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Two boars and upcoming neutering

Rivervixen

Rivervixen

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Hi all,
Once my vet clears Ozzy of chest infection this Friday an appointment will be made for my two boys to be neutered. I’m incredibly worried and clueless as to how to take care of them post op. Also leaving them there for the day has me very worried as I’ve never been without them for more than a couple of hours. Any advice is appreciated xx
 
Rivervixen said:
Hi all,
Once my vet clears Ozzy of chest infection this Friday an appointment will be made for my two boys to be neutered. I’m incredibly worried and clueless as to how to take care of them post op. Also leaving them there for the day has me very worried as I’ve never been without them for more than a couple of hours. Any advice is appreciated xx
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Hi!

All the best! Ideally any neutered boars should just carry on as normal; they will be a bit sore on the day after the op but they shouldn't need any support care apart from pain medication and - depending on the operation method - antibiotics as directed by your vet once the operation medication has worn off. Take cosies that have the familiar feel and scent so they can wake up in them; that will help to de-stress them. Also take a little of their favourite veg etc.

Here is our post-op care guide. Please keep in mind that this guide has been written to primarily help members encountering post-op complications and does not necessarily reflect the average recovery: Tips For Post-operative Care

Here is our neutering op guide. It contains a chapter (at the end) with videos and pictures of a normal problem-free recovery. Please read that chapter first if you are apprehensive because it also contains a list of possible post-op neutering complications to help those who encounter them. Then look at the last chapter again... ;)
With more good neutering/small furries vets and a steady increase in operations (and therefore practice), fatalities have come down a lot over the last decade. There is also access to stronger antibiotics etc. re. complications.
Overfeeding/overweight is generally the biggest risk factor in pet neutering.
Neutering operations: Considerations, post-op care and a successful recovery example
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Thank you so much!
the one question I have ontop of the information you’ve given me is: will I be ok to still handle them as normal? (I’m of course very gentle with my boys)
 
And also another (sorry for not including) where would you purchase recovery formulas and probiotics?
 
Rivervixen said:
Thank you so much!
the one question I have ontop of the information you’ve given me is: will I be ok to still handle them as normal? (I’m of course very gentle with my boys)
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Handling is generally not an issue as the incisions from a good vet trained in modern operating techniques are usually very small; just as long as you don't put any pressure on the operated area.
You usually need to handle for medication, daily checks or - if things are really going badly, which I hope they won't - for support feeding anyway. :)

Combining that with your usual cuddle is a good idea. Keep your piggies as much to their usual daily routine as possible.

You can order support feed etc. online from any of the veterinary suppliers/online pharmacies like vetuk, hyperdrug, viovet or animed.
Amazon or ebay also have them, but I would be a bit wary over quality.
 
Nothing medical to add, but just wanted to say please let us know how it all goes. We are all here to offer support for you and your boys.
 
I think it’ll be about two weeks but preparing beforehand as this is a huge thing. I’ll keep you updated :hug:
 
We will be here to support you when the time comes. I think it’s a great idea to have the recovery food etc ready in case it’s needed, as it can take some time to order it online and have it delivered.
 
Found some on amazon that has some good reviews and it’s flavoured, and found some plain stuff on vetuk. gonna get some of both and see what the boys will put up with if it comes to it xx
 
Rivervixen said:
Thank you very much - going to make sure I get the first aid kit and recovery formulas on hand xx
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Always useful to have at hand, anyway. Emergencies have a nasty habit of happening at the most inconvenient of times!
 
Currently browsing online for these products - will they have them at pets at home or should I order them online? Takes a while for them to come from the sites I’ve been looking at
 
Hi all, the vet said Ozzys clear of chest infection and so I booked the appointment for them both to be neutered. I’ve been given a leaflet with information - did anyone pay for the fluid therapy?
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No, I have never heard of it but then I am not exactly familiar with operation techniques.

I will link in @Abi_nurse
 
This looks like rather a generic form that might be more applicable to dogs and cats? Piggies usually get subcutaneous rather than IV fluids as their veins are so tiny, similarly taking blood from a piggy is quite a major procedure in itself- possibly as risky as the neutering op itself, and in itself will require sedation.
Hope Abi nurse can advise too, but a routine neutering op is a half hour fairly uninvasive procedure if the testicles have descended, and the piggy shouldnt even miss a meal really let alone have time to need extra fluids- they should eat right up until the anaesthetic time then be syringe fed by a nurse as soon as they wake up an hour later!
 
