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Spaying on Friday

Dill&Pepper

Dill&Pepper

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
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Location
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Pepper’s being spayed on Friday :(. Took her to the vets this morning after she started peeing blood again, the third time this year. Previously vet had thought she could feel an ovarian lump but there was nothing on the ultrasound so decided not to operate. This time the ultrasound showed a 2cm fluid-filled lump so decided spaying was the best course of action. Bleeding doesn’t improve with metacam or antibiotics and is a constant trickle of fresh blood rather than just when she pees, so we’re thinking it’s coming from ovaries rather than bladder.

The last pig I had spayed for cysts ended up having kidney failure straight after the op and I lost her about 3 weeks later, so not thrilled at the idea of Peps going under.

Also can’t decide what to do about company for her - they’re a herd of 3, and don’t all comfortably fit in the carrier. She’s top pig but quite nervous and skittish so I’d like to send her with a friend. If I send her with Pickle then Pollyanna will be fine home alone because she’s quite confident, but Pickle is the bottom of the pecking order and also nervous of strangers so I’m not sure she’ll be a reassuring presence. If I send Pollyanna with Pepper then they’ll both be fine, but Pickle will get very upset at being at home alone for the whole day. What’s the best compromise?
 
I'd send the one who can help Pepper more.
I'm sure you can cheer up Peckle with some of her fave veggies once you come back home! Good luck and I hope everything goes smoothly for Pepper!
 
Dill&Pepper said:
Pepper’s being spayed on Friday :(. Took her to the vets this morning after she started peeing blood again, the third time this year. Previously vet had thought she could feel an ovarian lump but there was nothing on the ultrasound so decided not to operate. This time the ultrasound showed a 2cm fluid-filled lump so decided spaying was the best course of action. Bleeding doesn’t improve with metacam or antibiotics and is a constant trickle of fresh blood rather than just when she pees, so we’re thinking it’s coming from ovaries rather than bladder.

The last pig I had spayed for cysts ended up having kidney failure straight after the op and I lost her about 3 weeks later, so not thrilled at the idea of Peps going under.

Also can’t decide what to do about company for her - they’re a herd of 3, and don’t all comfortably fit in the carrier. She’s top pig but quite nervous and skittish so I’d like to send her with a friend. If I send her with Pickle then Pollyanna will be fine home alone because she’s quite confident, but Pickle is the bottom of the pecking order and also nervous of strangers so I’m not sure she’ll be a reassuring presence. If I send Pollyanna with Pepper then they’ll both be fine, but Pickle will get very upset at being at home alone for the whole day. What’s the best compromise?
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Fingers very firmly crossed!
Tips For Post-operative Care
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Take the piggy that Pepper is happier with or leave both companions together at home if you feel that it is causing more problems if only one of them is going with Pepper.
 
Thank you. We’ve got good news so far, the op went well and she’s awake and lively. Hospital cage is set up and waiting, I’ve just sectioned off a 2x1 grid space so she can see the other two through the bars. I decided in the end it was easiest to just take her by herself so the other two stay calmer and hopefully are a better influence when she gets home.

I pick her up at 6.30!
 
Healing vibes and wheeks! Especially from Blodwen pig who also had surgery today but nothing as dramatic as a spay, she just got her dodgy teethies fixed :)
 
Mixed news. She’s home, ok but feeling (understandably) sorry for herself. Bad news is that it wasn’t straightforward ovarian cysts, there was one big mass inside her uterus and a couple of smaller ones. Vet thinks she got it all out, and that it’s probably benign, but of course can’t tell by looking. It does however explain the bleeding symptoms.

Need to decide whether we want them to send it off or not...
 
Oh gosh, poor Pepper. I'm crossing all fingers for her.
 
Betsy said:
Difficult decision but surely it's better to know what you're dealing with?
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It’s partly a financial decision - I’ve spent literally thousands of pounds at the vets this year, and at least a few hundred on various lab tests that have generally come back inconclusive. Finding out what it is won’t change her treatment, and is just for our peace of mind really so not necessarily the best use of money...
 
Dill&Pepper said:
It’s partly a financial decision - I’ve spent literally thousands of pounds at the vets this year, and at least a few hundred on various lab tests that have generally come back inconclusive. Finding out what it is won’t change her treatment, and is just for our peace of mind really so not necessarily the best use of money...
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I’m with you on this decision. The result will give you either peace of mind or just further worries. It will not change the treatment so I’d be tempted to save my pennies, too.
I’m sure she is feeling lousy. GA and a sore abdomen. Hope you’ve got plenty of pain relief for her and can get her back eating again soon.
 
Sending healing vibes to Pepper.

