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advice for post-op spay?

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farewell

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One of my guinea pigs (2 years) just had a necessary spay operation (no cysts, but she had something like hyperplasia; it was basically get the spay, or lower QoL/possibly serious infection) and I brought her back home last night after an overnight stay at the vet's. This morning I had to take her back for observation and cage care because she was refusing to eat her critical care, not taking medicine well and basically sitting in her own waste - I was (am) very worried this would get on her wound and maybe cause infection. Not to mention, I was very concerned about her weight. My vet is a fantastic exotics vet so I know she's in good hands, being kept in an incubator and watched closely right now, but...

To say I am extremely nervous and upset, sweating and stressed about this would be an understatement. I'm just wondering if anyone here has experienced this before and can give advice or any reassurance? The thought of something happening to her and me not being able to do enough for her, on top of this not exactly being an inexpensive procedure, which is just immense added stress, is really wearing me down.

On that note, please keep her in your thoughts. She is so sweet and special (I know, they all are) and I don't want to let her down.
 
I’m sending loads of healing vibes to your little lady, it’s a very worrying time, post operations are hard on us. You are bound to be worried but she is in the most capable of hands and she will be well looked after.

In the meantime I would prepare for her home coming. there are several guides on the forum, one on post operative care which is really useful and reassuring, if you scroll down this link you will find post op care etc

Non-emergency vet visits, contagion and illness care support
 
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Bill & Ted said:
I’m sending loads of healing vibes to your little lady, it’s a very worrying time, post operations are hard on us. You are bound to be worried but she is in the most capable of hands and she will be well looked after.

I the meantime I would prepare for her home coming. there are several guides on the forum, one on post operative care which is really useful and reassuring, if you scroll down this link you will find post op care etc

Non-emergency vet visits, contagion and illness care support
Click to expand...
Thank you so much. I will be sure to go through this - I greatly appreciate it and the well-wishes, it is a big comfort right now. I asked them to keep her as long as necessary until they think she's feeling well enough to come home; I'll be sure to update here...!
 
farewell said:
One of my guinea pigs (2 years) just had a necessary spay operation (no cysts, but she had something like hyperplasia; it was basically get the spay, or lower QoL/possibly serious infection) and I brought her back home last night after an overnight stay at the vet's. This morning I had to take her back for observation and cage care because she was refusing to eat her critical care, not taking medicine well and basically sitting in her own waste - I was (am) very worried this would get on her wound and maybe cause infection. Not to mention, I was very concerned about her weight. My vet is a fantastic exotics vet so I know she's in good hands, being kept in an incubator and watched closely right now, but...

To say I am extremely nervous and upset, sweating and stressed about this would be an understatement. I'm just wondering if anyone here has experienced this before and can give advice or any reassurance? The thought of something happening to her and me not being able to do enough for her, on top of this not exactly being an inexpensive procedure, which is just immense added stress, is really wearing me down.

On that note, please keep her in your thoughts. She is so sweet and special (I know, they all are) and I don't want to let her down.
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

I am very sorry. A full spay (i.e. a removal of both the womb and the ovaries) is a major operation.
Hyperplasia means an overproduction of cells and can be a pre-stage of cancer; the operation is very much in the way of a make-or-break emergency op to buy your girl hopefully a lot more life time, which she would otherwise not have.

It is one of those between a rock and hard place situations which none of us wants to ever be in but which we can never choose, foresee or prevent. I call these things a short straw in the cosmic lottery of bad luck.

I sincerely hope that your girl will pull through. Please send her your love in the form of gentle green, nurturing energy; it is a good Mindfulness exercise whenever you feel swamped by your fears. The wait and the helplessness are always worst because your fears have free play. I usually prefer to stare the worst case scenario fully in the face and accept it so that I can then tell myself that anything else can only be better and focus on all the other options. That limits to which degree my fears can have hold over me. Of course, everybody has to find their own way as to what works for them or not in that situation. Keeping active and occupied can also help.

Here is some very helpful practical information for post-op home care:
Tips For Post-operative Care
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility (the tips also work for any seriously ill piggies not moving around much)
Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
 
Hope your girl makes a speedy recovery now and lives a long, happy life.
The forum guides are very helpful.
I’ve had a piggy who had an emergency spay, she made a full recovery but it was a stressful time as she recovered.
Holding you in my thoughts
 
farewell said:
Thank you so much. I will be sure to go through this - I greatly appreciate it and the well-wishes, it is a big comfort right now. I asked them to keep her as long as necessary until they think she's feeling well enough to come home; I'll be sure to update here...!
Click to expand...
Hoping she recovers really well x
 
I can tell what a lovely, caring person you are, the love you have for your girl shines through.
I suffer from anxiety, generally, and in very anxiety inducing situations like this and I know how hard it is. Please take time for yourself even in the height of all that’s going on, you deserve it.

