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Spaying Surgery Post-Op Tips and Support

WickedGirls

WickedGirls

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi guys,

For a bit of background info, my sow Glinda, who is just under 4.5 years, has recently been diagnosed with ovarian cysts on both ovaries. Our vet believes that are fairly significant in size, she found them quite quickly when she had a feel of her abdomen and then it was confirmed by ultrasound. We had taken her to the vet as she was bleeding fairly regularly, not massive amounts but enough that we noticed quickly and were worried. She is booked in for surgery in a week - we've given her one hormone injection to try and reduce them for surgery (she has still been bleeding since). We are going with surgery over the hormone injections at the advice of my vet, as Glinda is already showing clinical signs but she hasn't lost any weight and is still bright and happy so my vet thinks we should go through with surgery now rather than risk the hormone treatments not working and then surgery being riskier.

Anywhoo onto my question, I've never had to look after an animal post-op before. I've got her a fairly large box to stay in (our hutch has a built-in ramp which the vet doesn't want her trying to go up) and she will be separated from Elphie for a bit to minimize the risk of infection or wound irritation (but I'll be giving them supervised cuddle time if Glinda seems up to it). I'm going to get her critical care, ask about probiotics and someone will be home with them for at least 4 or 5 days after the surgery to keep an eye on her. Does anyone have any tips or tricks of things that might aid post-op?

Adding on, I'm confident that her vet is one of the best vets she could be seeing in our area and that if anything were to happen during surgery it would be a freak event but I can't seem to stop this anxiety/guilt about something going wrong. I know I'll feel guilty if something happened during the surgery or while she was healing because she seems happy and content at the moment BUT at the same time in 6 months or so if the hormone injections weren't working or she was going downhill I know I would feel even guiltier for not giving her a chance while she had it. I trust my vet and am comfortable that this is best for her but I'm just wondering how anyone else got over the anxiety or is it just something that won't fade until she's back to herself post-op?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post! Just a nervous first time guinea momma.
 
WickedGirls said:
Hi guys,

For a bit of background info, my sow Glinda, who is just under 4.5 years, has recently been diagnosed with ovarian cysts on both ovaries. Our vet believes that are fairly significant in size, she found them quite quickly when she had a feel of her abdomen and then it was confirmed by ultrasound. We had taken her to the vet as she was bleeding fairly regularly, not massive amounts but enough that we noticed quickly and were worried. She is booked in for surgery in a week - we've given her one hormone injection to try and reduce them for surgery (she has still been bleeding since). We are going with surgery over the hormone injections at the advice of my vet, as Glinda is already showing clinical signs but she hasn't lost any weight and is still bright and happy so my vet thinks we should go through with surgery now rather than risk the hormone treatments not working and then surgery being riskier.

Anywhoo onto my question, I've never had to look after an animal post-op before. I've got her a fairly large box to stay in (our hutch has a built-in ramp which the vet doesn't want her trying to go up) and she will be separated from Elphie for a bit to minimize the risk of infection or wound irritation (but I'll be giving them supervised cuddle time if Glinda seems up to it). I'm going to get her critical care, ask about probiotics and someone will be home with them for at least 4 or 5 days after the surgery to keep an eye on her. Does anyone have any tips or tricks of things that might aid post-op?

Adding on, I'm confident that her vet is one of the best vets she could be seeing in our area and that if anything were to happen during surgery it would be a freak event but I can't seem to stop this anxiety/guilt about something going wrong. I know I'll feel guilty if something happened during the surgery or while she was healing because she seems happy and content at the moment BUT at the same time in 6 months or so if the hormone injections weren't working or she was going downhill I know I would feel even guiltier for not giving her a chance while she had it. I trust my vet and am comfortable that this is best for her but I'm just wondering how anyone else got over the anxiety or is it just something that won't fade until she's back to herself post-op?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post! Just a nervous first time guinea momma.
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Hi!

You may find pour post-op care guide very helpful: Tips For Post-operative Care

Every operation, especially any elective one, is a jump over the cliff edge as you have to put your trust in your vet's experience. The wait for new during the operation is the worst of it. When you are feeling overwhelmed, please try to send your anxious energy as loving throughts to your piggy.

If it is any consolation for you, I am currently saving up for a spaying operation for one of my sows as well. She has been found to have a hard cyst (instead of the more normal fluid filled ones) which is going to come with a strong likelihood of going cancerous if not removed this year. It is my 6th spay over the years.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

You may find pour post-op care guide very helpful: Tips For Post-operative Care

Every operation, especially any elective one, is a jump over the cliff edge as you have to put your trust in your vet's experience. The wait for new during the operation is the worst of it. When you are feeling overwhelmed, please try to send your anxious energy as loving throughts to your piggy.