I'm with you on saving your pennies. We are in the same boat with Bracken, the vet fees have gone over £3,000 this year and I need to build the piggie savings fund back up. Bracken had stone surgery and still has the squeaky pooping he had that originally allerted us to a problem. He's had scans, xrays, biopsies, blood tests, fecal tests, urine tests (I probaly missed some) no reason can be found.
 
Thanks for all the good wishes. She’s not had a great night, very subdued and sore. Not really eating so I’m syringing but she’s not taking it well, getting very stressed and wriggly and I’m worried about hurting her abdomen more. Soaking pellets now to try in case she’s just off critical care. She’s taking bio-lapis in water better, but it’s not a replacement for food.

She’s on 0.22ml of dog loxicom x2 a day, is that the maximum for a pig weighing 1.05kg?
 
Dill&Pepper said:
Thanks for all the good wishes. She’s not had a great night, very subdued and sore. Not really eating so I’m syringing but she’s not taking it well, getting very stressed and wriggly and I’m worried about hurting her abdomen more. Soaking pellets now to try in case she’s just off critical care. She’s taking bio-lapis in water better, but it’s not a replacement for food.

She’s on 0.22ml of dog loxicom x2 a day, is that the maximum for a pig weighing 1.05kg?
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Speak to your vet. My girls had bigger doses post op plus they had additional pain relief, too.
 
You can also try syringing or spoon feeding some baby food like Ella’s kitchen (or similar). I’ve used those to keep getting food into a poorly post op piggy.
 
Dill&Pepper said:
Thanks for all the good wishes. She’s not had a great night, very subdued and sore. Not really eating so I’m syringing but she’s not taking it well, getting very stressed and wriggly and I’m worried about hurting her abdomen more. Soaking pellets now to try in case she’s just off critical care. She’s taking bio-lapis in water better, but it’s not a replacement for food.

She’s on 0.22ml of dog loxicom x2 a day, is that the maximum for a pig weighing 1.05kg?
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My Bill has recently been prescribed Dog Loxicom for broken incisors at .25 ml twice a day, he weighs 1230 gms if that helps?
 
That pain relief dose seems low. My piggy is on 0.8 of dog Metacam twice a day and this isn't even for pain relief, just a blocked tear duct. We use Ashleigh vets who are highly recommend on the forum. Mavis does weigh 1.3kg. I would definitely speak to your vet, if your piggy is in pain she won't eat
 
YvonneBlue said:
That pain relief dose seems low. My piggy is on 0.8 of dog Metacam twice a day and this isn't even for pain relief, just a blocked tear duct. We use Ashleigh vets who are highly recommend on the forum. Mavis does weigh 1.3kg. I would definitely speak to your vet, if your piggy is in pain she won't eat
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Christian was on the same dose @YvonneBlue after his op.
 
I’ve spoken to the on-duty vet who says she’s on the maximum dose and that it’s not surprising she’s uncomfortable, I just have to monitor her.

My practice has a really fantastic exotic specialist who did the surgery yesterday and who is my go-to with any of the piggies, unfortunately because it’s the weekend she’s not working and the vet who’s on is one I really don’t trust.

The exotics specialist knows that I kind of know what I’m doing with the pigs, so if I say she looks like she needs something extra she’d take it seriously. The vet today just fobbed me off - so annoying.

Still minimal luck with the syringe feeding, not moving or touching hay but she will eat some coriander from my hand so I’m slightly happier. And she’s the same weight as last evening which is something.
 
Quick update - she did improve over the weekend but is still very quiet and dropped a little bit of weight (30g/day for 3 days, now stabilized). I took her to see the exotics specialist who agrees she’s sore, and has given us some tramadol to have in addition to the twice daily loxicom.

So good to have a vet that really listens to your concerns and takes them seriously.
 
When Jemimah was spayed she was on .5 ml of Loxicom once a day plus Vetegesic twice a day. It came in individual syringes and I can’t remember the dosage.
Syringe feeding was difficult at first as she resisted.
I gave her a piece of cucumber after every syringe feed to try and encourage her.

It’s not an easy time looking after a post- op piggy.
Holding you and Pepper in my thoughts
 
Sorry to hear she's having a rough time. I agree with Vicki in terms of the Ella's kitchen baby pouches. O haven't used them with piggies but we looked after my sister in law's degu who was dental a few years back. I found a recipe online for one of the Ella's kitchen pouches, some pellets, some oats, peanut butter and herbs/dandelion leaves. I used an electric coffee grinder to blitz the dry ingredients, mixed with the wet ingredients and little cheeks lapped it right up. Obviously you can't give a piggy the exact same but there's no harm in finely chopped herbs or putting some baby food in a syringe mix to encourage them to eat more
 
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