Big hugs to you and I have my fingers tightly crossed your gorgeous girl recovers well x
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

I am very sorry. A full spay (i.e. a removal of both the womb and the ovaries) is a major operation.
Hyperplasia means an overproduction of cells and can be a pre-stage of cancer; the operation is very much in the way of a make-or-break emergency op to buy your girl hopefully a lot more life time, which she would otherwise not have.

It is one of those between a rock and hard place situations which none of us wants to ever be in but which we can never choose, foresee or prevent. I call these things a short straw in the cosmic lottery of bad luck.

I sincerely hope that your girl will pull through. Please send her your love in the form of gentle green, nurturing energy; it is a good Mindfulness exercise whenever you feel swamped by your fears. The wait and the helplessness are always worst because your fears have free play. I usually prefer to stare the worst case scenario fully in the face and accept it so that I can then tell myself that anything else can only be better and focus on all the other options. That limits to which degree my fears can have hold over me. Of course, everybody has to find their own way as to what works for them or not in that situation. Keeping active and occupied can also help.

Here is some very helpful practical information for post-op home care:
Tips For Post-operative Care
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility (the tips also work for any seriously ill piggies not moving around much)
Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for such an incredibly kind message... I greatly appreciate this and all of the advice more than I can say, and will take it to heart. They may keep her over the weekend, and that may be for the best. Until then, all I can do is think of her, but I really am trying to keep occupied, too.
 
piggl said:
I can tell what a lovely, caring person you are, the love you have for your girl shines through.
I suffer from anxiety, generally, and in very anxiety inducing situations like this and I know how hard it is. Please take time for yourself even in the height of all that’s going on, you deserve it.

Big hugs to you and I have my fingers tightly crossed your gorgeous girl recovers well x
Click to expand...

I really want to thank you for this kindness - I really needed to hear that as I'm full of doubts right now with this going on. I'm sure it's hard not to be when something like this happens, so being told my love for her is evident is really incredibly meaningful to me. Thank you so much.
Of course I want to thank everyone individually but don't want to spam with replies, so I will just say I am very grateful for all of the kind messages and well wishes - they are really easing how hard this is, and are really reassuring that there's still hope (I also have a lot of anxiety haha). Keeping them in my heart with positive thoughts for Merry.
 
farewell said:
Thank you so much for such an incredibly kind message... I greatly appreciate this and all of the advice more than I can say, and will take it to heart. They may keep her over the weekend, and that may be for the best. Until then, all I can do is think of her, but I really am trying to keep occupied, too.
Click to expand...

If you can, do something creative in whichever form appeals to you most from music/dancing, crafting, painting, writing or walking/running it out of you - either by expressing your fears and letting them out or by creating something beautiful to balance them out; whatever works for you. And of course prayers and lighting a candle if that would help you to ease the strain on you while all you can do is wait and hope. It is important that you look after yourself and your own mental welfare during such a time of extreme stress.

Feelings of guilt and soul-searching are very normal for the onset of the grieving process, which is what you are currently actually experiencing. It doesn't start with the moment of death but with the moment you realise that a beloved one may not make it. It is also normal for you to feel drowned by overwhelming and often unexpected emotions. When it comes right in the wake of the shock of being told of some very bad news and having to make a very difficult decision and leap of faith without having time to really brace for it and digest it, then it is just too much to digest and cope with all at once.

You wouldn't feel so strongly if you didn't love so deeply; these feelings are not an expression of you having made a mistake but simply the other side of the same coin that we call love. The moment you realise that somebody you love (pet or person) may not make it is the second worst time of the whole grieving process apart from the loss itself; just that unlike with a sudden death, the shock and the pain of the actual loss don't happen at the same time.
Be kind to yourself. You have done nothing wrong and you could not love your little one any more; you haven't failed her in a any way as an owner. I hope that this helps you make more sense of the emotional jumble of things going through your mind right now. Being able to put it into a bit of a perspective while you are locked in limbo will hopefully help to ease the turmoil a little bit.

All we can ever do is buy your piggies a chance of a happy and healthy future when nature has already denied to them and your vet team can only ever do their own very best. What is out of our all control is the outcome; adverse reactions can happen. Because our piggies pack such a huge personality into a very small body, we all too often forget that they are on the bottom line very small and rather frail animals. :(

We are here for you to give you moral support through this difficult time. Your little one and you are in our thoughts. What is her name, by the way?
 
