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Neutering

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Jess

Jess

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Need loads of advise about neutering.

How long does it take to heal up?

What's the worst to happen?

How do I prepare?

What will I need?
 
It's a big decision to make so I am glad you are asking other forum members for advice. From my point of view, you need to make sure you discuss it with a vet you are confident with.
I had 2 boars (Max and Monty) last year and decided to get them neutered when they were not getting on. I went to a local vet that was recommended to me (not by anyone on this forum). Unfortunately, poor Monty developed an internal abscess . He went back for further surgery to drain it and had several courses of antibiotics. The abscess never cleared and I had to make the awful decision of having him PTS. Max recovered well and now has 2 girlfriends - Bess and Sparkle . I will never forget Monty . However, when I see Max interacting with Bess & Sparkle, I know having him neutered has improved his quality of life and I am therefore pro neutering.
 
Assuming we're talking about males...

1) initially 10-14 days. However, they are susceptible to abscesses for many months afterwards. One of mine had abscesses relatively soon after his castration, and he was still getting them after 6 months.

2) Death. Be it while under anaesthetic or post op due to complications. An experienced vet with a good nursing team, and close monitoring after the surgery by you will help reduce the chances of anything bad happening. Being aware of the potential problems and being prepared will help a lot (having some syringes and critical care on hand incase of anorexia etc.)

3 & 4) research your vet well. Use a recommended vet if possible. Restricting rest after surgery can aid recovery. Mine recovered in an 80cm cage so minimal running around could be done. A selection of foods (veg, nuggets, "treat" hays, syringe food) incase you need to encourage them to eat. Probiotics are also a good thing to have to hand.

You would expect them to be sent home with pain relief and most likely antibiotics. They're usually given antibiotics prophylactically as the wound is so close to the ground and they do bum drag and things.

Fibre free bedding is important - fleece or vet bed is good, ideally in a light colour so that you can see if there's any bleeding. A couple of pieces will be needed so that the cage can be kept very clean to minimise any infection
 
I can't comment on the bad things that can happen as fortunately I have been very lucky. I have had three neuters all of which were sucessful no serious issues. I had them on fleece with hay only in racks and frantically picked up every scrap of hay that fell on floor so as not to let it get caught. I also bought the paper bedding for hammies for litter trays which I changed daily and fleece was cleaned every other day.

one of my pigs (think it was george) chewed his stitches and made it bleed a little but luckily no infections as they were on baytril as a preventative measure!

Good luck with whatever you decide x
 
I think the key to a problematic free neutering is to find a very experienced vet who regularly does guinea pig neuters. I have had a large number of males castrated over the years and have had no problems whatsoever. In fact they have all been very well straight after the op, and apart from having a little stitch either side you wouldn't know they had anything done. However, I frequently see posts about post op neuter problems, with abscesses being one of the major issues. Please don't rush into this and get as much information from any vet you are considering using.
 
I'm confident with my vet and have already spoke with my vet and nurse. Once it comes closer to the time I will be having a in depth discussion... They also gave me a pretty good quote but like suggested above I will be insisting on post antibotics and pain killers so I don't mind paying for that extra.
I have also asked at my vet and they have a very positive success rate with neutering guineas and said to bare in my mind possible death due to be a small animal.
I don't plan to do it for awhile
 
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