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Specialist Help with my pig rosie - recurring neck abscess

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Bellasen

Junior Guinea Pig
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For about a month she has been having issues with an abscess on her neck teeth are fine had it drained once and it came right back . Went back had it removed and now she has an open wound. My question is whats the best way to treat thr open wound and how long will it take to close.
 

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My vet said its best for it to be opened i am flushing twice a day and she is on antibiotics baytril. Is there anything more i can do for her....
 
Ouch! Is she on pain relief too? I think leaving open and flushing is quite common with abscesses to prevent them from refilling.
Good luck to you and her, I hope it heals well x
 
Bellasen said:
My vet said its best for it to be opened i am flushing twice a day and she is on antibiotics baytril. Is there anything more i can do for her....
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Hi!

Your vet is clued up on abscess care. Flushing twice daily and keeping the mouth open as long as possible is the best you can do.
You need to peel off any scabs forming for as long as possible; ideally as close as you can come to 10 days but a minimum of at least 5 days. Any day longer ups your chances.
Any abscess needs to heal from the inside out, allowing all the infectious stuff to come out, as least spec of infection left inside can eventually cause another flare up; usually even more aggressive.

Baytril is likely not strong enough to cut through an abscess even though it is still the only licensed antibiotic for guinea pigs in many countries, but any recommendations depend on which country you are in. In our experience a very strong antibiotic zithromax (active ingredient azithromycin) has proved to be a literal life saver in many cases, but your vet may not be prepared to prescribe it or you will have to sign a declaration that your vet cannot be made legally responsible for the consquences of using any unlicensed medication on your request.

Can you please add your country, state/province or UK county to your account details (via clicking on your username on the top bar). We have members and enquiries from all over the world. Our advice will depend on your location as medical brand names can vary massively from country to country. giving us a rough idea where you are will make it easier for us to give you the best advice straight away and speed things up massively for both sides. Thank you.

I am tagging in @furryfriends (TEAS) , who is our Abscess Queen. Please accept that she is a very busy lady running a sanctuary for guinea pigs with special needs, so she may not come in quickly.
 
I am also in the USA, it seems like here they always go to baytril. I eventually got something stronger from my vet when baytril was doing nothing for my poor Anna’s abscess. I used a Q-tip to get the thicker puss out before flushing it every time. It took 10 days but she healed and it hasn’t come back. Hers was not as big as your piggies but here are some picsD51CEDD6-084F-4ED6-ADEB-217C4566779F.webp
 
Awww poor Anna thank you for your story with this issue i feel hopeful now. Spoke with my vet switching to zithromax. I am flushing twice a day. She had the abscess removed and when removing the sutures it had opened up and there was more cheesey stuff so my vet suggested to leave it open amd keep flushing. My husband got her from a pet store and she has had it since day one my poor rosie she is so loving i hope she dont hate me after all this.
 
Bellasen said:
Awww poor Anna thank you for your story with this issue i feel hopeful now. Spoke with my vet switching to zithromax. I am flushing twice a day. She had the abscess removed and when removing the sutures it had opened up and there was more cheesey stuff so my vet suggested to leave it open amd keep flushing. My husband got her from a pet store and she has had it since day one my poor rosie she is so loving i hope she dont hate me after all this.
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Wow - she has had this since you got her?
I have nothing to offer medically but wanted to congratulate you on being such a devoted and caring owner.
Rosie is a very lucky pig, and she will definitely have a special bond with you once this is over.
 
Definitely see if your vet will prescribe Zithromax. Baytril is pretty useless when dealing with abscesses. Keeping it open, for as long as possible, is key to dealing with abscesses. I find the flat cotton wool pads, the sort they sell for make up removal, are perfect for cleaning abscess wounds. Without meaning to sound awful, but you do have to be quite aggressive in how you deal with them. Pull off any scab that starts to form and after flushing, give the area a firm wipe with the cotton wool pad.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Definitely see if your vet will prescribe Zithromax. Baytril is pretty useless when dealing with abscesses. Keeping it open, for as long as possible, is key to dealing with abscesses. I find the flat cotton wool pads, the sort they sell for make up removal, are perfect for cleaning abscess wounds. Without meaning to sound awful, but you do have to be quite aggressive in how you deal with them. Pull off any scab that starts to form and after flushing, give the area a firm wipe with the cotton wool pad.
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Bellasen said:
For about a month she has been having issues with an abscess on her neck teeth are fine had it drained once and it came right back . Went back had it removed and now she has an open wound. My question is whats the best way to treat thr open wound and how long will it take to close.
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Please let me know how this turned out! My pig is going through the same thing. I am so nervous as I’m not sure if it will heal or not. :(
 
jbdin2010 said:
Please let me know how this turned out! My pig is going through the same thing. I am so nervous as I’m not sure if it will heal or not. :(
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This is an old thread and the poster hasn't been on the Forum since 2019. If you have a problem with your piggie it's best to start your own thread in the Health & Illness section then the H&I experts will be able to advise you.
 
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