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Over £900 for abscess removal?

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Bristolpiggy

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
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Location
Bristol
Hi All,

One of our dearest daughters has an abscess on her throat that needs to be removed. We have been quoted over £900 to get the problem sorted. This covers everything - blood test, anaesthesia, surgery (marsupilisation), antibiotics etc. But it still seems like a mad figure and one that we really can't afford. I unearthed a thread on here from 2023, only two years ago, it seemed people were saying around £400. Is this just a case of living in an expensive city/ attending a particularly pricey vet or is this normal in 2025? If anyone else has been in a similar situation I'd really appreciate your experience with it and what you paid (and possible vet recommendations).

Thank you!
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry your piggy has an abscess.

I’ve had a piggy with a very large tooth root abscess. I was quoted over £1,000. I managed to get my piggy in at The Cat and Rabbit Vets in Northampton. I’m in Swindon so it was about 2 hours each way. But well worth it. They operated the same day. I think it cost about £400 or a bit less. Good luck. Feel free to ask any questions.

Here’s Peppers thread if you’d like a read.

Dental? Pepper is off to the vets tomorrow
 
Welcome to the forum.
Sorry that you are dealing with an abscess.
Vet fees are very high.
If Northampton is too far for you then you could try asking local rescues Bristol Rabbit and Friends, or Little Wheekers in Avonmouth which vets they use.

A lot of vets are now owned by one of the big national groups and tend to be very expensive.
There may be a smaller independent practice which could be cheaper as well.
 
weepweeps said:
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry your piggy has an abscess.

I’ve had a piggy with a very large tooth root abscess. I was quoted over £1,000. I managed to get my piggy in at The Cat and Rabbit Vets in Northampton. I’m in Swindon so it was about 2 hours each way. But well worth it. They operated the same day. I think it cost about £400 or a bit less. Good luck. Feel free to ask any questions.

Here’s Peppers thread if you’d like a read.

Dental? Pepper is off to the vets tomorrow
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Sorry you and little Pepper had to go through that! Thank you for the info though, that's such a difference in price! Did that price include everything or just the surgery itself?
 
Merab said:
Welcome to the forum.
Sorry that you are dealing with an abscess.
Vet fees are very high.
If Northampton is too far for you then you could try asking local rescues Bristol Rabbit and Friends, or Little Wheekers in Avonmouth which vets they use.

A lot of vets are now owned by one of the big national groups and tend to be very expensive.
There may be a smaller independent practice which could be cheaper as well.
Click to expand...
Thank you, that's a really good idea, I'll send them both a message now.

Also, thanks for the welcome ^_^
 
Welcome to the forum.
That is the sort of price I've paid for operations in Bristol at Highcroft. A more invasive op like a stone removal goes into thousands. £500 for an xray and £1,200 for a scan were the prices I was quoted last year. I dread any of mine needing anything done now. I worry people won't get their pets help when they need it because of the cost.
Sending your piggy healing vibes.
I've not been able to find an independent here, the vets all seem to have been taken over by 2 of the big corporations.
 
piggieminder said:
Welcome to the forum.
That is the sort of price I've paid for operations in Bristol at Highcroft. A more invasive op like a stone removal goes into thousands. £500 for an xray and £1,200 for a scan were the prices I was quoted last year. I dread any of mine needing anything done now. I worry people won't get their pets help when they need it because of the cost.
Sending your piggy healing vibes.
I've not been able to find an independent here, the vets all seem to have been taken over by 2 of the big corporations.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Yeah, this is Highcroft too. I also worry about that. Ultimately we will pay if it we have to but that will mean getting into debt. The prices didn't used to be like this, it's really inhumane actually.
 
