Giant Abscess Under Chin Overnight!

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Sending your piggy loads of healing vibes

I hope the antibiotics will suppress the infection at least for him. It sounds like the treatment your vet is using is one that isn't common over here, maybe it's a new method. Over here I believe the usual treatment would be to open the abscess and stitch it open, then flush the inside daily until pus is no longer present, while giving oral antibiotics (zithromax). Not pleasant or easy at all, but at least you can see the infection is reducing as the amount of pus coming out becomes less. But of course you can only do what your vet will do. You're certainly doing all you can.

 

[Angela99]

I’m so sorry you both are going through this. I’m really rooting for you and your piggy to pull through. Thinking of you and sending you the best wishes You really are wonderful for all that you’re doing to save your little guy

Thank you I’m with him in every way. I love him so much… too much. He’s my heart

 

[Angela99]

Sending your piggy loads of healing vibes

I hope the antibiotics will suppress the infection at least for him. It sounds like the treatment your vet is using is one that isn't common over here, maybe it's a new method. Over here I believe the usual treatment would be to open the abscess and stitch it open, then flush the inside daily until pus is no longer present, while giving oral antibiotics (zithromax). Not pleasant or easy at all, but at least you can see the infection is reducing as the amount of pus coming out becomes less. But of course you can only do what your vet will do. You're certainly doing all you can.

Oh thank you yes you know he is the best surgeon actually and he does everything that is advanced with his patients and he’s an exotic vet so he’s good… it’s just the process is a lot for Truffle. He’s 2 pounds 6 years old. I went into a massive depressive state when his brother died in November. Couldn’t stop crying two months plus… so I just can’t bear it, but I realize I can’t play God either. I am at least able to prepare myself emotionally this time and give him all the love I can

 

[lauryn1289]

Thank you I’m with him in every way. I love him so much… too much. He’s my heart

Such a gorgeous little boy! I’ve never seen a piggy with hair quite like that. A brave little fighter too by the sounds of it

 

[weepweeps]

Hi thank you I read it… no it’s not an open wound… they implant an antibiotic to clear the infection then stitches. So I can’t do anything about it now. He is on good antibiotics twice a day for life. The Vet said several more weeks of surgery at $400 a week… and I just can’t afford that. It cost $2,000 so far. I’m hoping the antibiotics will keep it a bay. He also lost his lower incisor from the infection and cut his veggies into strips as well. Thank you

I really hope this process works. It’s not how our vets deal with abscesses. Sending healing vibes.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I really hope that the infection can be kept under control! I've dealt with so many abscesses, over many years, including one that tracked through the whole of the guinea pigs body, caused when a vet inserted a needle into it, resulting in it leaking under the skin and forming many more pockets of infection. I've always used either the antibiotic Azithromycin or a combination of Metronidazole and Marbocyl and have had the abscess kept open and have squeezed pus out daily and given it a good flush, twice a day. This has given excellent results and the longest I've had to keep a piggy on the antibiotics was 11 weeks, for the one who had the whole body abscess xx

 

[Bill & Ted]

Thinking of you both

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Thinking of you both

 

[Angela99]

I really hope that the infection can be kept under control! I've dealt with so many abscesses, over many years, including one that tracked through the whole of the guinea pigs body, caused when a vet inserted a needle into it, resulting in it leaking under the skin and forming many more pockets of infection. I've always used either the antibiotic Azithromycin or a combination of Metronidazole and Marbocyl and have had the abscess kept open and have squeezed pus out daily and given it a good flush, twice a day. This has given excellent results and the longest I've had to keep a piggy on the antibiotics was 11 weeks, for the one who had the whole body abscess xx

Vet just called said tissue is healing really well . Suggested one last dressing change but he said he looks really good and healthy. I’ve been syringe feeding and giving all his favourite veggies and water hydration plus poo soup. So I’m relieved I appreciate all you do!

 

[Wheekallweek]

Yay great news!

 

[Bill & Ted]

That fab news

 

[weepweeps]

Great news

 

[Angela99]

Hello… Truffle was screaming in pain after I got him home every time he peeing… he had blood in his urine a couple weeks ago and I give him lots of water to flush. So I dropped a urine sample to them today and it’s not an infection but there was blood.
So he has his final antibiotic removed tomorrow and they’ll X ray for a stone and if it’s close to opening they will get it out. Vet said if they are small they can pass, but will know tomorrow. He is otherwise doing good.

Poor little guy I’ve never heard a scream like that. I had to give metacam and morphine asap. And was with him 8 hours. Unbearable for me really!

Today he is ok but a little whimpering when peeing and his penis is enlarged.

No calcium now. Should I eliminate pellets? Hay, syringe oxbow , endive, red leaf, carrot, cucumber, orange ..green ..red peppers.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hello… Truffle was screaming in pain after I got him home every time he peeing… he had blood in his urine a couple weeks ago and I give him lots of water to flush. So I dropped a urine sample to them today and it’s not an infection but there was blood.
So he has his final antibiotic removed tomorrow and they’ll X ray for a stone and if it’s close to opening they will get it out. Vet said if they are small they can pass, but will know tomorrow. He is otherwise doing good.

