will give her the basis. You can offer a bit more energy dense rich fresh grass, sweet corn or carrot if you wish to, but the mainstay of her food intake still has to be fibre.
 
Offering her fresh grass all day- freshly cut by hand! That she does have on and off. She's showing no interest in sweet corn or carrot. Even something she has a bite of one day becomes a no go the next! Fresh hay available all the time. I'm alternating between the high energy powder food given to us by the vet and recovery food. Thanks for the advice- I welcome all of it!
 
D not doing so well today. Although I've fed her three times today (10syringes a time of high energy powder) as well as about 10 other syringes of recovery food throughout the day and tried to tempt her with all sorts she is still losing weight. I am going to do another feed now. She nibbles at bits of hay and has eaten very small pieces of veg and drinks plenty of water through a syringe. I am going to phone the vet in the morning but am without a car tomorrow and he is an hour away but will have to find a way if I have to.
 
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