Guinea pig spay aftercare- Query

[Pigmom95]

Hello,

My guinea pig Ginger was spayed today- She is roughly 4.5years or so.

She had ovarian cysts- one the size of a grape and the other the size of an orange! The vet says if we left it much longer the big one could have burst. We took her to an experienced exotic vet who performed the spay via her flank- keyhole. She said it is much less invasive and she will only have a tiny incision on one side, rather than a big scar under her belly like a traditional spay.


The vet has advised us she can stay in with her cage mate and doesn’t recommend separating them.

She is being sent home with painkillers, critical care feed (just in case), probiotics and vitamin C. The vet says there is no need for her to take antibiotics (I questioned this as I’ve read on lots of other threads they always have antibiotics alongside the painkillers) Maybe this is due to it being keyhole and less likely to get infected as it isn’t on her underside? Should I be worried about this/question the vet some more?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Hannah x

 

[Claire W]

I think that both @VickiA and @pig in the city have had piggies that have had keyhole surgery to perform a spay. Hopefully they can advise further. I am wishing Ginger a speedy recovery x

 

[Black piggies]

I had a nearly 4 year old have that surgery and I'm sorry but I can't remember her post op meds, but just to say she was very groggy the day after and the following day she was totally right as rain. Hope Ginger has a good recovery too.

 

[YvonneBlue]

i am not one of the forum health experts, who i'm sure will be along soon to offer their advice. From my experience after one of my sows had a bladder stone removed, our vet doesn't recommend antibiotics unless they suspect an infection. Antibiotics can affect appetite and this can bring its own problems. However, we did need to syringe feed her for a couple of days (day 2 and 3 post surgery) until she got her appetite back.

 

[Eriathwen]

My sows have all been spayed the tradition/old way via the belly and none were ever given, nor needed antibiotics. The most important things after surgery is pain medication and motility drugs to get the guts moving again

 

[Piggies&buns]

Ive only have boars but I do have female rabbits all of whom have been spayed. They have had pain relief for a few days post surgery (the two most recent also had to have gut stimulants) but not antibiotics

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,

My guinea pig Ginger was spayed today- She is roughly 4.5years or so.

She had ovarian cysts- one the size of a grape and the other the size of an orange! The vet says if we left it much longer the big one could have burst. We took her to an experienced exotic vet who performed the spay via her flank- keyhole. She said it is much less invasive and she will only have a tiny incision on one side, rather than a big scar under her belly like a traditional spay.


The vet has advised us she can stay in with her cage mate and doesn’t recommend separating them.

She is being sent home with painkillers, critical care feed (just in case), probiotics and vitamin C. The vet says there is no need for her to take antibiotics (I questioned this as I’ve read on lots of other threads they always have antibiotics alongside the painkillers) Maybe this is due to it being keyhole and less likely to get infected as it isn’t on her underside? Should I be worried about this/question the vet some more?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Hannah x

Hi

Antibiotics depend very much on the operation method and whether the operated site is carefully packed with antibiotics before closing up or not.

My last neutered boars and spayed sows didn't need any antibiotics and could stay with their companions. They still needed painkillers and got gut stimulant for about 3-5 days post-op. All have made a problem-free recovery.

 

[Pigmom95]

I think that both @VickiA and @pig in the city have had piggies that have had keyhole surgery to perform a spay. Hopefully they can advise further. I am wishing Ginger a speedy recovery x

Thanks Claire!

 

[Pigmom95]

Hi

Antibiotics depend very much on the operation method and whether the operated site is carefully packed with antibiotics before closing up or not.

My last neutered boars and spayed sows didn't need any antibiotics and could stay with their companions. They still needed painkillers and got gut stimulant for about 3-5 days post-op. All have made a problem-free recovery.

That’s great thank you! They haven’t prescribed any gut stimulants but she is eating already (veg, hay & nuggets) and the vet said she absolutely stuffed her face when she woke up. So maybe that’s why they didn’t recommend them to me? That’s good news about not needing antibiotics. Thanks again for your help! x

 

[Pigmom95]

My sows have all been spayed the tradition/old way via the belly and none were ever given, nor needed antibiotics. The most important things after surgery is pain medication and motility drugs to get the guts moving again

That’s great thank you very much for replying

 

[Pigmom95]

i am not one of the forum health experts, who i'm sure will be along soon to offer their advice. From my experience after one of my sows had a bladder stone removed, our vet doesn't recommend antibiotics unless they suspect an infection. Antibiotics can affect appetite and this can bring its own problems. However, we did need to syringe feed her for a couple of days (day 2 and 3 post surgery) until she got her appetite back.

That’s great, thank you very much for replying! Xx

 

[Pigmom95]

I had a nearly 4 year old have that surgery and I'm sorry but I can't remember her post op meds, but just to say she was very groggy the day after and the following day she was totally right as rain. Hope Ginger has a good recovery too.

Thank you very much, greatly appreciated She’s been munching on some hay and eating veg already so hoping that’s a good sign! Very groggy and sleepy though as you mentioned!

 

[pig in the city]

Sorry for the delayed reply. I am glad that your piggy is recovering well. All the sows l have had that were treated by this procedure have done very well. It's much less invasive than a full spay so post operative recovery is quick and easy.
The only down side are the two bald patches on the flanks, but the hair soon grows back!

 

[artcasper]

My girl daisy had a flank operation but due to complications the vet also had to go in the traditional way... she did make a full recovery but the aftercare was exhausting as she was groggy, not hungry etc and her cage mates were too rowdy and she needed some space to rest!
I hope your piggy makes a full recovery..
Oh and daisy had ALL the drugs.. pain relief, antibiotics, gut stimulants etc etc....