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Specialist Emergency: Suspected Abscess.

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louwhiskyy

louwhiskyy

Junior Guinea Pig
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Jan 12, 2015
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Hi, I really need to ask for some advice.

I have just found a large lump under Poe's chin, I am very worried and I assume he should go to a vet straight away. The problem is I am 17 and home alone, my parents are away from the weekend. I have a car and I can drive - but I am very worried about going to the vet on my own (anxiety).

I have two options, one is to take him to the nearest general vet. They are not specialised in exotics and mainly just do cats and dogs but for an initial look it might be suitable - I am worried they might just say sorry but piggies are too small go away - and I know it's stupid but that would terribly embarrass me. The second option is I can take him to a specialised animal hospital that has an exotics vet but a) is harder to get to and b) considering I am by myself is a little bit scarier.

Basically I want to know - how urgent is the situation and should I go straight to the experts?
He seems ok - eating and what not, I am just terribly worried. Please provide your suggestions.
 
Sorry to hear this. I am not a health expert but I would take him to a vet to be safe. Could you take a friend with you for moral support?
 
personally, i would always recommend going to the exotics vets for any situation. i can really relate to the anxiety situation as currently i can only leave the house to go to the vets if any of mine need to. but it is extremely hard to do so hugs being sent. is there another family member who could go with you? i know it is easier said than done, but don't think about anything other than your pet needs you and focus on that and not what people are saying/could say. just think that you know your pet best and they only have you to speak on their behalf. you know though, most people are generally quite good about these issues now. i am always a nervous wreck in the vets. i've even had full blown panic attacks in there and the vet and staff have been kind to me even though i was so embarrassed! i hope you can manage to get there x
 
I would definitely go to the exotics vet... my experience is that it can make a BIG difference in outcome when treatment is required. However, if anxiety is a huge issue and your pig is eating normally and seems fine other than the bump, you would likely be fine to wait until Monday when someone can go with you. If he's not eating, drinking, or is sitting in the corner puffed up and in any distress, of course, you'll have to have him seen sooner (and check out the guide to hand-feeding in the stickies above- very helpful!)

One of my pigs had a huge abscess lanced and drained a couple years ago- even so, I took her home for the weekend and returned her for surgery on Monday, based on my vet's schedule and the fact that the office is closed on Sunday. So in a pinch, I think he will likely be okay until Monday morning. Maybe phone and book an appointment for then and take him in sooner if his condition changes.
 
Thank you everyone for all your support!

So here's what happened - I found an animal hospital that, though not specialised, treated exotics and, after speaking to a vet on the phone, booked an appointment for Poe to go in to have it looked at then. A friend came with me, (thanks for that advice @Julie M ) and Poe has had his abscess lanced and has been given Baytril (dose of 1/4 of a mL twice a day - just want to check, does this sound normal?) with the suggestion that my parents should phone and book an appointment for Poe to have it opened up on Monday. To be honest I am quite proud of myself for managing the situation and how it all worked out and because little Poe seems ok I can relax a little - the whole thing was quite exhausting, but vets are nice people.

Now i just have some questions about the procedure - would you say it's recommended? I don't want to do anything excessive and if lancing and flushing it would work appropriately then i don't want to risk anything. However it has come up very quickly, is moderately large, and very hard. Not sure whether it's important, but the pus he got out of it was described as "cheese like" as opposed to liquid, and I've read these sorts of abscess are harder to deal with. The vet said surgery would probably be required over the phone, before he had even seen Poe, so is this generally the process for a guinea pig abscess? Is the surgery dangerous/risky? Sorry for all the questions - I am still quite worried and am just wondering if any one has any experiences with abscesses they could share. Poor little Poe :(
 
I'm very impressed with how you handled the situation - well done..

The decision on whether to remove the abcess rather than just keep it open and flushed will largely depend on its position and size. If it is difficult to keep draining the pus (which sounds like the case if it is "cheese-like") then removal may be a better option.

