Hello, my guinea pig (Denise) is having her uterus removed tomorrow (for medical reasons, not for neutering purposes). I'm nervous but she is relatively young (2.5 years) and in good general health, so I am hoping that the operation will go well.
Does anyone have advice for how to care for her afterwards? I have had one piggy operation before - Toni had a lump which was removed from her tummy area. In that case I got her a towel to sit on so it was soft whilst her stitches healed. She healed very well and quickly, despite being oldish (5 years old). She also left her stitches alone, though I'm not sure if Denise will manage to do that.
Denise lives with another guinea pig. They are good friends but Denise is the submissive one - will it be ok for them to be in the cage together when Denise gets back from having her operation?
Thank you!
My Cariad has been through a full emergency spay when her womb went wrong; she was only 700g and over 4 years old. Thankfully, she had a very good and smooth recovery, even though this op did come in the midst of major ongoing bladder issues and only months after a bladder stone operation after her calcium absorption went suddenly haywire.
What you can do to prepare for post-op care:
- have her on vet bed, light fleece or a light towel, which you change frequently (at least once daily, the same also goes for any cosies) during the first few critical days.
- Check on her at least once during the first night to make sure that she is not gnawing on her operation scar. This is VERY rare, but you need to see an out-of-hours vet asap if it happens. Have the number ready and also ask your vet how soon after the operation she can have painkiller again (it is part of the operation cocktail).
- have everything ready for syringe feeding, so you can step in if and whenever necessary. Your determined round-the-clock care can make all the difference if things don't run smoothly. You can find all the necessary tips as to how much/how often in our detailed guide.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-syringe-feeding-guide.115359/
- weigh daily at the same time on the feeding cycle instead of just weekly.
- it usually takes about 2-3 days for the body to settle after a major operation. You should hopefully see a steady improvement with every passing day. The scar should knit fully within 10-14 days.
- contact your vets promptly as soon as you notice a deterioration, noticeable discomfort or if there is persistently no appetite/further weight loss or no/very slow recovery.
Cariad with her fresh operation scar:
10 days later:
With her husboar Bryn (who was lovely with her despite being normally a dominant pig) in the hospital cage - the stimulation/support during the vet trip and post-op helped her massively. You will have to ask your vet how they stand on "paw holding (i.e. companion) piggies" while she is with them.
I returned Cariad and Bryn to their group as soon as she was back to eating fully and was well on the way to recovery on day 3; she was much happier for it. You will need to keep an eye on bullying/feeding though. If necessary, feed them separately, but the same foods.
Wishing you all the best!