Wiebke said:
If you can, do something creative in whichever form appeals to you most from music/dancing, crafting, painting, writing or walking/running it out of you - either by expressing your fears and letting them out or by creating something beautiful to balance them out; whatever works for you. And of course prayers and lighting a candle if that would help you to ease the strain on you while all you can do is wait and hope. It is important that you look after yourself and your own mental welfare during such a time of extreme stress.

Feelings of guilt and soul-searching are very normal for the onset of the grieving process, which is what you are currently actually experiencing. It doesn't start with the moment of death but with the moment you realise that a beloved one may not make it. It is also normal for you to feel drowned by overwhelming and often unexpected emotions. When it comes right in the wake of the shock of being told of some very bad news and having to make a very difficult decision and leap of faith without having time to really brace for it and digest it, then it is just too much to digest and cope with all at once.

You wouldn't feel so strongly if you didn't love so deeply; these feelings are not an expression of you having made a mistake but simply the other side of the same coin that we call love. The moment you realise that somebody you love (pet or person) may not make it is the second worst time of the whole grieving process apart from the loss itself; just that unlike with a sudden death, the shock and the pain of the actual loss don't happen at the same time.
Be kind to yourself. You have done nothing wrong and you could not love your little one any more; you haven't failed her in a any way as an owner. I hope that this helps you make more sense of the emotional jumble of things going through your mind right now. Being able to put it into a bit of a perspective while you are locked in limbo will hopefully help to ease the turmoil a little bit.

All we can ever do is buy your piggies a chance of a happy and healthy future when nature has already denied to them and your vet team can only ever do their own very best. What is out of our all control is the outcome; adverse reactions can happen. Because our piggies pack such a huge personality into a very small body, we all too often forget that they are on the bottom line very small and rather frail animals. :(

We are here for you to give you moral support through this difficult time. Your little one and you are in our thoughts. What is her name, by the way?
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for all of your kind words. I wish I could put into my own words how much they mean to me, but I'm struggling to find them at the moment, so please just know I really, deeply appreciate it.

The vet has been watching her for the whole week, but she still isn't eating normally and now she's worried there might be some growth she can't see on the back teeth that would require re-anesthetizing her. I just feel that would be a very bad decision to make right now given how she took the first procedure, so I'm opting to bring her back home to see if she eats here instead, where she can at least see her cagemate through the bars and know she isn't alone. I'm really hoping it would inspire her to eat, and I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't, because I just worry so much about putting her through that again.

Her name is Merry. She's a fluffy little abysinnian my friends are always saying looks like someone lost their wig because you can't really tell which side of her is the front or back.
 
Thank you so, so much.

I just brought Merry home and modified their cage setup so they're only split by a cage divider and their huts/feeding areas are right next to each other by the divider. I went in to give them some veggies and found them nose to nose, with Merry chewing at the bars to try and get to her friend... so I'm hoping it was just loneliness, and she'll start eating again now that she can see her friend is there.

Thank you everyone for keeping her in your thoughts. I'll try to post a picture of her later.
 
farewell said:
Thank you so much for all of your kind words. I wish I could put into my own words how much they mean to me, but I'm struggling to find them at the moment, so please just know I really, deeply appreciate it.

The vet has been watching her for the whole week, but she still isn't eating normally and now she's worried there might be some growth she can't see on the back teeth that would require re-anesthetizing her. I just feel that would be a very bad decision to make right now given how she took the first procedure, so I'm opting to bring her back home to see if she eats here instead, where she can at least see her cagemate through the bars and know she isn't alone. I'm really hoping it would inspire her to eat, and I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't, because I just worry so much about putting her through that again.

Her name is Merry. She's a fluffy little abysinnian my friends are always saying looks like someone lost their wig because you can't really tell which side of her is the front or back.
Click to expand...

BIG HUGS

You and Merry are very much in my thoughts.
 
As an update, Merry really isn't eating nearly as much hay as she should still. I'm syringe feeding her roughly every 4 hours and she's eating that plus some vegetables, but hardly touches her hay. I have two varieties in there and am going to try more forage-type varieties when they get here tomorrow to see if maybe giving her some options will help...

I'm just hesitant to go through with a dental procedure for her so soon after her spay. Even if it's just 10 minutes of anesthetic, I'm worried it will be too much with her weight being what it is. She lost 100g after her surgery and really isn't regaining any.

Honestly, I don't know what to do. It's hard to see her this way. She's still spunky and not totally lacking energy - I put her cagemate back in with her yesterday to try and encourage her to eat (they did start eating together immediately), and they played with each other a bit/chased each other around (no suture injuries, I made sure).

