Open wound/cyst maybe?

[Jenilouhoo]

Hello, after scouring the internet for advice and asking my dad, who’s a physician, I decided to ask my own question.
I’m a single mom and teacher here in Oklahoma so first off-if you know anything about education here, you already know that my income is crazy low. But these animals are my responsibility and I know that.
Anyway, when I took all these little guys in, I had no idea that they’d get hurt so damn much! I thought they’d live happily ever after in a relatively low maintenance capacity. Clearly I was wrong! So I have a dog, two cats, and within the last year, two guinea pigs and a rabbit who all hate each other and are in separate cages. Needless to say, I thought they could all be best friends and they are not. They’ve all gotten abscesses repeatedly, the rabbit got snuffles, and now George, one of my pigs has this gaping wound. I’ve been flushing it with betadine and peroxide alternating but I just read that peroxide isn’t always good for them. I’ve had about half of my income disappear due to unforeseen auto and electrical home costs this month and I don’t get paid for 3 weeks since teachers only get paid once a month. Help?!
Is there anything I can do at home to get this cleared up? I treated mites once with ivermectin and cleared it up. I’m relatively knowledgeable medically and have my dad to help me. Thanks very much and please be gentle with the judgment..I’m trying to do my best.

 

[eileen]

i understand your difficulties,this is one for the professionals.maybe you could ask your vet for a payment plan?are there any charities in the USA that may help.i hope you can get some help,your piggies wound looks sore.

 

[Freela]

That looks painful... I'm wondering if there was an abscess that burst, leaving the skin on top to die off and leave an open wound. One of my pigs had that happen following a needle biopsy of an abscess... what was underneath was a lot less raw and more of an abscess capsule, however. I totally get how much vet costs pile up and how hard it is on a low income, but I would try to get that one vet checked because I'm not sure how well it will heal on its own. If you've had to take your pets in so often, is there any chance your vet will comp you a visit? I'm in Canada, but when I had a pig with a chronic issue that required a lot of visits, my vet was good about not charging for rechecks and things like that, if only because he already had so much of my money! I hope you can work something out. In the meantime I would keep cleaning it as you're doing.

 

[Jenilouhoo]

i understand your difficulties,this is one for the professionals.maybe you could ask your vet for a payment plan?are there any charities in the USA that may help.i hope you can get some help,your piggies wound looks sore.

I don’t know of too many that do payment plans..they generally want to sign you up for a really high interest credit card and I’m not even sure if they’d approve me for that right now, but I could certainly try. I agree that it looks pretty bad. From what I’d read, that was what I was thinking too, but was hopeful maybe someone else had an idea. My dad can call in prescriptions for me sometimes but I have to sure to get the dosage right obviously since they’re significantly smaller than people!

 

[Jenilouhoo]

That looks painful... I'm wondering if there was an abscess that burst, leaving the skin on top to die off and leave an open wound. One of my pigs had that happen following a needle biopsy of an abscess... what was underneath was a lot less raw and more of an abscess capsule, however. I totally get how much vet costs pile up and how hard it is on a low income, but I would try to get that one vet checked because I'm not sure how well it will heal on its own. If you've had to take your pets in so often, is there any chance your vet will comp you a visit? I'm in Canada, but when I had a pig with a chronic issue that required a lot of visits, my vet was good about not charging for rechecks and things like that, if only because he already had so much of my money! I hope you can work something out. In the meantime I would keep cleaning it as you're doing.

That’s a thought..I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask. I think there was a smaller abscess around that area that my cat rescuing neighbor and I had doctored and we thought it had healed, but obviously not. I’m sure you’re right and it’s probably just going to need a trip to the vet. It just couldn’t come at a worse financial time and I was hoping there’d be something else I might try before a $200-400 vet bill I don’t remotely have I may just have to start working on figuring it out though. I appreciate the feedback. :-)

 

[Freela]

That’s a thought..I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask. I think there was a smaller abscess around that area that my cat rescuing neighbor and I had doctored and we thought it had healed, but obviously not. I’m sure you’re right and it’s probably just going to need a trip to the vet. It just couldn’t come at a worse financial time and I was hoping there’d be something else I might try before a $200-400 vet bill I don’t remotely have I may just have to start working on figuring it out though. I appreciate the feedback. :-)

It might be worth shopping for vets too if your current vet won't help you out, assuming they still are familiar with guinea pigs. Vet prices can differ a lot. I know my vet charges $60 for a small animal consult with a followup appointment included... obviously having any procedure done is going to cost more (sometimes a lot!), but honestly I have paid more for surgical services from less experienced vets than I have with the one I use now. It's worth calling around and asking. Best of luck to you and your little guy!

 

[Lady Kelly]

Really sorry this has happened at a bad time for you. Just to make you aware that the forum does not advocate home treatments and does not look to discuss medication dosages unless it's for discussing with the vet the appropriate level of treatment. This is largely because it is impossible to diagnose from photos and descriptions alone but also because we are simply not trained vets. We cannot tell you what medications to get your dad to order or what dosage to give. You really need to speak to a vet first but they may be able to provide a prescription only (rather than the medication) if you can get hold of it in a cheaper way. My vets did this when I need itrafungol for ringworm and it saved me around 50% of the cost by being able to order online

 

[Jenilouhoo]

Really sorry this has happened at a bad time for you. Just to make you aware that the forum does not advocate home treatments and does not look to discuss medication dosages unless it's for discussing with the vet the appropriate level of treatment. This is largely because it is impossible to diagnose from photos and descriptions alone but also because we are simply not trained vets. We cannot tell you what medications to get your dad to order or what dosage to give. You really need to speak to a vet first but they may be able to provide a prescription only (rather than the medication) if you can get hold of it in a cheaper way. My vets did this when I need itrafungol for ringworm and it saved me around 50% of the cost by being able to order online

Oh I see..that makes sense. I absolutely do not advocate for irresponsible pet ownership. I just can only do what I can do! I’ll call around and see what I can figure out today. Thanks for the suggestions and advice, friends! :-)

 

[GPTV]

Ooch! That looks sore
I know you're on a tight budget, but think he'll probably need some antibiotics to stop that getting infected, looks like quite a big open wound.
Ask the vet if you should leave it to dry out or bathe it with 'hibiscrub' if you have any or boiled, cooled water with a tiny pinch of salt dissolved in it (hardly any or it will sting like crazy!)
Zithromax is the best antibiotic for abscesses here in the UK, but it is expensive
(My Grace had a facial abscess & was on Zithromax for approx 3or4 wks orally, but it did dry up nicely after surgery - but that's only needed if it gets infected...
Come to think of it I was flushing her wound with normal oral Baytril, that might be a cheaper option to stop it getting infected? Ask the vet on that too)

Did it just appear suddenly or has it been brewing up gradually?

If you havent had him long & got him from a pet shop, you might b e able to get costs paid for - due to selling you a faulty product! (I know sounds harsh!)

Sorry but I think, the wound looks too big for home treatment & needs veterinary assistance to treat him successfully. Probably the earlier the better to aid his recovery & hopefully clear it up without getting worse/more complicated.

Fingers and paws all crossed here for a full & speedy recovery. Big hug for you too as it sounds like you need it, these little critters don't come cheap xx