If it is any consolation for you, I am currently saving up for a spaying operation for one of my sows as well. She has been found to have a hard cyst (instead of the more normal fluid filled ones) which is going to come with a strong likelihood of going cancerous if not removed this year. It is my 6th spay over the years.
Click to expand...
Can I ask how much you have been quoted for a spay? Just in case my vet advises it for my little lady with suspected ovarian cysts. I know it varies but I just want a ball park figure.
 
Roclibrarian said:
Can I ask how much you have been quoted for a spay? Just in case my vet advises it for my little lady with suspected ovarian cysts. I know it varies but I just want a ball park figure.
Click to expand...

My spays range over the course of a decade and my last one has run into trouble (gut adhesion of a cyst) so took a lot longer and was more expensive than normal because the GA drugs are the most expensive part of the op.
I am budgeting for about £150 but with some leeway upwards in case of unexpected trouble with my experienced general vet, who specialises in rabbits, guinea pigs and cats.
 
Jemimah had an emergency spay last year at the same time as her abscess surgery.
She came through well and I can testify to the helpfulness of the Post - Op thread.
I had 4 sows at that time so I separated the cage into 2 parts and left Merab with Jemimah for company. They could still see, smell and chat to the other 2.
As Jemimah began to eat better I put a ramekin dish of her critical care in the cage to help encourage her to eat for herself.
The first day or so were stressful for me and I was so pleased the day she pooped all over me!
Just make sure the pain meds are right.
Jemimah had Loxicom & Vetegesic in the morning and another dose of Vetegesic in the evening which seemed to be a good balance.

Hope all goes well for your girl
 
Thank you for your replies and well wishes above... figured I would continue here in case anyone else has the same issues and are interested in the rest of what's happening with Glinda.

She went in for her spay on Friday and we picked her up Saturday. The spay did not go 100%, they managed to get her ovaries but not her uterus - her heart rate had started to drop and the vet ended the surgery. She woke up fine afterward and apparently pooed and ate her veggies that night. One of her ovaries was fairly malformed and measured 2x3cm. Her ovaries were around 50g. The vet also found a mass in her uterus, she can't tell if it is benign or malignant but measured at about 7mm. Her surgery to remove her uterus is booked in next week. The vet believes her ovaries may have been affecting her heart and lungs and believes the next surgery will be fine.

In terms of post-op, she's recovered really well. She was eating from the second she got in the car after leaving the vet. She's been running around, trying to jump up on my lap and has a strong appetite. Saturday night she pulled out her stitches from one of her incisions and that was open. We sent a photo through to the vet and because of the location she thought it was fine to leave until today (Monday) as long as she was kept separate from our other girl. We have been giving them some supervised time together where they are watched with their boxes restricted so we can see them the whole time. The vet today tried to glue the incision shut which didn't work, then a bandage which she got out of so she has gauze strips on it and the vet will check it at the next surgery to see if it is still open. She was given antibiotics (AR Entotril) just once a day for a few days in case the incision had become infected.

I'll keep this thread updated with how everything goes. Even though things haven't gone to plan I'm glad that what has happened has been relatively minor and she's ok. Here's hoping she recovers just as well after her next surgery!
 
WickedGirls said:
Thank you for your replies and well wishes above... figured I would continue here in case anyone else has the same issues and are interested in the rest of what's happening with Glinda.

She went in for her spay on Friday and we picked her up Saturday. The spay did not go 100%, they managed to get her ovaries but not her uterus - her heart rate had started to drop and the vet ended the surgery. She woke up fine afterward and apparently pooed and ate her veggies that night. One of her ovaries was fairly malformed and measured 2x3cm. Her ovaries were around 50g. The vet also found a mass in her uterus, she can't tell if it is benign or malignant but measured at about 7mm. Her surgery to remove her uterus is booked in next week. The vet believes her ovaries may have been affecting her heart and lungs and believes the next surgery will be fine.

In terms of post-op, she's recovered really well. She was eating from the second she got in the car after leaving the vet. She's been running around, trying to jump up on my lap and has a strong appetite. Saturday night she pulled out her stitches from one of her incisions and that was open. We sent a photo through to the vet and because of the location she thought it was fine to leave until today (Monday) as long as she was kept separate from our other girl. We have been giving them some supervised time together where they are watched with their boxes restricted so we can see them the whole time. The vet today tried to glue the incision shut which didn't work, then a bandage which she got out of so she has gauze strips on it and the vet will check it at the next surgery to see if it is still open. She was given antibiotics (AR Entotril) just once a day for a few days in case the incision had become infected.