Tagging the abcess queen for you @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary
 
I don't know about guinea's that have abscesses, I have two myself, but I'm ok and not a little piggie. I just wanted to post and give you my moral support and hope everything goes well for Poe :hug:
 
i am glad you were able to go. it's a big achievement when you get so anxious. i can't offer any advice regarding abscesses but wanted to wish poe well :)
 
I have treated abscesses very successfully that have been lanced and drained. However, the key to success is lots of flushing and making sure it stays open so that you have drainage for the pus. I have never found Baytril particularly good for dealing with abscesses and my antibiotic of choice would be Zithromax. Are you still getting good drainage or does it seem to be refilling?
 
Well done for sorting Poe out so promptly. After flushing the abscess cavity it is worth using medical grade Manuka honey in the cavity, it helps amazingly. I have had the unfortunate experience of treating several abscesses , the key is keeping the cavity open by daily or twice daily flushing, this allows the abscess to heal from the base and stop further pus building up. Its not fun to do but its well worth persevering
 
alright, thanks everyone. Today i will ask my dad to take Poe to a more specialist vet that we have had experience with, as I am not totally confident with the vet I took Poe to yesterday. @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary are you saying that Baytril was the wrong antibiotic to prescribe? Poe seemed good last night, popcorning and running round my room for hours but it did seem to me that the abscess filled quite quickly again. I am not really sure how to go about flushing or keeping it open - and now that it is already pretty much full again i am not really sure what to do.
 
Also, should I separate Poe and Stuey, or is that not necessary? I don't want Stuey to pick up an infection or anything.
 
Hope Poe gets better soon. I don't think they need to be separated due to an abcess.

Well done for going to the vets. :tu:
 
louwhiskyy said:
alright, thanks everyone. Today i will ask my dad to take Poe to a more specialist vet that we have had experience with, as I am not totally confident with the vet I took Poe to yesterday. @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary are you saying that Baytril was the wrong antibiotic to prescribe? Poe seemed good last night, popcorning and running round my room for hours but it did seem to me that the abscess filled quite quickly again. I am not really sure how to go about flushing or keeping it open - and now that it is already pretty much full again i am not really sure what to do.
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Zithromax works very much better. Did the vet not show you how to flush the abscess and how to keep it open? If it heals with the infection still inside you will be back to square one. You must keep it open so that the pus can drain and it will heal from the inside outwards.
 
Hi everyone, well little Poe went to a more specialist vet yesterday. He's meant to be one of the best vets for piggies in our state and we had seen him for our rabbit a couple of years ago. He agreed that Baytril wouldn't be ideal on it's own so added a dose of Flagyl on top of the Baytril. He was concerned however, that it looked like this abscess could be dental (this freaks me out a little, because a) this is what my rabbit died from and b) i know dental issues are rarer in Guinea Pigs!) He didn't drain/lance it or show us any of the draining/keeping it open - again, I am really not sure why. This could be because of his concerns about the dental issue - maybe he felt that doing that could be essentially pointless if it was a dental issue, but I feel a bit dissatisfied that the only procedure at the moment is to continue with the antibiotics and see how that goes. I think the plan if it does nothing is that we will get him an x-ray and then look at having it opened.
 
:DI am very pleased to hear that poor little Poe got through the initial healing processes with this abscess.:yahoo: My little boy Clyde had a large abscess under his jaw just like Poe. Although I think my Vet is quite good, he is not particularly piggie-savvy. Clyde got Baytril as well. I mentioned Zithromax to my Vet but he said it depends on what they find inside the abscess. However, my boy refused to eat after his operation and died two days later.:bye: Perhaps if my Vet had used Zithromax, my boy might still be with us.
 
I made a post about little Poe a couple of weeks ago after finding a large lump beneath his chin. He was put on a course of antibiotics (Flagyl and Baytril) and we started weighing him everyday. After a while he started losing weight, so we brought him back to the vet - concerned about the size of his abscess and the weightloss - and were told to start syringe feeding him critical care . The vet - who is Cavy Savvy did not want to lance or drain his abscess and Poe still seems himself, eating, talkative etc.