Bristolpiggy said:
Sorry you and little Pepper had to go through that! Thank you for the info though, that's such a difference in price! Did that price include everything or just the surgery itself?
Click to expand...
That was for a consultation, operation, pain meds and antibiotics. Then we had to go back a week later for a check up, more pain meds and more antibiotics. Which was about £100.
 
piggieminder said:
Welcome to the forum.
That is the sort of price I've paid for operations in Bristol at Highcroft. A more invasive op like a stone removal goes into thousands. £500 for an xray and £1,200 for a scan were the prices I was quoted last year. I dread any of mine needing anything done now. I worry people won't get their pets help when they need it because of the cost.
Sending your piggy healing vibes.
I've not been able to find an independent here, the vets all seem to have been taken over by 2 of the big corporations.
Click to expand...
Yes it's disgusting what vets charge nowadays and this is one of the main reasons I started finding healing frequencies on Youtube, both for their preventative and curative properties, all for free!

I now have a whole playlist of them for the pigs for all different types of 'potential' piggy illnesses (digestive, dental, infections, injuries etc), though of course we would always take our boys to the vets if needed!
 
I share @piggieminder ‘s concern that people just won’t be able to afford vet care in future.
Before we moved I was chatting to a receptionist in the vet practice we went to.
They had been taken over by one of the big 2 and prices had skyrocketed.
The receptionist said they didn’t get any wage increase out of it but we agreed that people would be unable to afford proper vet care, or wouldn’t have all the extra tests done.
I was quoted £1500 for a scan which I declined but I knew that Phoebe’s tumour was terminal so a scan wouldn’t tell me anything new.

We were lucky to find an independent vet when we moved so prices are much more reasonable.
It’s so wrong to put put profit before pets’ wellbeing and add stress to worried owners
 
A few years ago it was a 2 week wait for an appointment and we often had to find somewhere to park in a nearby street as the carpark was full. Most times now I can get a same/next day appointment and the carpark is half empty.
I feel this is very telling although the dog and cat people may be going elsewhere as there is more choice for them.
 
It's so bleak. We will pay it, because we've asked around and been advised they are the best in the area for exotics. We all know pets are expensive and vets are expensive and it's a responsibility you take on when you decide to get a pet, but I wish the government would step in and put a cap on what they can charge.

Anyway, thanks everyone for the tips! May everyone's pigs be well x
 
Carson had an op last week in University of Liverpool Vet Practice to remkve a cyst around his back. It cost us around £640 for the op, blood test (to test if he is diabetic coz he suddenly got cataracts) and meds. But we do have pet insurance from Exotic Direct so we're expecting to get the money back. The rising vet costs really made hubby decide to get the pet insurance during the start of Covid. I think he also got it coz it was on offer that time. It used to be like £30 every pet, but now it's like a certain amount for the first pet and an add-on amount for the 2nd pet. Hubby said he currently pays £28 monthly for both our piggies.
 
GuineaDobbin said:
Hi @Bristolpiggy , If you are willing to cross the bridge into Wales; Origin Vets Clinic in Cardiff are cavvy-savvy. I've not used them myself but they are associated with vets I use and trust. With the quote you have it's definitely worth a phone call at least!
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Thanks! She's already booked in now but we will definitely bare this in mind should she or her sister get sick again.
 
To update - the surgery seemed to go well, although they said it was a complicated one and took an hour. The first few days following she seemed her normal self pretty much, maybe a little less zoomy but still excited for food and running up and down her ramp. I guess it was the weekend when we noticed she was very swollen. We weren't really sure how worried to be or whether that just happens after a surgery. We took her in yesterday for her post-op checkup and they said it was concerning and they drained it. It's a seroma apparently. She was dopey when she got back so I'm not sure if they sedated her or if she was just in pain. She ate but not a lot. Then we gave her the antibiotics we have been given. This morning she hasn't touched her veggies, possibly because the antibiotics are making her queasy? (we will feed her before the antibiotics next time). But it's pretty concerning, she doesn't seem happy at all, she's just sitting in one spot with zero interest in food. The vet gave us probiotic powder to put in their water but she hasn't had a drop of that either. They warned us the fluid might build up again, and I feel like that's already starting to happen. She's not as swollen as she was when we took her in but there is swelling. Do we just have to keep bringing her in to get it drained? I'm not sure how this issue ends :-(
 
I'm sorry it's not gone smoothly.