Poor little guy I’ve never heard a scream like that. I had to give metacam and morphine asap. And was with him 8 hours. Unbearable for me really!

Today he is ok but a little whimpering when peeing and his penis is enlarged.

No calcium now. Should I eliminate pellets? Hay, syringe oxbow , endive, red leaf, carrot, cucumber, orange ..green ..red peppers.

I’m sorry to hear this.

Definitely get to the vet if he has a swollen penis. Only very very tiny stones can be passed in boars. Boars have an angle in their urethra which makes passing stones much less likely. If a stone is not absolutely tiny, does try to pass and gets caught in that angle it is an emergency.

it’s impossible for a diet to be no calcium. All veg, hay, syringe feed etc all contains some calcium. He also needs some calcium in his diet for good health.
However if you make a diet too low in calcium can cause as may problems as a diet too high in calcium.

How many pellets are you giving?
Carrot should be eliminated from the diet. Root veg isn’t recommended for piggies with bladder issues and in any event, for any piggy, carrots contain a lot of sugar.

I hope he is ok

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck at the vets. I hope he is ok.

 

[lauryn1289]

Hello… Truffle was screaming in pain after I got him home every time he peeing… he had blood in his urine a couple weeks ago and I give him lots of water to flush. So I dropped a urine sample to them today and it’s not an infection but there was blood.
So he has his final antibiotic removed tomorrow and they’ll X ray for a stone and if it’s close to opening they will get it out. Vet said if they are small they can pass, but will know tomorrow. He is otherwise doing good.

Poor little guy I’ve never heard a scream like that. I had to give metacam and morphine asap. And was with him 8 hours. Unbearable for me really!

Today he is ok but a little whimpering when peeing and his penis is enlarged.

No calcium now. Should I eliminate pellets? Hay, syringe oxbow , endive, red leaf, carrot, cucumber, orange ..green ..red peppers.

Poor baby! Praying he’s okay and his appointment goes well. Thinking of you both

 

[Free Ranger]

If there is a stone actually in his penis they might be able to squeeze it out - my boy had this one form in his penis out of nowhere but you can see the groove where he was able to pee past it. The vet squeezed it out with a bit of lube. But the important thing to check is that he can still pee - if he's blocked it's very serious. George had a clear bulge in his lower abdomen which was his bladder. Fortunately this went down over the next hour as he could still pee. If the bladder cannot empty it's an emergency as it will keep filling from the top end... and something will have to give - either the bladder or the kidneys - neither of these of these has a good outcome. If you are not seeing any pee at all please try and get to the vet asap. I'm so sorry this has happened on top of everything else

 

[Wheekallweek]

Hope he is OK

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

I am so sorry he has this additional problem and for what you too are going through. I hope all goes well

 

[Angela99]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Definitely get to the vet if he has a swollen penis. Only very very tiny stones can be passed in boars. Boars have an angle in their urethra which makes passing stones much less likely. If a stone is not absolutely tiny, does try to pass and gets caught in that angle it is an emergency.

it’s impossible for a diet to be no calcium. All veg, hay, syringe feed etc all contains some calcium. He also needs some calcium in his diet for good health.
However if you make a diet too low in calcium can cause as may problems as a diet too high in calcium.

How many pellets are you giving?
Carrot should be eliminated from the diet. Root veg isn’t recommended for piggies with bladder issues and in any event, for any piggy, carrots contain a lot of sugar.

I hope he is ok

He’s going in for surgery in an hour and they are doing everything they can asap today. I’m really worried…. His abscess is healed but now this

 

[Piggies&buns]

He’s going in for surgery in an hour and they are doing everything they can asap today. I’m really worried…. His abscess is healed but now this

Sending you huge hugs

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Sending you hugs and Truffle healing vibes

 

[Angela99]

If there is a stone actually in his penis they might be able to squeeze it out - my boy had this one form in his penis out of nowhere but you can see the groove where he was able to pee past it. The vet squeezed it out with a bit of lube. But the important thing to check is that he can still pee - if he's blocked it's very serious. George had a clear bulge in his lower abdomen which was his bladder. Fortunately this went down over the next hour as he could still pee. If the bladder cannot empty it's an emergency as it will keep filling from the top end... and something will have to give - either the bladder or the kidneys - neither of these of these has a good outcome. If you are not seeing any pee at all please try and get to the vet asap. I'm so sorry this has happened on top of everything else
View attachment 219610

Yes they said they’ll take it out if it’s close. That’s huge stone! Poor baby. I’m worried about the blood in his pee and damage to his tiny parts! All I can do is is all I’ve done. We’ve been to vet 7 times in 3 weeks .

 

[Wheekallweek]

Best of luck for the op for your boy

 

[Angela99]

Just heard from Vet unfortunately he has tiny stones in his urethra and a large stone in his bladder 1.5 cm… he said it’s a side effect from antibiotics! So he
Is having his final abscess dressing out today and next week he needs surgery to remove the stones.

