Overactive grease gland

[dannif_piggies]

So health checks completed and it seems like Misty has a bit of an overactive grease gland and she had quite a lot of yellow gunk in that area. I cleaned it away, but a load of fur came away with it (I was super gentle)
I've never dealt with grease gland problems before. Is there anything I can do to help this patch? The skin looks healthy, maybe a little pinker but I had been rubbing at it. Is an infection likely? Is there anything I can do to prevent this.

 

[Siikibam]

Don’t rub at the grease gland. You can use a little coconut oil and rub in. Then wash off. Or wipe her with cotton wool and warm water/bum bath.
Bathing (including cleaning grease glands)
You can’t prevent it. Some piggies just have one more active than others.

 

[dannif_piggies]

Don’t rub at the grease gland. You can use a little coconut oil and rub in. Then wash off. Or wipe her with cotton wool and warm water/bum bath.
Bathing (including cleaning grease glands)
You can’t prevent it. Some piggies just have one more active than others.

Rubbing is probably the wrong term, more wiping, I just meant I'd been cleaning the area. I just used water and a cotton pad, with a little amount of Gorgeous Guineas shampoo.

I was more concerned how her hair came out in that area

 

[PigglePuggle]

Unless there are obvious bald patches or she seems sore I shouldnt worry, I've seen a similar thing cleaning Piggle's mucky grease gland and I think fur they would normally shed stays glued on with bum grease, so when you loosen the crud clumps of gunky fur come off- just check she isnt getting sore there! If Piggle's is very gunky I massage in a little olive oil to loosen the grease then give her a bum bath with gorgeous guineas shampoo

 

[dannif_piggies]

Unless there are obvious bald patches or she seems sore I shouldnt worry, I've seen a similar thing cleaning Piggle's mucky grease gland and I think fur they would normally shed stays glued on with bum grease, so when you loosen the crud clumps of gunky fur come off- just check she isnt getting sore there! If Piggle's is very gunky I massage in a little olive oil to loosen the grease then give her a bum bath with gorgeous guineas shampoo

There is a bald patch where all the gunk was, plain pink skin. It looks completely healthy apart from that.
In all honesty, I've never really included the grade gland in part of the regular health check, I guess I was naive about sows having grease gland problems too

 

[PigglePuggle]

Yes it was a surprise to me when Lady Piggle started getting a mucky bum gland, we took her straight to the vet who assured us it was nothing to worry about. A bald patch is a bit unusual unless this is the gland area itself? But if it isnt sore and she isnt biting it and if she has no other bald areas I wouldnt worry

 

[dannif_piggies]

Yes it was a surprise to me when Lady Piggle started getting a mucky bum gland, we took her straight to the vet who assured us it was nothing to worry about. A bald patch is a bit unusual unless this is the gland area itself? But if it isnt sore and she isnt biting it and if she has no other bald areas I wouldnt worry

Idek where the "gland" area is? I feel like such a guinea pig novice It's literally right at the back, in the middle, I guess like where her spine would end. Can you see a grease gland? Omg I feel so stupid

 

[PigglePuggle]

Yes thats it- in the middle, at the back, right at the base of the spine
Dont worry you cant often see it in many piggies, unless it gets gunky!

 

[dannif_piggies]

Yes thats it- in the middle, at the back, right at the base of the spine
Dont worry you cant often see it in many piggies, unless it gets gunky!

I do think the bald patch is larger than the gland itself, but she has no other baldness, and the hair was there before I cleaned it, she moults much more than my other girls so maybe it's a combination of the wiping/old hair that hasn't shed/the grease maybe loosening some up. Just going to keep an eye on it, make sure it doesn't get sore or infected.

She really doesn't seem bothered by it at all

 

[dannif_piggies]

@PigglePuggle sorry bothering you again, with your girl, did she always have an overactive gland? Misty is just over a year old is it normal when a sow does have an overactive gland for it to be a life long thing? Should I be concerned that she's only just over a year?

 

[PigglePuggle]

No problem Piggle developed an overactive grease gland at about 18 months old, and for about 3 or 4 months it was pretty grim, last summer I was washing her bum every 2 weeks during the heatwave after I saw a fly land on her bum and worried about flystrike! Then Piggle being our cleverest piggy seemed to make the connection that a mucky bum equals a bum bath, and started cleaning herself better. She still has a slightly sticky yellow patch where her tail would be if she had one, but she keeps it quite clean herself, I check it weekly and if her fur gets clumpy and brown she gets a bum bath, but its about every month or two now! Our vet pointed out that Piggle is young and agile enough to clean her own bum area if she wants to, but she might like making her presence felt by some extra smelly scent marking, which is why she lets her bum gland get so sticky

 

[dannif_piggies]

Thanks for that! All the information I could see on the forum was of older sows having issues. Honey did start getting the slightest amount of grease in her old age, but nothing too bad at all, and nothing compared to what Misty had today. Maybe Mistys wasn't even that bad, but I just wasn't expecting it and so my head has made me think it's much worse and felt as if I'd neglected her bum

I'll be sure to keep a closer eye on that region now. Especially with summer coming I don't want any unwanted visitors using it as a host site

So if needs be, bi-weekly bum baths are okay?

 

[PigglePuggle]

Thanks for that! All the information I could see on the forum was of older sows having issues. Honey did start getting the slightest amount of grease in her old age, but nothing too bad at all, and nothing compared to what Misty had today. Maybe Mistys wasn't even that bad, but I just wasn't expecting it and so my head has made me think it's much worse and felt as if I'd neglected her bum

I'll be sure to keep a closer eye on that region now. Especially with summer coming I don't want any unwanted visitors using it as a host site

So if needs be, bi-weekly bum baths are okay?

If necessary, in warm weather, but as our vet pointed out, if she wants a smelly bum she'll just make it smelly again straight after you wash it! In some cases over cleaning can stimulate more grease production, but I asked around on the forum when this first happened with Piggle, and was advised that bum baths every 2 or 3 weeks are fine in summer if you have a grease gland issue

 

[dannif_piggies]

If necessary, in warm weather, but as our vet pointed out, if she wants a smelly bum she'll just make it smelly again straight after you wash it! In some cases over cleaning can stimulate more grease production, but I asked around on the forum when this first happened with Piggle, and was advised that bum baths every 2 or 3 weeks are fine in summer if you have a grease gland issue

Okay perfect, I'll keep a close eye on it, seeing as t hasn't really been part of my weekly checks, this may well have been over a much longer period than thought. Don't want to do more damage than good