I'll keep this thread updated with how everything goes. Even though things haven't gone to plan I'm glad that what has happened has been relatively minor and she's ok. Here's hoping she recovers just as well after her next surgery!
Click to expand...

All the best with a good recovery and her next surgery to remove the womb. Good that you have opted for the operation!

PS: I have changed the title of your thread to reflect your current needs better. You can set your own alerts of any posts on this thread by clicking on the 'watch' button at the start of the thread.
 
Best wishes, :tu:

I am closely following your thread to learn from it. I don't have much to contribute and I see experts on this site have been contributing.
 
My sow in for a spay and uterine growth op friday coming up. Hoping to god it gets sorted in one op and she recovers well. She is 3 years old a healthy 960g in weight ( shes a small framed pig anyway) my vet thinks the growth could be pressing into her gut or bowel and is what is causing her to strain when pooing( this was her first symptom that rang alarm bells, aswell as blood in pee on and off
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
My sow in for a spay and uterine growth op friday coming up. Hoping to god it gets sorted in one op and she recovers well. She is 3 years old a healthy 960g in weight ( shes a small framed pig anyway) my vet thinks the growth could be pressing into her gut or bowel and is what is causing her to strain when pooing( this was her first symptom that rang alarm bells, aswell as blood in pee on and off
Click to expand...

Hope all went well with your pig
 
Another update. Glinda had her surgery Friday week ago, she was originally supposed to have it the Monday prior but I had noticed she was loosing a bit of weight each day so the vet wanted to give her a bit more time to stabilise and she was put back on Zantac until her surgery. The second surgery went well, she supposedly took longer to go under and come out of anaesthetic but the same issues which caused the vet to have to stop the first surgery early didn’t happen. The vet also fixed the incision she had pulled open and it looks much better now. The vet says she thinks the mass in her uterus may be benign but she couldn’t be certain and we have sent it pathology.

Since her second surgery Glinda has continued to loose weight, however, I am fairly confident it has stabilised now that she is off antibiotics and onto probiotics. She seems much happier - she is more vocal and looks like a younger pig (though that might be the weight loss). She was pooping straight after the surgery and still has a massive food drive. Her and my other girl were fighting a bit the days after she got back (I think also cause Glinda was now the smaller of the two) but all seems to be calm now.

For reference Glinda was 815g prior to her first surgery and was down to around 680g before the second (she had lost 50g of ovary). She was around 660g when she came back from the second surgery and is now sitting at around 600g. I know this is small but she’s still eating and pooing and the vet checked her out before the surgery (monitored her for around 4 hours prior to make sure nothing was wrong) and says she’s healthy and we just need to make sure she just drop further. We have been trying to force feed critical care but (like most piggies I presume) hates it, we’ve only been able to get maybe 8ml down in one day and have since stopped since she’s been eating. Now we are just focusing on probiotics and getting her weight back up, but I’m glad the surgeries are over and hoping the hardest part is done.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes and hopefully this thread is helpful to someone who might be in a similar circumstance. I’ll update again if anything noteworthy happens!
 
WickedGirls said:
Another update. Glinda had her surgery Friday week ago, she was originally supposed to have it the Monday prior but I had noticed she was loosing a bit of weight each day so the vet wanted to give her a bit more time to stabilise and she was put back on Zantac until her surgery. The second surgery went well, she supposedly took longer to go under and come out of anaesthetic but the same issues which caused the vet to have to stop the first surgery early didn’t happen. The vet also fixed the incision she had pulled open and it looks much better now. The vet says she thinks the mass in her uterus may be benign but she couldn’t be certain and we have sent it pathology.

Since her second surgery Glinda has continued to loose weight, however, I am fairly confident it has stabilised now that she is off antibiotics and onto probiotics. She seems much happier - she is more vocal and looks like a younger pig (though that might be the weight loss). She was pooping straight after the surgery and still has a massive food drive. Her and my other girl were fighting a bit the days after she got back (I think also cause Glinda was now the smaller of the two) but all seems to be calm now.