 

[lauryn1289]

Just heard from Vet unfortunately he has tiny stones in his urethra and a large stone in his bladder 1.5 cm… he said it’s a side effect from antibiotics! So he
Is having his final abscess dressing out today and next week he needs surgery to remove the stones.

Oh your poor little boy! He’s been through so much. Hopefully all goes well and you both can finally relax

 

[Angela99]

You know I don’t want to do the surgery. I just got Sherwood Urinary care and apparently it dissolves tiny stones in urethra and bladder with excellent results. I’m giving it to him as soon as he gets home… supposedly pain should subside in a day or two. He needs lots of water as well to flush. 5 surgeries in two weeks is ridiculous for us! The Vet wanted to leave another antibiotic dressing in and do it all again next week. I said no . Stop! I pray Sherwood tablets are a lifesaver for us

 

[Free Ranger]

I'm glad you have found a product that has given you hope, but I would temper that with a word of caution. If 100 people try a product and it works (or at least seems to) for 5 of them these are the people that will post rave reviews. Some of the others might post that it didn't do anything but most people will just not bother so reviews can skew our perspective. In the UK products are strictly not allowed to make such bald claims unless there is scientific proof they are true - the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will just shut them down before they start - but other countries are different and I don't know the rules in the US.

However saying that I am also trialling these at the minute for my old boy George who has another giant stone - which I really doubt will be affected by these. George's urine pH is very high so I am trying these to see if they can reduce it - even a little bit will help him. If I can get his urine pH down to 8 like my girls we will look at another stone removal for him (he had one last month) and I hope that these will then prevent new stones from forming. But I am sceptical - the body is very good at regulating itself as a rule and balancing out anything we stick into it. And stones can be made of different things. I suspect George has a Calcium Carbonate stone (like limescale you get on taps in hard water areas) so pH can make a difference here. George won't eat them 'neat' but they are easy to crush down to powder and then I mix in with a tsp of recovery food and he's very happy to have that. We've been on them about a week.
Stone pain is very variable and it's not just the bigger the stone the more pain. Like I said, George's new one is a big one - we think at least 6mm across - and it has a little satellite too, but generally speaking he's ok, maintaining weight, and it only bothers him when he toilets. He does have worse days and better days though - last weekend wasn't so much fun for him. So monitor your boy's pain and be guided by that x

 

[Wiebke]

Just heard from Vet unfortunately he has tiny stones in his urethra and a large stone in his bladder 1.5 cm… he said it’s a side effect from antibiotics! So he
Is having his final abscess dressing out today and next week he needs surgery to remove the stones.

HUGS

I am so sorry about the bad news. That is a large bladder stone.
Fingers firmly crossed!

 

[Angela99]

I'm glad you have found a product that has given you hope, but I would temper that with a word of caution. If 100 people try a product and it works (or at least seems to) for 5 of them these are the people that will post rave reviews. Some of the others might post that it didn't do anything but most people will just not bother so reviews can skew our perspective. In the UK products are strictly not allowed to make such bald claims unless there is scientific proof they are true - the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will just shut them down before they start - but other countries are different and I don't know the rules in the US.

However saying that I am also trialling these at the minute for my old boy George who has another giant stone - which I really doubt will be affected by these. George's urine pH is very high so I am trying these to see if they can reduce it - even a little bit will help him. If I can get his urine pH down to 8 like my girls we will look at another stone removal for him (he had one last month) and I hope that these will then prevent new stones from forming. But I am sceptical - the body is very good at regulating itself as a rule and balancing out anything we stick into it. And stones can be made of different things. I suspect George has a Calcium Carbonate stone (like limescale you get on taps in hard water areas) so pH can make a difference here. George won't eat them 'neat' but they are easy to crush down to powder and then I mix in with a tsp of recovery food and he's very happy to have that. We've been on them about a week.
Stone pain is very variable and it's not just the bigger the stone the more pain. Like I said, George's new one is a big one - we think at least 6mm across - and it has a little satellite too, but generally speaking he's ok, maintaining weight, and it only bothers him when he toilets. He does have worse days and better days though - last weekend wasn't so much fun for him. So monitor your boy's pain and be guided by that x

Thank you for sharing msm dissolves calcium deposits which is the active ingredient in Sherwood urinary support. I agree with what you said however Truffle just went under anesthesia 4 times in two weeks and the Vet suggested surgery for Tuesday! He is depleted in every way at the age of 6 years old and this abscess infection started in September when I fed him on my own every 2 to 3 hours for 3 months! He is weak. And this bladder surgery with stones in his urethra…. Plus recovery…. No more. I’m not putting him through it. Today there was no blood in his urine and he’s not in pain when urinating…. They gave me a muscle relaxant as well to possibly help stones pass in urethra. Two tiny ones. Not sure what side effects are with muscle relaxants. I’ve given him 3 tablets since yesterday. I will monitor him over next week and if he doesn’t improve I will let him go home to be with his brother who passed two months ago after surgery for mammary tumour. He may not survive surgery… I can’t bear it. I’ve done everything for 6 months to keep him alive… I pray that his stones pass.