But, her weight just isn't improving. It's been a week since her spay as of today, and I'm really discouraged to see she's not eating normally again... 😞
 
We always want our piggies to be better immediately after surgery.
It’s a natural reaction because of the love we have for them, and your love for Merry shines through.

Have you tried putting a dish of the syringe food into the cage as well as feeding her ?
I find with mine it has helped encourage eating.
A dish of grated carrot or sweet potato mixed with raw oats as well as the syringe food is also well received.
 
I am by no means a health expert but I had one of my sows spayed 2,5 weeks ago and it has been quite the journey. You can read my still ongoing thread here if you feel like it: Buttons‘ spay. I know exactly how disheartening and emotionally draining it is to not see them improve as you would like. Especially when you feel like they should be better than they are. I‘ve had to remind myself for the last 2,5 weeks that it is major surgery and healing isn’t linear in the best of times. And even less so when there‘s additional complications (in my case it was a reopened wound, bloat & something like bumblefoot). Really try to see every tiny step as a step in the right direction and even if it‘s the smallest of things like having a sip from the water bottle or dropping 2 more poops than yesterday.

I am 2,5 weeks in and still syringe feeding my girl 3x a day á 15ml. Today was the first day since the surgery where she seems to have been eating a little closer to how much she should be eating but we‘re still a ways away from her normal food intake. So try not to stress too much about the fact that she isn’t eating enough for herself yet, it does take time for them to heal after such a major operation.

I will be holding you and your little girl in my thoughts and all of us here are sending many healing wheeks your way xx
 
Merab's Slave said:
We always want our piggies to be better immediately after surgery.
It’s a natural reaction because of the love we have for them, and your love for Merry shines through.

Have you tried putting a dish of the syringe food into the cage as well as feeding her ?
I find with mine it has helped encourage eating.
A dish of grated carrot or sweet potato mixed with raw oats as well as the syringe food is also well received.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much. I actually did try putting some of her syringe food in there, but she seems to hate the stuff, weirdly enough. She barely tolerates eating 10ml (will just start spitting it out after that). Of course I can't be sure of this but I don't think she likes the flavor very much, which isn't helping...
I will try adding grated carrots, though. She loves carrots, so maybe that will help. Thank you again!

stef.trg said:
I am by no means a health expert but I had one of my sows spayed 2,5 weeks ago and it has been quite the journey. You can read my still ongoing thread here if you feel like it: Buttons‘ spay. I know exactly how disheartening and emotionally draining it is to not see them improve as you would like. Especially when you feel like they should be better than they are. I‘ve had to remind myself for the last 2,5 weeks that it is major surgery and healing isn’t linear in the best of times. And even less so when there‘s additional complications (in my case it was a reopened wound, bloat & something like bumblefoot). Really try to see every tiny step as a step in the right direction and even if it‘s the smallest of things like having a sip from the water bottle or dropping 2 more poops than yesterday.

I am 2,5 weeks in and still syringe feeding my girl 3x a day á 15ml. Today was the first day since the surgery where she seems to have been eating a little closer to how much she should be eating but we‘re still a ways away from her normal food intake. So try not to stress too much about the fact that she isn’t eating enough for herself yet, it does take time for them to heal after such a major operation.

I will be holding you and your little girl in my thoughts and all of us here are sending many healing wheeks your way xx
Click to expand...

Thank you so, so much. I actually was keeping up with your thread quietly for a while, but I've been so caught up with Merry I hadn't checked in. Hearing this from you gives me hope - and I am deeply appreciative.

You might have said this in your thread, but may I ask you what Buttons' weight is? Merry is hovering around 730g after surgery (down from 850 before surgery, which was concerning then, too...) and it is really hard to see and feel her this way. She won't even eat more than 10ml of the care at a time (feeding her 4x a day to make up for this).

I did notice that unless she's stopped using the bathroom entirely (and I definitely don't think she has), her poops do seem to be becoming more normal and aren't clumping together anymore - so that's one small step I'll take to heart.
 
farewell said:
Thank you so much. I actually did try putting some of her syringe food in there, but she seems to hate the stuff, weirdly enough. She barely tolerates eating 10ml (will just start spitting it out after that). Of course I can't be sure of this but I don't think she likes the flavor very much, which isn't helping...
I will try adding grated carrots, though. She loves carrots, so maybe that will help. Thank you again!



Thank you so, so much. I actually was keeping up with your thread quietly for a while, but I've been so caught up with Merry I hadn't checked in. Hearing this from you gives me hope - and I am deeply appreciative.

