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Vashtian was neutered today. Any tips?

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Vida

Vida

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I finally decided to get Vashtian neutered. He has his mum and sisters waiting, so I hope it will be worth it for him.

He is somewhat startled, of course, but is nibbling, little, but something. I have the medication and antibiotics the vets sent me and I have to go back on Monday. I have read the threads and pages about neutering, but wondered if any of you have any tips that could help the little fellow feel better and more comfy.

Thanks.
 
Oh so you found a vet that you trusted?

I would recommend that Vashtian is bedded on something soft like a blanket, fleece, not sawdust or hay. Put hay in a rack so no little pieces can cause his wounds any irritation and check his wounds every day. Keep a check of his weight as this is an early indication of illness. And inspect his stiches daily, they should be clean and neat. The biggest worry is for the wound to open or abscess.

Look forward to the updates.
 
It'll be worth the wait, hope his recovery is speedy!

My wee one Percy-Roo was neutered in the summer and now is living life with his wifepig.

Firstly bring him indoors if he isn't already, make sure there isnt any second or third levels in the cage or anything he can jump onto he'll need to recover and try not to get him over excited (hard i know!).

Change his bedding to newspaper and blankets/vetbed/fleece and keep the hay in a rack. For the first two weeks i was advised by my own vet to change the bedding daily to stop bugs and infections. Dont let him out for run or exercise for two weeks at least to give the wound time to heal.

Do you have any critical care? Or fiberplex (probiotics) to give alongside the antibiotics? This will be very helpful if he becomes ill or stops eating over the next few days, if you dont have any Critical Care mush nuggets in warm water and feed through a 1 ml syringe (your vet should have some to buy - usually 50p)

He'll also need extra vit C, so just give him a daily vitamin C supplement of 60g. :)

I'd also suggest alongside checking on him daily, weigh him daily too for the next six weeks this way you can keep an eye on his weight and make sure he isn't losing any.

You might also want to put a blankie over one half of his cage, i found this gave percy more security and somewhere warm and dark to hide.

Percy-Roo's op went fine, and he was healthy and normal five weeks after the op, but then one morning i woke up to find a strange lump on his left testicle a purple ring had formed and it did scare me. I took him to the vets and he had a rare allergic reaction to the internal glue stitches. :( Just make sure you keep an eye on him months after the op too, as sometimes complications can occur months after the operation.

To end on a happier note, ten weeks after Percy-Roo op he was finally ready to meet that special pig and now, four months on hes a happy and healthy huspig. :)

If you need any more advice just post :)

Laura x
 
I would second the advice above. I had my boy Cyrus neutered in september. I kept him on towels post op which were changed daily. I also removed everything from the cage he could jump on. Keeping the floor as hay free as possible, will help to avoid irritating the wounds. cyrus develolped an abscess three weeks post op, which required urgent vet treatment and two weeks of anti biotics. Just keep an eye on his poops, cyrus was slightly impacted the night following his op, and I had to very gently release his trapped poops... He is now happily living with my girls...Best of luck and keep us updated on Vashtians progress...
 
Thank you so much. He is indoors, on newspaper, with hay rack and cage is half covered. He has pooped and peed a lot and eaten some. He is trembling in a corner, obviously scared to death. I will weigh him when I give him the antibiotic, at midnight. He is also getting another med, not sure what it is, for four days, maybe that's the other one you suggest.

As for whether or not I trust the vet, well, he is the only exotic vet around my area. He has told me a few things that I don't trust him (Vashtian had to go without food for a few hours before his op, and he says in 10 days he can go in with the girls... that is NOT going to happen so soon!) but he has done plenty of operations and he is available 24/7, which considering the holidays now is good. So I took the risk. I thought a lifetime alone, but seeing and smelling other guinea pigs, was cruel.
 
Thank you so much. He is indoors, on newspaper, with hay rack and cage is half covered. He has pooped and peed a lot and eaten some. He is trembling in a corner, obviously scared to death. I will weigh him when I give him the antibiotic, at midnight. He is also getting another med, not sure what it is, for four days, maybe that's the other one you suggest.