However the last couple of days he has continued to lose weight - we are giving him the critical care but probably not enough, instead we are trying to make sure he spends lots of time outside on the grass as was suggested because the grass is easy to eat and he spends all day munching. (He is eating all the veggies given to him as normal, but maybe he is having trouble eating hay?). Today, giving him his morning meds i was just so shocked by how big his abscess is. It is scarily big. I'm not sure whether it has grown but I was just suddenly taken aback by it's size. Our Vet is away till the end of the month but we have made another appointment for another vet tomorrow. I do not want to be told to just continue with the antibiotics again - because it is not working. He is now down to 650grams. I am very concerned. His poop is soft and clumping which is making a right mess on his fleece bedding which is another thing that is concerning me - I am assuming however this could be due to the antibiotics? (he has been on them for about 3 weeks) What should our next step be?
 
As far as I can see, the next step is either:
- lancing/draining the abscess and switching to a stronger antibiotic (Zithromax, i.e. azithromycin has been found to be one antibiotic that can help where others fail)
- operating


Please syringe feed as much as you can get into him to keep up the strength: the less he is eating in one sitting, the more often round the clock. He may be eating more slowly due to the discomfort, so seeing him chew can be very deceptive. Both the infection and pain are impinging on his appetite.

I have merged your threads, so we have got all information together, but have tagged our abscess specialists and medications heavyweights in again for you.

@furryfriends (TEAS) @Pebble

Fingers very firmly crossed!
 
Thank you so much wiebke - this is very stressful. How much critical care should we be getting into him daily to support his diet? It's hard because there is generally no one at home during the day. I am at school and in my final year so Its very difficult to find time to have proper feeding sessions. So worried about him and hope something works soon. :(
 
louwhiskyy said:
Thank you so much wiebke - this is very stressful. How much critical care should we be getting into him daily to support his diet? It's hard because there is generally no one at home during the day. I am at school and in my final year so Its very difficult to find time to have proper feeding sessions. So worried about him and hope something works soon. :(
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It is very difficult to determine; my tip is as much as you reasonable can. Still offer him his normal food first, and then just top him up. Make also sure that she stays hydrated, either through lots of grass or additionally offering water.
 
This needs to be lanced and drained asap, as, unless this is sorted quickly, you are very likely to end up with a piggy who has dental issues too. The abscess is going to push the jaw out of alignment, so the sooner this is resolved, the better. Even with using the very best antibiotic, you still need to have drainage of the pus, so my advice would be to get it lanced and drained and for Zithromax to be prescribed.
 
no advice I'm afraid-
well except follow furryfriends advice-
she is a dental guru with masses of experience &success of dental issues &abcesses (&runs a sanctuary for special needs,dental piggies).
Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.
Keep us updated

Luv the girls &I. Xx
 
The two options, based on my previous experience with abscesses, at least, are to either lance and drain again and then keep it open and flush it diligently to give it time to heal. Depending on the strength of the antibiotics, this can take a LONG time (i.e. months), but can be done successfully. I've been through it with Sundae and though it took a long time, she did make a full recovery. The other option, depending on placement, is to remove the entire abscess capsule surgically. This keeps it from refilling, but can't be done in every abscess, as there needs to be enough skin to close the wound after removal and this isn't always possible. Unfortunately abscesses left to their own devices and just treated with antibiotics do not really clear up. Lots of luck... I hope he does well! I know it's stressful!
 