You might have said this in your thread, but may I ask you what Buttons' weight is? Merry is hovering around 730g after surgery (down from 850 before surgery, which was concerning then, too...) and it is really hard to see and feel her this way. She won't even eat more than 10ml of the care at a time (feeding her 4x a day to make up for this).

I did notice that unless she's stopped using the bathroom entirely (and I definitely don't think she has), her poops do seem to be becoming more normal and aren't clumping together anymore - so that's one small step I'll take to heart.
Click to expand...
I know the feeling, I barely had time to breathe these last 2 weeks so I haven’t kept up with any other threads either.

She‘s currently hovering somewhere between 950g and 985g and is overall down from 1060g. She lost about 50g when her symptoms started and since her surgery roughly another 50g. Getting 10ml into her is great! When Buttons bloat was at it‘s peak we managed a total of 2ml in each sitting so you can imagine how tedious that was. Is her weight stable currently or is she still going down? I wouldn’t worry about her gaining weight at this stage, while she‘s still healing just focus on helping her hold the weight. The weight gain will come once she feels like herself again. :)

If her gut is still a bit wonky and you have a healthy piggy running around, I can wholeheartedly recommend poop soup. I’ve been giving it to Buttons 3 times a day and I noticed such a massive difference in just a few days. It also helped Benito really really well when he was ill earlier this year (he unfortunately had to be pts but that’s unrelated to his gut issues). I know it‘s so incredibly hard and at times it feels like it‘s never going to get better but try to stay as positive as you can and don’t forget to look after yourself. xx
 
If your girl doesn’t like her syringe food is there a different type you could use ?
Mine are incredibly fussy and only like Oxbow Aniseed flavour Critical Care, preferably with mashed banana added.
I bought a different flavour once and they simply rejected it.
Fussy creatures.
 
stef.trg said:
I know the feeling, I barely had time to breathe these last 2 weeks so I haven’t kept up with any other threads either.

She‘s currently hovering somewhere between 950g and 985g and is overall down from 1060g. She lost about 50g when her symptoms started and since her surgery roughly another 50g. Getting 10ml into her is great! When Buttons bloat was at it‘s peak we managed a total of 2ml in each sitting so you can imagine how tedious that was. Is her weight stable currently or is she still going down? I wouldn’t worry about her gaining weight at this stage, while she‘s still healing just focus on helping her hold the weight. The weight gain will come once she feels like herself again. :)

If her gut is still a bit wonky and you have a healthy piggy running around, I can wholeheartedly recommend poop soup. I’ve been giving it to Buttons 3 times a day and I noticed such a massive difference in just a few days. It also helped Benito really really well when he was ill earlier this year (he unfortunately had to be pts but that’s unrelated to his gut issues). I know it‘s so incredibly hard and at times it feels like it‘s never going to get better but try to stay as positive as you can and don’t forget to look after yourself. xx
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I'll read more about that and I think I may do the same. And, thank you for sharing about Buttons. It really helps to know, and is honestly uplifting... I hope she's doing well and that you're taking care of yourself, too.

Merab's Slave said:
If your girl doesn’t like her syringe food is there a different type you could use ?
Mine are incredibly fussy and only like Oxbow Aniseed flavour Critical Care, preferably with mashed banana added.
I bought a different flavour once and they simply rejected it.
Fussy creatures.
Click to expand...
They are so fussy. I thought about giving her a different flavor, but she's been taking it more easily as of today.

Just as a general update as everyone's been so kind... Merry dropped a massive amount of weight again, even though I've been religiously feeding her critical care every 4 hours. I took her in this morning very worried she wouldn't make it. They sedated her and filed down her teeth - which according to the vet weren't overly overgrown, but about what you'd expect from her not having an appetite for a bit.

But, I'm hopeful. She's shown a much greater interest in her actual food today and has nibbled at both her greens and hay in addition to taking the critical care even better. I don't want to jinx it, but she's gained some weight already from this morning. Please keep her in your thoughts. I want to believe this is a good sign.
 
I wanted to come back and thank everyone for their well wishes and kind words. I was very worried last week when Merry dropped down to 648 - she didn't seem to be getting any better. Then, as if by total miracle, she started eating completely normally again. Just yesterday she wheeked at me for food for the first time in three weeks. In just 3 days she's gained almost 30 grams. I'm positive now she's better and on her way to gaining a healthy amount of weight. So excited, and I really can't thank all of you enough for your kindness.
Hope everyone here takes care.
 
Very glad to hear.
I hope it is only up from now for you and Merry x
 
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