As for whether or not I trust the vet, well, he is the only exotic vet around my area. He has told me a few things that I don't trust him (Vashtian had to go without food for a few hours before his op, and he says in 10 days he can go in with the girls... that is NOT going to happen so soon!) but he has done plenty of operations and he is available 24/7, which considering the holidays now is good. So I took the risk. I thought a lifetime alone, but seeing and smelling other guinea pigs, was cruel.
 
Awwww sounds like hes doing well after his op which is a good sign, and you are doing brilliantly with his after care so fingers crossed everything will go smoothly and soundly and soon he'll be back with his mum and sisters :)

Ooo a 24/7 is brilliant i know the vets we took percy too isn't open on a sunday which can be annoying espically if your pet falls sick on a weekend!

Keep us update hope he will keep going from strength to strength :)
 
He is peeing a lot. Is that normal? Have weighed him. He has lost 35 gr, I am guessing, that was the weight of his testicles. I really don't want to handle him too much, he is terrified, but have cleaned the cage, again.
 
Make sure you keep him warm. if he is trembling I would be inclined to think he is cold. piggies can not stabilize their body heat if they have been under anesthetic. I would use a snuggle bag for this if you have one. Or a heatpad. otherwise cover him over in a a fleecy blanket.
 
35g is about the weight of a big pee so perfectly normal hun :)

I think between your vets surgical experience and the facts you know from here you will be fine. The only thing I would do is pop a white towel at one end of the cage so he has something a little bit nicer to snooze on.

My boys were very touchy when they were done, they clearly knew what evil mummy had sent them off for as Noodles and Cherry were much less bothered by their ops (spay and lump removal!). As you say just handle him gently but make sure you familiarise yourself now with how the wounds should look so you can spot anything that looks wrong as soon as it may occur.

I found counting the poops also very good to monitor gut movement, as if the gut stops moving, you need an emergency vet visit. Out of my five snipped lads only one ever had this issue though.
 
Vida said:
He has told me a few things that I don't trust him (Vashtian had to go without food for a few hours before his op, and he says in 10 days he can go in with the girls... that is NOT going to happen so soon!)
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I know guinea pigs don't need to be starved for hours and hours before an operation like people and some other animals do, but even some reputable vets prefer a guinea pig not to eat for an hour or two before surgery. Little Pig was neutered at the beginning of December and my vet asked me not to feed him before I brought him in.

The advice you have been given so far on the forum seems good to me. I have so far been very lucky with Pig (he is now 3 1/2 weeks post neuter and is doing well). I put Pig in a smaller hospital cage to discourage him from charging about, kept him on vet bed which I changed twice a day and checked his wounds twice a day when I took him out to give him antibiotics.

Good luck.
 
Food shouldn't be withheld prior to surgery. This is why a savy guinea pig vet is important to get.the correct advice. guinea pigs bodies work completely different to other animals such as cats and dogs where they do have to be withheld food because of the reflux of vomiting guinea pigs don't have the ability to vomit, and also a piggies gut needs to be kept moving.

I'm glad you've done checked out this for yourself, you are doing well!

And yes, not a 10 day wait before introducing him to his girls, I hope you educated your vet on the 6 week rule with guinea pigs.
 
Yes. I also belong to a spanish guinea pig forum now, and they say 3 weeks is enough. I have told them of the 6 week rule, but they don't believe me.... neither does the vet... what can I do, I have told them.

As for Vashtian, he seems more perky, has taken the antibiotics and is eating... but

he is still peeing a lot, he has lost weight (I will wait to see what happens, as I presume after an op that is normal) and his wound is sealed but there was a wet, red drop, not thick blood, just like water really, but red that came out after I weighed him. I can see a purple stitch too, is that normal?

He really seems fine, not his usual self, but much better than yesterday. It is nice and warm here at home, and he has no interest in the towel I put in for him. Will keep you updated. Thanks.
 