For reference Glinda was 815g prior to her first surgery and was down to around 680g before the second (she had lost 50g of ovary). She was around 660g when she came back from the second surgery and is now sitting at around 600g. I know this is small but she’s still eating and pooing and the vet checked her out before the surgery (monitored her for around 4 hours prior to make sure nothing was wrong) and says she’s healthy and we just need to make sure she just drop further. We have been trying to force feed critical care but (like most piggies I presume) hates it, we’ve only been able to get maybe 8ml down in one day and have since stopped since she’s been eating. Now we are just focusing on probiotics and getting her weight back up, but I’m glad the surgeries are over and hoping the hardest part is done.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes and hopefully this thread is helpful to someone who might be in a similar circumstance. I’ll update again if anything noteworthy happens!
Click to expand...

Hi!

Glad that her second surgery so soon after has gone well.

Please consider supplement feeding her with recovery formula, as much as she will willingly take, but without forcing her to eat it to help her recovery.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Tips For Post-operative Care
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

Glad that her second surgery so soon after has gone well.

Please consider supplement feeding her with recovery formula, as much as she will willingly take, but without forcing her to eat it to help her recovery.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Tips For Post-operative Care
Click to expand...


Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve tried that but as far as I can tell she doesn’t actually like any of our feed supplements (2 flavours of critical care) except for the probiotics. I’ve tried making a slurry of critical care and leaving it in a dish, mixing it with pellets into little balls, putting it in the middle of lettuce leaves, spraying grass and putting the powered on it and drying it, mixing it with apple or carrot purée, sprinkling the powder over her feed and sprinkling some on her veggies and she refused to eat any of it and will actually dig through her pellets to get a piece from the bottom of the dish with none of it! If you have any other suggestions please let me know, particularly last week when she was loosing weight before surgery I went a little mad trying to find anyway possible to get her to eat som but the stubborn thing knows what she likes! I have been lucky that so far she seems better with the probiotic but it would be nice if I was able to get some nutritional supplements into her to bulk her back up.
 
WickedGirls said:
Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve tried that but as far as I can tell she doesn’t actually like any of our feed supplements (2 flavours of critical care) except for the probiotics. I’ve tried making a slurry of critical care and leaving it in a dish, mixing it with pellets into little balls, putting it in the middle of lettuce leaves, spraying grass and putting the powered on it and drying it, mixing it with apple or carrot purée, sprinkling the powder over her feed and sprinkling some on her veggies and she refused to eat any of it and will actually dig through her pellets to get a piece from the bottom of the dish with none of it! If you have any other suggestions please let me know, particularly last week when she was loosing weight before surgery I went a little mad trying to find anyway possible to get her to eat som but the stubborn thing knows what she likes! I have been lucky that so far she seems better with the probiotic but it would be nice if I was able to get some nutritional supplements into her to bulk her back up.
Click to expand...
Have you tried natural porridge oats?
 
WickedGirls said:
I just tried and left her with a little pile of them for about 10 minutes, she gave them a sniff but no interest in eating them and wouldn’t give them a nibble when I tried hand feeding her
Click to expand...
Try mixing with water until stodgy texture. Then add some baby food puree like ellas kitchen stuff( organic)

Tesco have deals on sometimes and if you cant make it by 4pm try t. Express
 
Last edited by a moderator:
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Try mixing with water until stodgy texture. Then add some baby food puree like ellas kitchen stuff( organic)
Click to expand...

No interest again. I tried it with both the purées I have (I bought two types last week trying to get critical care in her). I’ll leave it in for another hour or so until I go to bed just to make sure my other girl doesn’t gorge on it overnight
 
Was hoping this was the late update but unfortunately not.

So about a fortnight ago we found out Glinda didn't have cancer (it was a uterine adenoma) which was great news and I thought was the last of it. Instead of picking up weight (she had dropped down from 815 to 560 post surgeries) she started to loose weight and I noticed she wasn't eating properly. Took her back in and it was found she had a long tooth on each side pressing into her tongue, another overnight visit. Since then she had been doing ok, put back on another 20g or so but then in the past two she started eating strangely again. She loves her critical care now but would only nibble at everything else. I sent a video to her original vet (who is away) who thought she just had something stuck somewhere. We went back to the vets today and saw a different vet. After a quick feel and an x-ray it was found that all of her 10 back bottom teeth are growing down through her lower jaw bone, maligning her jaw and causing pain. The next plan of action is to get weight back on her - she is on a stronger, long-term pain med, critical care, purees and her veggies are being grated now - and then go in and remove the teeth. Vet said its just bad luck all of this has popped up at once. Poor thing can't get a break.

If anyone has any tips on how to care for a guinea pig missing so many teeth or have been through a similar surgery advice would be appreciated. Thanks for all the advice on this thread previously :nod:
 
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