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Peaches Being Neutered

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For a poorly "boarly" boar recovering from a neutering op:....(think man-flu)

a) syringe feed - you are doing this - lots of them will take it off the spoon. The effort of crunching dry nuggets 24-48hrs post is just "not on" for a "boarly" boar who has just lost his prize possessions and is still woozy from the GA

b) provide water in a bowl rather than rely on a bottle - you are doing this - again the effort to drink from a bottle rather than a bowl is just "not on" for a boarly boar who has just lost etc etc

c) Consider appropriate Bedding/substrate - You are doing this. Owing to the proximity to the ground of boars tummies/boarly bits - there is a risk of infection of the wound area if the ground is not kept scrupulously clean.
"Boarly boars" will still try and scent and drag their bums and nether regions over everything! Any type of fibrous material (ie hay/cotton etc) can contribute to wound infection
Litter such as shavings/auboise/hemp etc are out.
Hay needs to be kept off the ground....or stuff it into a toilet roll tube to minimise its distribution throughout the cage.
Vet bed/fleece is good providing it doesn;t shed lint.
FWIW - my vets use newspaper sheets for pigs recovering from neutering and lower abdominal ops......but the pig is in a temp-controlled room at a constant 20degC.
I personally use puppy pads and soft paper bedding from P@H

d) MOST IMPORANTLY - DIET AND OUTPUT
Monitor poo and pee output and weight
Weigh daily.
Any drop in weight of over 50g in a 24hr period or change in his poo formation (or pee output) means you need to go back to the vet.
Be aware that introducing greens too early after an op can cause gut issues (especially if they are not eating for themselves and need softened nuggets etc). Give him 48hrs before feeding him a "normal veggie meal". If you think his poo output/gut is not functioning normally then ask a vet for gut stimulants (metoclopromide/zantac .....and cisparide) to help him through the critical phase.

e) Pain relief.....IS ESSENTIAL..without it they will not eat enough/have gut problems (normally metacam is prescribed)
f) Watch out 2-5 weeks post op for swelling/lumps in his nether regions - occasionally a post-op abcess can develop and the sooner it is found and dealt with the better.

HTH
x
 
Peaches is doing much better today. He has gone back into his cage with fleece bedding. He is eating a little hard food but still licks wet food off a spoon. He is drinking out off a syringe and sometimes his water bottle. His staples look fine and I'm checking it twice a day. He takes his pain killers everyday and he loves then but he hates his antibiotics. All in all he is doing just fine. He was delighted being back in his own bed aswell. He is still quite dozy but is but wakes up when I go and check him.
 
I forgot to say that the vet said that he can go back in with the girls once his staples are taken out which is Thursday week. Should I do what thevet says or wait 6 weeks?
 
Cavy Lover said:
I forgot to say that the vet said that he can go back in with the girls once his staples are taken out which is Thursday week. Should I do what thevet says or wait 6 weeks?
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My Tegan, whose dad is an over 5 weeks post op neutered boar, says very much "WAIT"! At two weeks post op, over half of the boars are safe, but when playing statistics, there is nothing to say in which group your boy is. You have not gone through all the hassle to risk your sows' life with a late first time pregnancy.

It is sadly a fact that many vets seem to be simply unaware that births can happen until very late and that they seem to be unable to grasp the importance of the very crucial difference between "mostly safe" and "totally safe"! As you can see with Tegan's case, this applies to whether the risk is 50% or 99.9%... It can really happen, and it can happen to you!
Tegan's mum Tesni was thankfully at a very good age and in fine fettle; all it took was two days on the lawn with a supposedly safe boar getting ready for his forever home to get rid of his first excitement at meeting girls (which can be a bit over the top) and Tesni coming into season at the wrong time. The rescue lady this happened to was MOST upset. Tegan was born here 10 days after I'd rehomed her mum and auntie. :(
 
Four days after his operation and Peaches is not eating or drinking but he is eating hay and fruit and veggies. He is also refusing syringe food but like syringe water and his medication which is a problem otherwise he is fine and so are his staples.
 
Cavy Lover said:
Four days after his operation and Peaches is not eating or drinking but he is eating hay and fruit and veggies. He is also refusing syringe food but like syringe water and his medication which is a problem otherwise he is fine and so are his staples.
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Please weigh him daily to make sure that he is getting enough food. See a vet if there is further deterioration.
 
Cavy Lover said:
Ok I'll weigh him first thing tomorrow.
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Always weigh him daily at the same time in the feeding cycle for the most reliable results. Any loss of appetite/loss of weight can indicate a problem. If necessary, contact the vet or see an out-of-hours vet if the appetite goes completely. This can be a sign of an infection, bad abscess or another post-op complication.
 
Cavy Lover said:
Just weighed Peaches and he is 700g and he is 1 year old.
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He is a bit on the small side, but guinea pigs have the ability to catch up on lost ground until they are about two years old, so unless peaches is genetically small, he still has plenty of time to make the best of what he's got. ;)
 
He is fine. I just got back from the pet shop where I got a different brand of food for him. Hopefully he will like that and he is eating veggies and hay and drinking water.
 
Cavy Lover said:
He is fine. I just got back from the pet shop where I got a different brand of food for him. Hopefully he will like that and he is eating veggies and hay and drinking water.
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I think you are looking after him very well - it's such a worry when guinea pigs are poorly.
 
This morning when I went into the pigs to check on them. I noticed that Peaches had eaten his bowl of food, all his hay and half a bottle of water. I was so happy and he got super cuddles. Basically I'm just saying that Peaches is doing very well.
 
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