Yes. I also belong to a spanish guinea pig forum now, and they say 3 weeks is enough. I have told them of the 6 week rule, but they don't believe me.... neither does the vet... what can I do, I have told them.

As for Vashtian, he seems more perky, has taken the antibiotics and is eating... but

he is still peeing a lot, he has lost weight (I will wait to see what happens, as I presume after an op that is normal) and his wound is sealed but there was a wet, red drop, not thick blood, just like water really, but red that came out after I weighed him. I can see a purple stitch too, is that normal?

He really seems fine, not his usual self, but much better than yesterday. It is nice and warm here at home, and he has no interest in the towel I put in for him. Will keep you updated. Thanks.
 
Vashtian is losing weight. Not much, just 20 gr a day, but seeing their size I am not sure if that's a lot for guinea pigs or not.

He is eating, I have him between the tv and computer so I can keep an eye on him all day. He is eating veg and pellets and hay and seems better, although he likes to keep to the same corner, hardly moving nor running around. The wound seems ok, no blood, no abcess, looking good. I am just worried about the weight loss and would like some opinions please. Thanks.
 
Vashtian is losing weight. Not much, just 20 gr a day, but seeing their size I am not sure if that's a lot for guinea pigs or not.

He is eating, I have him between the tv and computer so I can keep an eye on him all day. He is eating veg and pellets and hay and seems better, although he likes to keep to the same corner, hardly moving nor running around. The wound seems ok, no blood, no abcess, looking good. I am just worried about the weight loss and would like some opinions please. Thanks.
 
My Cyrus lost 2 ounces (about 60 grams) in the days following his op. He had regained the weight by his first week post op check....Hopefully Vashtian will keep eating and regain the lost weight......I waited nearly 8 weeks before introducing my boy to the girls. Apparently any remaining sperm can be active up to six weeks and although the testicles have been removed, some sperm can apparently still survive outwith the testicular area for up to 6 weeks........
 
Thanks. He has gained 10 grams today and I have a vet appointment tomorrow to check on his stitches.

I would rather wait more than less before introducing him to the girls. I really can't risk Matty (his mum) getting pregnant, she already had a back to back pregnancy, not to mention the fact that 5 preggy piggys would probably lead to my husband divorcing me! LOL
 
Thanks. He has gained 10 grams today and I have a vet appointment tomorrow to check on his stitches.

I would rather wait more than less before introducing him to the girls. I really can't risk Matty (his mum) getting pregnant, she already had a back to back pregnancy, not to mention the fact that 5 preggy piggys would probably lead to my husband divorcing me! LOL
 
Vida said:
Thanks. He has gained 10 grams today and I have a vet appointment tomorrow to check on his stitches.

I would rather wait more than less before introducing him to the girls. I really can't risk Matty (his mum) getting pregnant, she already had a back to back pregnancy, not to mention the fact that 5 preggy piggys would probably lead to my husband divorcing me! LOL
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Thats good he is gaining. Cyrus lost his weight the day of and the day after the op. After that is was a steady gain. I thought the same as you, most people say its fine after six weeks, but I waited almost 8....just in case. Hope Vashtian continues to recover well..Can I just say, Vashtian is a wonderful name for a piggie!
 
Keep telling people to ask for glue rather than stitches some piggies are allergic to stitches,hence abcesses. Nobody seems to believe me.
 
christine said:
Keep telling people to ask for glue rather than stitches some piggies are allergic to stitches,hence abcesses. Nobody seems to believe me.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but glue can only be used on the external wounds? I didn't think it could be used internally and that stitches were needed for this? Little Pig had internal stitches and glue externally.
 
Keep telling people to ask for glue rather than stitches some piggies are allergic to stitches,hence abcesses. Nobody seems to believe me
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Oh really? This is what happened to Harry he had an absess from an internal stitch and were now 4months post op and still fighting to get back to normality. Where did you acess this info? Is there any research on it?
 
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