Hi everyone, Poe has just had Surgery to remove his abscess. We have just brought him home and - as we have never cared for a post-op piggie - could really use some advice. He is continuing on Flagyl and Baytril and is now also on Metacam for pain. His abscess was massive and was removed from beneath the chin and has neat stitches. He is eating herb treats at the moment which made me so happy but obviously we will continue supplementing with Critical Care. Some questions: a) should we separate him from Stuey? They share a C&C cage so we could easily divide it. Also, aware of the need to keep the wound clean should we put fresh fleece down or, should we change the bedding all together? - my dad seems to think the wood shavings we used to use would be cleaner, i really don't know. that brings me to question b) should we have been given iodine or related to clean the wound? we weren't, though on the information sheet it said we should have. Apart from weighing him every day, giving him his meds, and supplementing feed with Critical Care what else should we be doing? I am just so terrified of doing this wrong.

(Side note: he just started making quiet little noses! I take that as a good sign!)
 
I've had a piggy that had an abscess from it's neck removed & it's best not to touch the wound at all. It was fully removed & not drained? If it was fully removed then you don't need to clean the wound. I usually keep mine together post-op, as the wound is under his neck then I doubt the other piggy would try to clean it. Keep them on clean fleece if you can, the cage should be clean to help prevent infection. Wood chips may get stuck to the wound. If you think the other piggy is stressing him, then you can easily section the C & C so that you can keep him apart but seeing his friend for a day or two. Please monitor his pee & poo output as well, as post op can slow their guts down x
 
Please make sure that you have got syringe feed ready and top him up if he is not eating fully due to the anaesthetics and the operation pain. It can cake a few days for the guts to work fully again, but see your vets promptly if there is a deterioration or he is not picking up within a day or two.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-syringe-feeding-guide.115359/

Please use clean fleece, towels or vet bed and change daily or twice daily, depending on how soiled it is; preferably light ones so you can see whether there is any bleeding in the first couple of days. Do not use wood chippings or other loose bedding, as that can stick to the wound as long as it is open and seeping a little bit.

If Poe and Stuey are getting on well, I would leave them together for support, but separate for a couple of days if Stuey is dominant towards Poe. Many companions are very caring with their friends.

Weigh daily at the same time in the feeding cycle and contact your asap if poe doesn't perk up or there is a swelling or sudden loss of appetite at any point in the coming days and weeks. This is usually a sign for an infection in the body or a return of the abscess if a tiny bit has not got out. The wound should start healing within 2-3 days and be fully knitted within 10-14 days.
 
If the abscess was completely removed (including the capsule) and stitched up, there is nothing really to do except to make sure it look clean. If it has been opened and drained and left open, you will have to keep flushing it, though from what you've said it sounds as though it has been completely removed. Putting him down on clean towels/fleece is probably best, as it will help you monitor any blood and nothing will stick to the wound. I've always left my pigs together following surgery, as being apart seemed more stressful to them than being with a friend, but I would keep a watch to make sure there's no bullying going on and no one damaging the wound. I found my pigs would give it a sniff and then leave it alone, so I've never had to separate because of an abscess or surgery thus far.

Hope he makes a good recovery!
 
Hello everyone! i just wanted to make a post to update you on little Poe's journey and tell you all that he is going really well.
He had his surgery a couple of weeks ago and yesterday was given the final tick of approval that he no longer needs to see the vet for weekly check ups. The wound is healing extremely well and there is no sign of any reformation of the abscess. Up until a couple of days ago we were still a bit worried as his weight was still very low and no matter how much he ate, and how much we supplemented, it seemed he wouldn't put on weight, but I'm very excited to report that he hit the 700g mark today and that his poo's are finally looking wondrously normal :) It's seems his body is finally out of recovery mode and he is starting to put on weight. We are still giving him his antibiotics and supplementing with critical care.
He has become a new pig - all this attention and now he runs the house hold. Wheeking for food at the slightest of movements in the house is now a norm and he demands hand fed veggies and critical care on a silver spoon :P Now he has become extremely confident, he runs straight up to you in the cage and welcomes being patted!:yahoo: he is a gem, though he looks a little odd with half his face shaved :) And apparently he made some "fans" among the student nurses at the vets :tu:

Thank you everyone for all your help and advice :)
 
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