What painkillers/dose is she on?
Have you started syringe feeding? You should add your prebiotic to that imo
Have you got a gut stimulant? Emeprid or similar

The sooner you start syringe feeding the better. There is an excellent guide on the forum.

I don't have experience of seroma but hopefully someone will, be along to advise on that soon.
 
I'm sorry you and your poor girl are having these problems. Are you syringe feeding her. I am surprised they have given you probiotics for her water, that is not recommended as you don't know how much of any they have had and may put them off drinking. Highcroft have always recommended Fibreplex to me, they have some new vets there recently who seem to have some different ideas to what I have been used to!

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Probiotics & Live Gut Microbiome Transfer ('Poo Soup'); Recovery Formula Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links and Transfer Recipe
 
These are the medications:
12 ml Metronidazole Susp 200mg/5ml, Dispensed
Give 0.42ml TWICE a day by mouth.

5 ml Baytril 10% Oral (poultry) 100ml, Dispensed
Give 0.16ml TWICE a day by mouth.

And the supplement: 1 Tub Pro C Professional 100G, Dispensed (I don't know why they didn't give us Fibreplex)

She has had her 'cereal' (pellets) this morning so has eaten a bit. We typically give them their veggie course a little later in the morning. We fed her antibiotics in between which I think was a mistake. This evening we will feed her before giving antibiotics, and if she is still turning her nose up at it, we do have critical care that we can syringe feed her. Just hate seeing her like this :-(
 
It doesn't sound like she's been given any pain relief? Metronidazole and baytril are antibiotics.
I'd check with the vet. She's likely to be in pain without them!
 
Good lord, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say she should be on painkillers but... she should! Many vets underprescribe pain meds for piggies, especially after surgery.

It is positive that she has eaten something of her own volition, you have to give her medication sometime so don't feel guilty about that. Definitely give the prebiotic directly, given her substantial antibiotics she is on.
 
Wheekallweek said:
It doesn't sound like she's been given any pain relief? Metronidazole and baytril are antibiotics.
I'd check with the vet. She's likely to be in pain without them!
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She was given pain relief, Meloxaid, after the surgery and is still taking that. Sorry, should've said. She tolerates that okay.

These are the new medications she was given yesterday.
 
I’m so sorry you’re going through this.

What dosage of pain killers is she on? What’s her weight and are the pain meds twice a day?

Antibiotics can hinder appetite. I’d definitely start weighing her daily and start syringe feeding and watering. Put the pro C into the critical care. After a syringe feed offer something else to eat (hay, veggies) as it usually kick starts the appetite. Keep her nice and warm but not too hot. Do you have a snuggle safe? If so half heat that.

I googled seroma. It’s fluid leaking into a pocket. Does that mean she will become dehydrated if she is losing a lot of fluid? If you are worried get her seen again by the vet.

Sending you hugs. It’s a stressful time. ❤️
 
weepweeps said:
I’m so sorry you’re going through this.

What dosage of pain killers is she on? What’s her weight and are the pain meds twice a day?

Antibiotics can hinder appetite. I’d definitely start weighing her daily and start syringe feeding and watering. Put the pro C into the critical care. After a syringe feed offer something else to eat (hay, veggies) as it usually kick starts the appetite. Keep her nice and warm but not too hot. Do you have a snuggle safe? If so half heat that.

I googled seroma. It’s fluid leaking into a pocket. Does that mean she will become dehydrated if she is losing a lot of fluid? If you are worried get her seen again by the vet.

Sending you hugs. It’s a stressful time. ❤️
Click to expand...
Thanks x

She is on .35 twice a day, not sure her weight off the top of my head but when they weighed her yesterday she had lost a bit since the op. I will add the probiotics to the critical care, thanks for the suggestion. Good point about the fluid too, I'll try to syringe her some water.

The vet also recommended cold compresses three times a day for the swelling.

Will monitor and call vet tomorrow if no improvement. She did just eat some lettuce (won't eat anything else, but still a step in the right direction)
 
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