To add to this thread because I don’t want to spam the forum with my questions - is it normal for a pig to not want to eat after the vet? The companion piggy has just gone to bed and hasn’t touched food since being back x
 
PigglePuggle said:
This looks like rather a generic form that might be more applicable to dogs and cats? Piggies usually get subcutaneous rather than IV fluids as their veins are so tiny, similarly taking blood from a piggy is quite a major procedure in itself- possibly as risky as the neutering op itself, and in itself will require sedation.
Hope Abi nurse can advise too, but a routine neutering op is a half hour fairly uninvasive procedure if the testicles have descended, and the piggy shouldnt even miss a meal really let alone have time to need extra fluids- they should eat right up until the anaesthetic time then be syringe fed by a nurse as soon as they wake up an hour later!
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Thank you for your input - it has info on cats and dogs in it as well so it is a generic form xx
 
Most piggies get a bit nervous and sulky after a vet trip, I have found often the companion is just as freaked out as the patient! Give them a couple of hours peace and quiet with a big pile of hay and a bit of treat veg and they should come round by teatime x
 
Will do - I think he’s definitely sulky, I felt so bad because he looked so upset on the way home. He’s a chunky monkey so I don’t think he’ll resist for long xx
 
Hi all, I’ve mentioned I’ve booked my boys to be neutered in a couple of weeks but I’m very very anxious about it. Is it worth the risks? The reason for them being neutered would be for getting whichever piggy gets left behind a wife. Been reading up and I’m very conflicted and though I’m sure the vet is trustworthy I just can’t bare to put them through it unless it’s worth doing
 
If you did boar dating you could get whichever is left behind ankrher boar to be with, unless you really want a sow of course.
 
It has to be totally your decision. if you do it now, then you have more options for a new friend in the future and wouldn’t have to do the six week wait with A potentially lonely boy if you were very keen for a new companion to be a sow.

For me personally with my boars, then I’d bond the left behind boar with another boar so I wouldn’t need to neuter (and neither of my boys have been).
 
I had my first piggie neutered and he ended up with a double hernia. He was very poorly for a while. He is living very happily in a group with three wives now but if I had my chance again I would have tried him with more boars before resorting to neutering (he had been bullied by boys previously which is why we went down the neutering route).

Our vet had a good reputation with piggies and had been recommended by a guinea pig rescue but I think she handed Norman to a less experienced junior for the operation so if you proceed please find out exactly who will be operating and check they have neutered guinea pigs before. As we found out, guinea pigs need stitching up differently to rabbits!

Good luck with whichever you decide.
 
We get all boars neutered before putting them up for adoption, even if they are a bonded pair of boars. I feel by doing this, it means there is less chance of them spending the rest of their life alone, if their friend should pass away. It also means they can never be used for breeding. However, we do have an excellent vet and we have never had a post op problem with any of the piggies that we have had neutered, so I feel confident about putting them through surgery. They also have a very thorough pre op check and if a problem is discovered, then we reconsider whether surgery is a good option. Only a couple of weeks ago I took a boar in for a pre op check, prior to neutering and it was discovered that he has an abdominal lump. It is very deep and was only found due to him having this very thorough check. We are currently monitoring the lump, as it may have been there for a long time. Freddie himself is clearly unaware of it and he is in good health.
Freddie will remain as a permanent member of the TEAS family and has been paired with a boar with dental issues, so both will remain with us for life.
 
1. You need to be sure that you have a good vet that you completely trust. Sometimes this only comes with experience of them working with your pigs but a good vet will have very minimal post neuter complications. It is important the vet you use has experience with guinea pigs.

Neutering is a good option and I am aware my local rescue also neuters all males (that are young enough) as it gives more options when one passes on to ensure the other one does not need to live alone. The vast majority of the neuters goes without a hitch but recently they did have one piggy not survive the operation. It's very sad and sometimes underlying conditions like heart conditions which aren't known at the time can have an affect on this.

At the end of the day this decision has to be yours completely and don't feel silly asking questions either on here or from your vet to help you make your decision. Perhaps the first step is to book a healthcheck with your vet where you can ask them more about their experience, how many piggies they neuter regularly, their experience of post surgery complications etc. Anything that arms you with knowledge to make an informed decision about what's best for you and your boys
 
I fell in love with a boar who had been on his own for a long time at pets at homes adoption area. (He was my image of Boris, Olga's boyfriend from the book.) By getting him neutered he was able to join my 2 girls and they've been a happy family ever since. He didn't have any complications.
 
It is perfectly normal for everybody to get the willies and doubts before any elective surgery.
If you have anxiety issues, you are pretty much guaranteed to suffer from a strong dose of them. :(

If you have done your research and have a vet you trust, then you have minimised the risk of complications as much as possible.
 
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