My guinea pig (2F) has had a cyst on her lower back for about a year. My vet told me that she didn't want to remove it when we originally found it because it didn't look irritated or inflamed. She said to keep an eye on it. Well, today I woke up and she had torn all of the hair out around the cyst and it looked like it came to a head. I washed the area and gently massaged it. The gunk inside dislodged pretty easily (greyish cheesy substance), but just to be gentle I didn't keep squeezing to get all of it out. Basically, I can't bring her to a vet until a few days from now due to an appointment booking. In the meantime, how should I handle the area to prevent anything bad from happening? What are the risks I should be on the lookout for? This seems to be pretty common, and I just want to make sure the risk is low for this condition. She seems fine otherwise, but I just wanna make sure I am doing everything I can before she is seen.
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How to handle a draining cyst before my piggie can be seen by a vet?
- Thread starter TMan4563
- Start date
Hi
Just give it a wash with a mild disinfectant like saline solution (you can make that easily at home or get sterile saline from a pharmacy) to be on the safe side and keep an eye on it for possible signs of infection (redness, heat and/or swelling).
You can find the recipe for making your own saline at home (always useful to know for an emergency) in this guide link here: First Aid Kit: Easily available non-medication support products for an emergency
Like you are saying, the risk is pretty low but the wait is not pleasant for you, as I know myself when my nearly 7 years old lady Hafren's cyst under long term observation put on a sudden massive growth spurt and burst while my piggy savvy vet was away on summer holiday. Anyway, she did hold, despite plenty of bleeding from a unusual fleshy inclusion and potential cancer worries, got her removal op eventually and lived for several months more.
These things can happen.
All the best!
Freela
Senior Guinea Pig
Just keep the area clean with sterile saline until the appointment can take place. The main risk is secondary infection, which you are aiming to prevent by keeping it cleaned. If it begins to smell or appear red or inflamed, see if you can get the appointment moved up, but otherwise all things being equal just keeping it clean should help the situation.