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Tallulah has an abscess :(

PigglePuggle

PigglePuggle

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Poor little bat-hippo, got her out this afternoon and noticed a big lump on the back of her neck that definitely wasnt there on wednesday. So straight to the emergency vet (my vet is good, saw her within an hour of phoning, again!) And she saw head vet Clare who stuck a needle in the lump and its an abscess. Probably from the bite wounds we thought had healed fine, must have been some deeper infection despite the baytril. So double baytril until monday then surgery :(
Dr. Clare says she prefers to excise an under the skin abscess whole rather than mess about draining it, does anyone have any thoughts on that? It seems a bit extreme but I've heard on the forum about people having to drain and flush abscesses at home repeatedly then ending up with surgery and a big wound, if Clare thinks she can take it out intact straight away is that good? Its just under the skin folds on the back of her neck, about 1.5cm wide but that looks huge on a baby naked hippo piggy... poor little girl!
 
She's very little to have surgery, but she's also far too skittish for home abscess flushing, that would stress her a lot. My vet is brilliant with piggies but they havent met a skinny pig before, must remind them to keep her super warm... think she's just trying to out do Blodwen for the biggest vet bill in the first month!
I feel bad because she was sitting having lap time and eating cucumber without freaking out for once, then we had to bundle her in the car and take her to have needles stuck in her neck :(
 
Poor piggy. I wish we could explain to them we do what we do for their own good and not just on a whim!
It sounds like Tallulah is in very good hands, my vets have heat lamps to keep animals warm after surgery. I use snuggle safes once they get home, well worth investing in one if you don't have one.
 
Thanks @piggieminder we have a snuggle safe and plenty fleecy beds. I am very worried but an abscess is an abscess and needs treating asap so we'll go with what the vet recommends and hope for the best. Head vet Clare worked miracles on Blod's teeth, and neutered Theo, and saved Puggle's life when she had acute bloat, so I trust she knows what she's doing- I think if she wasnt sure she wouldnt have offered immediate surgery...
 
PigglePuggle said:
Poor little bat-hippo, got her out this afternoon and noticed a big lump on the back of her neck that definitely wasnt there on wednesday. So straight to the emergency vet (my vet is good, saw her within an hour of phoning, again!) And she saw head vet Clare who stuck a needle in the lump and its an abscess. Probably from the bite wounds we thought had healed fine, must have been some deeper infection despite the baytril. So double baytril until monday then surgery :(
Dr. Clare says she prefers to excise an under the skin abscess whole rather than mess about draining it, does anyone have any thoughts on that? It seems a bit extreme but I've heard on the forum about people having to drain and flush abscesses at home repeatedly then ending up with surgery and a big wound, if Clare thinks she can take it out intact straight away is that good? Its just under the skin folds on the back of her neck, about 1.5cm wide but that looks huge on a baby naked hippo piggy... poor little girl!
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Hi!

If your vet is confident that she can get the abscess out in one piece, then that is in any case the better option. Lancing/draining is only recommended if the abscess it too close to the surface.

Normal post-op care applies because the infection has been fully removed: Tips For Post-operative Care
 
If the vet can remove the whole capsule than that’s the very best course of action. Some of the very deep abscesses, that may be close to bone, or in vascular areas, often need marsupialising followed by flushing, but if it can be removed in its entirety, then that’s the way to go.
 
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All the best for Tallulah☺. Cant add anything, never see an abscess on a guinea pig ( now to find wood to touch)
 
Poor Tallulah! Christian came through his abscess fine and apart from a wonky willy you would never know he had it done. He needed to be syringe fed for a few days after and needed a hefty dose of Metacam to keep him pain free (can't remember the dose now and I didn't keep a note of it as I was so worried about him I was just keeping track of how much he had at each syringe feed). He also had Sullfatrim, Ranitidine and Baytril. If your vet can get out the abscess whole see if you can ask her to keep it for when you come in so you can see it (they are horribly fascinating). This was Christian's ....

Christian Abscess 1.JPGChristian Abscess 2.JPG

The vet cut it open too (it is very yukky so sorry if you are having your tea!)

 
Thanks everyone, glad my vet is doing the best thing! At least its on the back of her neck so there's plenty loose skin and she can't reach the wound after surgery. It looks exactly as if someone put a marble/broad bean under her skin, it doesnt seem attached to anything and isnt painful.
I'm just worried she's very small and exotic to have a GA... good job she's bald though or we probably wouldnt have spotted it so soon, its definitely appeared since wednesday...
 
I'm sure Tallulah will be fine. You need to catch it before it attaches to anything. Christian's had been there for a while and the vet just thought it was a harmless lump until it started growing. It had attached itself to his stomach, his femoral artery and alot of internal organs and intestines and the vet almost phoned me for permission to pts but thankfully she didn't. As you have noticed it so quickly it won't have had time to stick to anything. You trust your vet and that is important. It won't make the day any easier though.
 
Betsy said:
Poor Tallulah! Christian came through his abscess fine and apart from a wonky willy you would never know he had it done. He needed to be syringe fed for a few days after and needed a hefty dose of Metacam to keep him pain free (can't remember the dose now and I didn't keep a note of it as I was so worried about him I was just keeping track of how much he had at each syringe feed). He also had Sullfatrim, Ranitidine and Baytril. If your vet can get out the abscess whole see if you can ask her to keep it for when you come in so you can see it (they are horribly fascinating). This was Christian's ....

View attachment 108468View attachment 108469

The vet cut it open too (it is very yukky so sorry if you are having your tea!)

Click to expand...
Oh god, I'm about to eat a mozzarella pizza🤢🤣.

I have so much respect for vets being able to cut open animals and save their lives, its one thing to be able to diagnose then treat an illness, but i forget the operation parts, not only this, but they must operate on their own pets, that would be horrible
 
Piggy daddy said the thing the vet seemed most worried about was big scar it will leave, poor Tallulah already has a lovely selection of teeth mark scars, which have healed white against her chocolate skin- adding in a franken-pig neck scar with stitch marks will leave her with a very interesting look!
 
PigglePuggle said:
Piggy daddy said the thing the vet seemed most worried about was big scar it will leave, poor Tallulah already has a lovely selection of teeth mark scars, which have healed white against her chocolate skin- adding in a franken-pig neck scar with stitch marks will leave her with a very interesting look!
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She will look like a little mean machine😊.
My gerbil Casper has scarring now from the fight a few weeks ago, he has recovered fully now, but the fur where the scar is has like a parting, where some is missing.
 
PigglePuggle said:
Piggy daddy said the thing the vet seemed most worried about was big scar it will leave, poor Tallulah already has a lovely selection of teeth mark scars, which have healed white against her chocolate skin- adding in a franken-pig neck scar with stitch marks will leave her with a very interesting look!
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You will have to rename her. Instead of Hippo bat pig she will have to be known as Hippo Franken-pig:))
 
Hope she'll be ok, but she's a feisty little thing with a huge appetite and a wheek like a fire alarm, so hoping for the best! I'm going to give her unlimited pellets and extra veg until her surgery on monday to try bulk her up a bit and give her the best chance...
 
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